It was “legends only” in 2021 when Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton finally recorded a duet together.
It might come as a surprise, but the two country music queens had never collaborated on a song together. In 2021, the legends joined forces to cover “Does He Love You” the classic duet originally sung by McEntire and Linda Davis, released in 1993.
The track, written by Sandy Knox and Billy Stritch, is about the wife and mistress of a man, singing to each other, asking: “Does he love you, like he loves me?” McEntire and Parton’s version was a single off of The Voice Coach’s 2021 three-disc compilation release, Revived Remixed Revisited. The song was a hit with fans and debuted in the Top 50 of Billboard‘s Country Airplay Chart.
“It turned out really good,” Parton told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live back in July 2021. “I have always wanted to sing with her and I don’t know why we never did it until now. But we really sounded good together and I think the fans are going to like it.”
About their duet, McEntire said, “It’s amazing that we’ve never done a duet. We’ve never [sung] together. I’ve gone on programs to sing for her, and she’s done that for me. But to never sing a song together is kinda weird.”
Not only did McEntire and Parton collaborate on the song together, they also filmed a music video for it. In the clip, the two of them meet up in a club together, sitting at a table, each with a drink in their hand as they sing to one another, before eventually taking to the club’s stage for the song’s emotional ending.
“My favorite part of shooting the video with Dolly was getting to visit with her in between shots,” The Voice Coach continued. “Second was singing with her. But to get to hang out and just visit like girlfriends was so much fun… I loved the play acting we got to do. [At first] we were women at odds, and not liking each other. But by the end we were like ‘Ah you can have him, I don’t want him.’ It was a lot of fun.”
Will the two legends reunite for another project in the near future?
“We did talk about doing more stuff together, and I hope that happens, because I loved working with her,” McEntire added. “She’s a professional, she’s fun, funny, witty. I could sit and listen to her talk all day long.”