A Young Mickey Guyton Drew Inspiration From LeAnn Rimes and Dolly Parton

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Long before Mickey Guyton was a chart-topping country singer, she was a little girl in Texas who dreamed of becoming a star. At the time, she had no idea that the two country women she idolized most would one day help shape her history-making career.

In a recent interview with People, Guyton was asked which country artists might "hypothetically inspire her to record full-blown tribute albums."

"It'd be LeAnn Rimes and Dolly Parton for sure—absolutely, hands down!" the 39-year-old replied.

"LeAnn Rimes has become a friend of mine, which is crazy!" Guyton added. "Because she inspired me so long ago. She's been so instrumental in my career."

In a 2020 episode of Southern Living's Biscuits & Jam podcast, Guyton revealed that it was seeing Rimes perform at a Texas Rangers baseball game that truly made her want to become a professional country singer.

Though Guyton and Rimes are the same age, Rimes first rose to fame as a young teenager. Guyton didn't achieve mainstream success until 2015.

"What's been so fun about getting to know her is knowing what a kind-hearted, thoughtful, caring, loving, nurturing person that she is," Guyton continued. "You didn't get the social media of LeAnn when she was coming up in her career, and I've gotten to just be on the inside of that—and she is guarded because she has gone through a lot. And when you get to know her, she is like a chef's kiss of a human being. Really."

As for Parton? Guyton said she was introduced to the country legend by her grandmother.

"My grandma was a huge Dolly Parton fan," the singer told People.

"She lived in the country, so she didn't have cable, and all she had were movies, VHS tapes," Guyton explained. "When I would go into her room to watch movies, I would look on the back of her door and there was Dolly Parton; and there was Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers duet VHS tapes. So that's how I fell in love with Dolly Parton, was [by] watching those tapes."

The "Black Like Me" singer went on to recall the time she met Parton for the first time, during a 2016 appearance on CBS This Morning.

"I mean, I screamed, I cried — it's a whole thing," Guyton told People. "And she's so little! Her waist is, like, that small. I'm not kidding. She made me feel really good about myself — but my waist!"