Lainey Wilson’s 15-Second Encounter with Dolly Parton Left Her Speechless

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When Lainey Wilson won Female Artist of the Year at the 58th ACM Awards last May, the first words of her acceptance speech were “I can’t believe I just met Dolly Parton." Recently, on Audacy's Rob + Holly podcast, the "Heart Like a Truck" singer shared more details about her brief first encounter with the queen of country.

Before the onstage meeting, the pair had already collaborated but hadn't met. Their not-yet-released duet, "Mama He's Crazy," is one of the tracks on the upcoming album A Tribute to The Judds.

"I had went in and cut my vocal on the song we did together for The Judds tribute, and [Dolly] went in a couple weeks later and did hers. So I didn’t get to meet her during that process," Lainey explained. "I got to hear our voices together, which was insane, but I had not got to hug her neck just yet."

She finally got that hug at May's ACM Awards when Dolly, serving as co-host, presented her award.

"As we were walking off the stage, [Dolly] said, ‘Lainey, I love our new song together,’ and I’m like, [speechless]. I don’t know if I even said anything, to be honest,” Lainey said.

Even though their time together was brief, Lainey felt an instant bond with Dolly. “I felt like I’d known her my whole life," she said. "Like even just for those 15 seconds of getting to talk to her while we were walking off the stage."

We'll have a chance to listen to Lainey and Dolly's duet when A Tribute to The Judds is released on October 27. The album features 14 of The Judds' most beloved tracks performed by a lineup of country greats, including Wynonna Judd and Trisha Yearwood who pair up on "Cry Myself To Sleep."

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