On Wednesday night (Feb. 21), CBS aired "Dolly Parton's Pet Gala." Special guests joined Parton for musical numbers, and fuzzy friends walked the runway while wearing clothing from the Doggy Parton pet line. Special musical guests included Carly Pearce, Chris Janson and country music's brightest star of the moment, Lainey Wilson.
Like seemingly everyone else in her line of work, Wilson counts Parton as a hero. Before becoming one of the biggest names in popular music, Wilson paid homage to Parton with the song "WWDD," which is short for "What Would Dolly Do." In 2023, Wilson sang one with Dolly for the first time, collaborating with the country and rock hall of famer on "Mama He's Crazy" for A Tribute to The Judds.
For Wednesday's broadcast, Wilson and Parton sang "I Will Always Love You" as a duet. Wilson delivered the first verse masterfully before joining voices seamlessly with Parton on the chorus.
Dogs, dolly, & a little sparkle…three of my favorite things ?✨Sharing a stage with the queen herself @DollyParton to perform, “I Will Always Love You,” was a dream come true. Y’all tune in to Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala on @CBS & @paramountplus TONIGHT at 9pm ET/PT! #dollyspetgala pic.twitter.com/3JCj0dAAVn
— Lainey Wilson (@laineywilson) February 22, 2024
"I Will Always Love You" needs no introduction. One of the most-shared Parton facts tells us that it and "Jolene" were written on the same day. Parton penned "I Will Always Love You" after her professional split from Porter Wagoner. In 1992, Whitney Houston immortalized the song with her own multi-chart-topping, Grammy Award-winning rendition.
Wilson's latest prime-time TV appearance came just days after she sang a medley of her hits at Sunday's People's Choice Awards. That same night, Wilson took home the fan-voted award for Female Country Artist of the Year. Her "Save Me" duet partner Jelly Roll won Male Country Artist of the Year.
Sunday's hits medley incorporated Wilson's newest song, "Country's Cool Again." The song title is also the name of Wilson's next headlining tour, which begins May 31 in Nashville and is sponsored by Coors Light.
