Chris Stapleton Pays Tribute To Vince Gill With Chilling “Whenever You Come Around” Cover

CMT aired a CMT Giants special honoring Vince Gill on September 16, 2022.

 

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Some of the people that were on hand to pay tribute to Gill’s legendary career were Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Ricky Skaggs, Brad Paisley and Maren Morris. Emmylou Harris, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Rodney Crowell, and Vince’s daughter, Jenny, told personal stories about Gill.

Before the special even aired, CMT released a sneak peek of Chris Stapleton’s tribute. He performed Gill’s 1994 hit song “Whenever You Come Around.” Gill released it as the first single of his album When Love Finds You. It peaked at number two, but remains one of his very best songs.

Many notable names have recorded the song, including Willie Nelson for his album Band of Brothers.

Before beginning the song, Stapleton said a few words about the man who he considers a hero.

“I think the greatest impact you’ve had on my besides the obvious things about your music. I moved here wanting to be you,” he said. “You’ve had the courage to encourage me. You always had time to come watch me play or invite me on a songwriting round when I had no business being in it. An0d it’s really made a difference, it’s made a difference for me and I really appreciate that. I love you from the bottom of my heart.”

Gill can be seen smiling through Stapleton’s entire speech before the “Broken Halos” singer started his tribute, which gave us chills immediately. Stapleton’s voice is perfect for this song and the only question we have is, when can they record a duet version together??

Watch Stapleton’s incredible performance below.