Brad Paisley Pays Tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens With ‘When I Get Where I’m Going’
*This video has been removed at the request of the Grand Ole Opry.
Brad Paisley paid his final respects to Little Jimmy Dickens with an emotional performance at his memorial service on Thursday (Jan. 8).
Dickens was the senior member of the Grand Ole Opry at 94, and one of its most beloved stars. He passed away on Jan. 2, and Nashville's finest gathered Thursday to say farewell. Fittingly, the ceremony took place at the Opry in Nashville -- an institution to which Dickens dedicated most of his adult life and career.
Paisley took the stage for a solo acoustic performance of 'When I Get Where I'm Going,' which he originally recorded as a duet with Dolly Parton.
"Make no mistake, the building that we're all in was built, at least partially, by Jimmy Dickens," Paisley told the assembled mourners. "He first stepped on the Opry stage in 1948, and made his last appearance Dec. 20 of last year. I can't even fathom what he saw in his lifetime."
He added, "As we remember him, I'm just so glad that I was one of the generations that got to experience him first-hand. His mark will be left on this place forever -- as long as the Grand Ole Opry and as long as this building is here, his memory is intact. He really was as important as anyone has ever been to this."
Paisley's performance was a sweet, fitting tribute to his friend, who had often appeared in his videos and in skits during his tenure hosting the CMA Awards.
Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood also took the stage to perform 'Go Rest High on That Mountain' before Paisley -- in keeping with Opry tradition -- led the assembled Opry stars in 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' to close out the ceremony.
See Pictures From Little Jimmy Dickens' Funeral