Vince Gill took the stage at the 2022 ACM Honors on Tuesday night (Sept. 13) to pay tribute to his longtime friend Chris Stapleton, giving the debut performance of the first song they ever wrote together, "You Don't Want to Love a Man Like Me."

The Country Music Hall of Famer shared how he — as well as a number of other Nashville insiders — was aware of Stapleton's talents as a singer-songwriter long before he came to fame. Gill performed a stark, stripped-down acoustic version of "You Don't Want to Love a Man Like Me," giving a melancholy air to his performance of the mid-tempo, mournful ballad.

"You don't want to love a man like me / 'Cause I'm afraid I know just what I'll do / You don't want to love a man like me / Even though you know I want you to," Gill sang in the chorus.

Stapleton was on hand to accept the ACM Spirit Award during the ceremony, which took place at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in August and aired on Fox on Tuesday night. He told the audience that he "wanted to be" Gill when he was young, adding that he couldn't sing like Gill, which forced him to find his own voice.

Carly Pearce hosted the 2022 ACM Honors, and Shania Twain, Morgan Wallen, Hardy and Yellowstone were among the other honorees. Miranda Lambert was also on hand to accept the ACM Triple Crown Award.

2022 ACM Honors Red Carpet Pictures + More!

Miranda Lambert, Hardy and Dan + Shay were among the country singers at the 2022 ACM Honors who brought their significant others with them to the red carpet. Others like Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and Shania Twain flew solo. See the best dressed from the Aug. 24 ceremony in Nashville. We also included several photos from the show that feature additional fashion statements.

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