When George Jones, a famous country music singer, passed away on April 26, 2013, everyone who loved country music felt very sad. He had been very sick with a high fever and problems with his blood pressure, and he died in the hospital.
His funeral happened on May 2, 2013, at a special place called the Grand Ole Opry. Some important people, like former First Lady Laura Bush, the governor of Tennessee Bill Haslam, and a former governor of Arkansas named Mike Huckabee, came to talk about George. Other famous singers like Barbara Mandrell and Kenny Chesney also spoke. Then, a big group of country stars, including Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Ronnie Milsap, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt, the Oak Ridge Boys, Charlie Daniels, Brad Paisley, Patty Loveless, and Vince Gill, sang songs to honor George.
You can watch their performances below.
All the singers did an amazing job singing for George, who was nicknamed “The Possum.” One performance that really stood out was when Vince Gill and Patty Loveless sang together. They performed a sad and beautiful song called “Go Rest High On That Mountain.” Vince started writing this song years ago when another country singer, Keith Whitley, died in 1989. He finished it later, in 1993, after his own brother passed away from a heart attack.
Before they started singing, Vince told everyone, “Brother George taught us all how to sing with a broken heart.” You could hear how sad Vince was right from the beginning of the song. His voice was shaky because he was trying so hard not to cry. At one point, it got too hard for him to keep singing, so he stepped back, and Patty sang for him.
While they sang, other singers like Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and Jamey Johnson stood up to show their respect for George and to support Vince, who was crying. During the song, Vince started playing an incredible guitar solo. Even though he was so upset, he kept going. Patty walked over to comfort him while he played. You could see on his face how much love and effort he put into this song for George.
This performance might make you cry, so have some tissues ready! It was so touching that even we had a hard time watching it without tears. You can see the emotional performance below.
