Kenny Rogers Once Shared The Real Reason He And Dolly Parton Didn't Date

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton were a match made in country music heaven, but they themselves were not a match made for love. For decades, fans fell for their duet performances and waited with great anticipation for the day they'd announce they were finally together. That day never came. So when Kenny Rogers passed away in 2020, Dolly knew it was time to come forward with her side of the story once and for all. And once the strange reality finally came out, it was clear all those years of waiting were worth it.

Lone Singer

The romantic tension between Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton first sparked in 1983 when Bees Gees singer-songwriter Barry Gibb wrote and produced the song Islands In The Stream. Originally, it was Kenny Rogers singing alone, but something was definitely missing.

Incomplete

Rogers and Gibb recorded for four days with little success. No matter what they tried, the song just didn't sound complete. They needed a voice that was sweet, melodic, and wholly original — they needed Dolly Parton! One of the biggest stars in the industry at that time, a happy coincidence led her to the studio the same day.

Finding Dolly

As luck would have it, they didn't even need to make a phone call to schedule a meeting with Dolly. Kenny Rogers' manager, Ken Kragen, had made a fateful observation. "I saw her downstairs," he'd told Kenny and Barry. Rogers immediately responded with, "Well, go get her!"

Powerful First Meeting

Dolly Parton was introduced to Barry Gibb's song, and when Kenny and Dolly recorded for the first time, Gibb knew they had found their missing piece. Islands In The Stream became a huge hit, and audiences were taken in not only by Dolly and Kenny's sweet harmonizing, but by their flirtatious chemistry.