Vince Gill pays tribute to the late Oak Ridge Boys singer Joe Bonsall

At the Grand Ole Opry on Wednesday, veteran country artist Vince Gill honored Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys.

When Gill received news of the legendary Oak Ridge Boys member’s death a day before his Opry performance, he knew he had to pay tribute to him with a song. He took a moment to share a few heartfelt words about their friendship.

“I wanted to sing a few songs tonight in memory of my dear friend Joe Bonsall,” Gill told the Opry audience. “We were friends for 42 years. He was the best singer for the Oak Ridge Boys all those years. My heart breaks for him and his family.”

Gill then performed a cover of the Oak Ridge Boys’ “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” written by Rodney Crowell. After the performance, Gill told the crowd that it was the first time he sang the song without Bonsall by his side.

Gill then moved on to the Oak Ridge Boys’ legendary hit “Elvira.” Perhaps the Oak Ridge Boys’ best known, the song is known for featuring Bonsall’s distinctive tenor on lead vocals. The whimsical melody was the perfect counterbalance to the more somber “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight.”

The veteran singer-songwriter posted a short clip of his cover of “Elvira” on Instagram. “In memory of Joe Bonsall of @theoakridgeboys,” Vince Gill wrote alongside the footage. “Vince Gill is definitely a class act with the voice of an angel. Beautiful tribute,” wrote one fan in the comments.

Vince Gill also paid tribute to Joe Bonsall with his own signature song

Meanwhile, Gill played his own signature song as a further tribute to Bonsall.

After Keith Whitley’s death in 1989, Gill began composing the song that would become “Go Rest High,” but he did not complete the song until years later, after his own brother Bob died in 1993.

Gill released “Go Rest High” in 1995. Since then, he has performed the song as a tribute to numerous deceased country legends, including the recently deceased Toby Keith.

Now “Go Rest High” was played for Bonsall.

As Vince Gill performed “Go Rest High” on the Opry stage, images of Bonsall flashed across the screen in tribute. Audience member Bonnie Kauk Kosmicki captured the moving performance in full video, which she later shared on Facebook.