Millions of people have watched Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill perform “How Great Thou Art” at the ACM’s Girls’ Night Out in 2011. It is often called one of the finest live vocals in modern country music. What far fewer people remember is what happened earlier that same night. Vince Gill had already brought Carrie Underwood to tears, and he did it by singing her own song to her.
A night built to honor the women of country
The show was called Girls’ Night Out: Superstar Women of Country. The Academy of Country Music taped it on Monday, April 4, 2011, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, one night after the ACM Awards in the same building. Ticket sales went to ACM Lifting Lives, the Academy’s charity, and CBS aired the special on April 22.
Each honoree received a special recognition. Reba McEntire, The Judds, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles and Loretta Lynn were all on the list. Carrie Underwood was honored for something no woman had done before her: winning ACM Entertainer of the Year twice, back to back.
The man chosen to present Carrie Underwood’s honor was Vince Gill.
The tribute that started with a little girl on local TV
First came a tribute video. It traced Carrie Underwood’s life from her childhood performances on local television in Oklahoma, through her 2005 win on American Idol, and on through everything she had accomplished since.
Then Vince Gill presented the award. He joked that the hardest part of his job was choosing just one of her 13 No. 1 hits to sing.
He chose the song that launched her on country radio: “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” from 2005.
Vince Gill sang her song back to her
There was no big production. Vince Gill sang it the way he sings most things, softly and without showing off, and between the lines he let his guitar do the talking, with solos Taste of Country singled out for their restraint.
Hearing one of country music’s most respected voices hand her signature song back to her, Carrie Underwood was brought to tears. Taste of Country reported that The Judds and other stars in the audience were completely caught up in the moment, too.
It was a beautiful gift. It also created a problem.
The problem: she still had to sing
The night was not over for Carrie Underwood. She and Vince Gill were scheduled to perform together later in the show, and the song was one of the most demanding hymns a singer can choose: “How Great Thou Art.”
When she thanked Vince Gill for his performance, she was still emotional. According to Taste of Country, she told him she hoped she could still get through their duet, since the tears had already started flowing. Anyone who has tried to sing while fighting back tears knows why she was worried. A hymn that builds the way “How Great Thou Art” does leaves nowhere to hide.
Then she walked out and sang the hymn
Before the music began, Carrie Underwood turned her attention to the women around her that night.
“I don’t know what country music would do without them.”
Then Vince Gill began to play. He stayed mostly in the background, letting his guitar carry the hymn while she sang. Reports from the night describe her holding back tears as the song climbed toward its final, soaring notes.
When it ended, she hugged Vince Gill, wiped away a few tears, and looked out at an arena full of her peers on their feet. Miranda Lambert, another honoree that night, later told reporters her favorite part of the whole evening was Carrie Underwood, who she said brought the house down.
What happened after
When CBS aired the special on April 22, more than 8 million viewers tuned in. The clip of “How Great Thou Art” spread quickly online and racked up millions of views. The duet was later released as a live recording, and the hymn has stayed part of her story ever since.
Most people who share that clip today have never seen what came first. Before the standing ovation, before the hymn that so many fans still call her greatest live moment, there was Vince Gill and his guitar, singing “Jesus, Take the Wheel” to the woman who made it famous, and a young singer trying to pull herself together because she still had a song to sing.
Do you remember watching that night on CBS? Which performance moved you more?