Vince Gill Honors Joe Bonsall By Singing “Elvira” & “Go Rest High” At The Opry
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Vince Gill Honors Joe Bonsall By Singing “Elvira” & “Go Rest High” At The Opry

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Vince Gill Pays Tribute To “Sweet Friend” Joe Bonsall

When Vince Gill stepped into the circle at the Grand Ole Opry on Wednesday (July 10), he paid tribute to one of his dearest friends…the Oak Ridge Boys’ Joe Bonsall.

Bonsall passed away the day prior (July 9) at the age of 76. The Oak Ridge Boys issued a press release about his passing, which read:

“Joseph S. Bonsall (76) of Hendersonville, Tennessee passed on to Glory on July 9, 2024, from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis [otherwise known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease],” the press release read. “He leaves behind his precious wife, Mary Ann, daughters Jennifer and Sabrina, granddaughter Breanne, grandson Luke, two great grandsons, Chance and Grey, and a sister, Nancy. He is preceded in death by his parents Joseph S. Bonsall Sr. and Lillie Bonsall.”

If you’d like to honor Bonsall, his family has requested that donations be made to The ALS Association or The Vanderbilt Medical Center ALS and Neuroscience Research Center in his memory.

Since Bonsall died just one day before Gill’s Opry performance, he knew he couldn’t sing without honoring him. Gill shared a few words about their friendship, telling the crowd:

“I wanted to sing a couple of songs tonight in memory of my sweet friend Joe Bonsall. We were friends for 42 years. He was the high singer in the Oak Ridge Boys for all those years. My heart’s broken for him and his family.”

From there, Gill moved into a cover of the Oak Ridge Boys’ “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” which was written by Rodney Crowell. After performing the song, Gill told the audience that it was his first time ever singing it without Bonsall by his side.

Vince Gill Sings “Elvira” & “Go Rest High On That Mountain” During Tribute To Joe Bonsall

After that, Gill moved into singing the Oak Ridge Boys’ iconic hit, “Elvira.” Bonsall sang lead on the tune, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021.

The Opry crowd loved hearing Gill’s take on “Elvira.” He clearly had a lot of fun with the song himself, and the performance served as a more uplifting moment in an otherwise somber tribute.

Gill shared a short clip of his “Elvira” cover on social media, captioning it, “Remembering Joe Bonsall of @theoakridgeboys.”

 

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Gill concluded his set by performing an emotional song of his own, “Go Rest High on That Mountain.”

After Keith Whitley died in 1989, Gill started writing what would one day become “Go Rest High.” But he didn’t finish the song until years later, when his own brother, Bob, died in 1993.

Gill released “Go Rest High” in 1995. Since then, he’s performed the track in honor of many country legends who’ve passed away, including George Jones, Toby Keith, and now, Bonsall.

Pictures of Bonsall played across the screen on the Opry stage while Gill performed “Go Rest High” in his honor.

One audience member, Bonnie Kauk Kosmicki, shared a full video of Gill’s “Go Rest High” performance on Facebook. You can watch that video below. It was a stunning tribute from Gill, in memory of his dear friend, Joe Bonsall.

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