Vince Gill Honors a Country Legend With a Ryman Performance of His Favorite Buck Owens Song

Vince Gill is making his love for Buck Owens known. During his three-and-a-half-hour concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Gill set aside time to pay tribute to some of his musical heroes.

He did so by recalling Bakersfield, his 2013 LP. Gill teamed up with steel guitar player Paul Franklin to make the album. The project is comprised of covers of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens songs.

To honor Haggard, Gill performed “The Bottle Let Me Down.” Next, he moved his attention to Owens, singing “Together Again.” Owens released the song in 1964, Gill said he counts it as his favorite by the artist.

“The key to my heart / You hold in your hand / And nothing else matters / We’re together again,” Gill sang.

While “Together Again” is Gill’s favorite of Owens’ songs, he also covered “Foolin’ Around,” “He Don’t Deserve You Anymore,” “Nobody’s Fool But Yours,” and “But I Do” on the 2013 cover album.

What to Know About Vince Gill’s Ryman Residency

The special cover song came on the third night of Gill’s six-show residency at the Ryman. Gill started the concert one minute early, casually walking on stage with a guitar and a wave to the crowd.

He went on to delight the audience with hours of incredible music. Gill played some of the biggest songs of his career, a couple of ’80s classics, tunes from his ongoing 50 Years From Home project, and a few of his personal favorites.

In between songs, Gill took time to chat with the audience, regaling them with unforgettable stories. He remembered when he ate canned ravioli and watched Matlock with George Jones. Gill also recalled the limo ride he took with Emmylou Harris to see Haggard perform at a beer joint.

Even after three hours on stage, the audience hadn’t had enough of Gill. With cheers and claps, they wound up convincing Gill to come back for a three-song encore.

During that portion of the show, Gill performed “Whenever You Come Around,” “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away,” and “Liza Jane.”

At the end of the night, the crowd was on their feet and clapping in awe of Gill’s incredible time on stage.

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