Lainey Wilson has already had hit duets with Cole Swindell and HARDY, and now Jelly Roll, but soon she will be combining her voice with a country music icon. The reigning ACM Female Vocalist of the Year will team up with Dolly Parton for a cover of The Judds‘ “Mama, He’s Crazy,” and it’s for a very worthwhile cause.
“With Lainey Wilson, one of the new ones … we’ve got a song we did for The Judds,” Parton revealed to ET Canada. “They’re doing an album for The Judds for mental illness and some of the problems that [Naomi Judd] had. So they’re doing a whole album of the songs, and I got to do ‘Mama He’s Crazy’ with Lainey, and I don’t even know her. So, I’m going to get a chance to visit.”
Wilson, who has said she lives by the mantra of “WWDD,” which stands for “What Would Dolly Do,” previously said that Parton remains her biggest musical — and personal — inspiration.
“I think we would get along just great. We haven’t met yet. We have not met, but I think we would be best buds,” Wilson told Entertainment Tonight last year. “I think [Dolly’s] best buds with anybody, probably. I’m telling you, Dolly Parton, hands down, [is] one of the biggest inspirations for so many people around the world. Who she is, the way she tells it how it is with a little bow wrapped on top, she’s just a good person and has a heart of gold. I think if we were all a little bit more like her, the world would be a much better place.”
Wilson went into the ACM Awards as the most-nominated female artist, with six nods, second only to HARDY’s seven. When asked if Parton had any advice for the singers, the 77-year-old said she hesitates to advise those who are coming after her.
“We always say, we don’t give advice. We give information,” Parton explained. “We’ll share some information, because I do believe that people have thier own journey, their own way. I really think you have to find your way. But it’s good to have some guidance, and some information. … We all have to do it our own way.”
Parton’s “World on Fire” is out now. The song is the debut single from her forthcoming Rockstar album, out on November 17. Pre-order the record here.
Naomi passed away on April 30 of suicide, one day before The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available 24/7 from the National Suicide Prevention Line at 800-273-8255.
