Dionne Warwick Talks Meeting Dolly Parton for the First Time — And Why America Needs Inspirational Music Right Now

Deborah Evans Price
·5 min read
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What happens when two beloved legends meet for the first time?

“Well, it was more laughter than anything else,” Dionne Warwick says of meeting Dolly Parton. “We had a wonderful, wonderful meeting. It was as if we’d known each other for years.”

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Though both women have been fans of each other’s work for many years, the occasion that finally brought them together was a video shoot for their new gospel duet “Peace Like a River.” Written by Parton and produced by Warwick’s son/manager Damon Elliott, the song is the first taste of Warwick’s forthcoming inspirational album, coming via Warwick and Elliott’s Kind Music Group.

Parton and Warwick recorded their vocals for the single separately then met at Parton’s production facility outside Nashville to film the video. Sitting in a downtown Nashville hotel room for this interview, Warwick is both elegant and energetic — the excitement she feels over the collaboration with Parton is palpable.

“We were there to take care of our business, but along with that, we found time to not only smile but outright laugh,” Warwick says of the filming the clip, which was directed by Elliott and Nick Pres. “Dolly is very, very grounded — which I was thrilled about — but she’s also very business, which I happen to be about as well. So, it felt like two peas in a pod. It wasn’t like we were working at all. It was more like two friends meeting for lunch.”

“I was honored to get to sing with one of my idols, Dionne Warwick,” Parton said in a statement. “I have loved her since we were younger and getting to sing with her was one of the highlights of my career. I loved that she loved my song, and I loved singing it with her.”

Parton sent the song to Elliott in hopes that Warwick would be interested in recording it. When she heard it, she was immediately impressed by the lyrics and Parton’s vocals. “She asked if I’d like to do it as a duet. She’s testifying on this song, which she knows how to do,” Warwick tells Billboard of Parton’s fiery gospel delivery. “She felt that I was her voice of choice to do this with. She feels that the world needs it, as I do, and she said, ‘We’ve got a hit song.’ It’s so beautifully written. [These are] beautiful words to sing and I’m truly honored that she asked me to record it.”

Warwick plans to title her upcoming album Songs of Inspiration and is hoping to recruit Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin and some of her other favorite gospel singers to participate in the project. The new album will be Warwick’s first inspirational collection since Why We Sing was released in 2008 on Rhino Records. “It’s so important for this time and so much needed,” Warwick says of releasing the inspirational set. “I don’t know what’s going on with our country.”

Though “Peace Like a River” marks Warwick’s first collaboration with Parton, Elliott recently produced another project involving the country icon when he recruited Dolly for “Gonna Be You,” a Diane Warren song performed by Parton, Cyndi Lauper and Belinda Carlisle featuring Gloria Estefan and Deborah Harry (which comes from the 80 for Brady movie starring Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin). “Diane had this great song that she wrote, and she came to me and said, ‘I’m working on this song for this movie, and I want you to produce it,’” says Elliott, who produced Warren’s Oscar-nominated “Applause” from the film Tell It Like A Woman.

“It was a lot of fun,” Elliott says of working on “Gonna Be You.” “It took me back to when I produced ‘Lady Marmalade’ [with P!nk, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim and Mya for Moulin Rouge!] many moons ago. Working with extraordinary talented artists — in this case living legends — is just something… I can’t put words to it.”

In addition to working on her upcoming inspirational album, Warwick and Elliott are co-executive producers for Hits! The Musical, a 50-city national tour featuring 29 young artists, ages 10 to 22, delivering 80 of America’s most iconic songs. Elliott is currently planning a Las Vegas residency for the show after the tour concludes.

When Elliott first became involved in the musical, he knew it would appeal to Warwick. “I called mom and said, ‘This is probably going to resonate with you,’ because she does stuff to help propel future artists,” he explains.

“Anything that has to do with kids, you’ve got me. Especially if it’s dealing with music, which I think I know a little bit about,” Warwick says with a smile. “It is absolutely phenomenal. The talent is enormous. They take five decades of music. Every time I think about it, I get tongue-tied. It’s something I think everybody should see.”

At 82, Warwick — whose Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over documentary recently hit HBO Max — shows no signs of slowing down. In addition to the new duet with Parton, touring the country, working on her inspirational album and co-executive producing Hits! The Musical, the five-time Grammy winner (who was honored with the lifetime achievement Grammy in 2019) is considered the “Queen of Twitter.” “After seeing some of the things that were being said on Twitter when I first got involved, [I thought] it’s time for a grownup to be present and let these kids know that there is another way to do all this,” Warwick quips.

She says she has no plans to retire anytime soon. “I’ve got a long, long time just to sit and be doing nothing,” she says. “I’m not ready for that yet.”

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