Kenny Rogers Names His Favorite Duet Partner…And It’s Not Dolly Parton

AP vis CBS News

Kenny Rogers is looking back on his eventful career as he continues on his farewell tour. It’s a career that includes over 120 hit singles and more than 100 million records sold. 

Some of Rogers’ most successful songs were duets. Who could ever forget his 1983 duet with Dolly Parton called “Islands in the Stream”? The song is consistently named as the greatest duet in all of country music history.

Rogers and Parton have become good friends over the years, and have collaborated on multiple occasions. Just a handful of duets they’ve recorded together include “The Greatest Gift of All,” “You Can’t Make Old Friends,” and “With Bells On.”

While Rogers’ duets with Parton are some of his most recognizable, she surprisingly isn’t his favorite duet partner. Yes, you read that right!

During an interview with The Naples Daily News which was published on Wednesday (January 25), Rogers said that his favorite duet partner was actually Dottie West. They released duet albums together, with some of their most memorable singles being “Every Time Two Fools Collide” and “All I Ever Need Is You.”

“My favorite person was Dottie West and I don’t know why,” Rogers said. “Maybe it was because her life was cut short. But my most success of course came with Dolly Parton.”

Rogers spoke more about his friendship with Parton during the interview, calling her a “wonderful girl.”

“She’s so determined, so positive in everything she does, that you just hang onto it. I can’t go five years without seeing her. And when I walk into the room, I feel like I saw her yesterday. And the conversation reflects that feeling on both sides.”

The friendship that Rogers and Parton share is truly one in a million. They’re lucky to have each other!

Even though Rogers misses singing with West, it’s clear he finds great joy in sharing the stage with Parton. You can see that below in their performance of “Islands in the Stream.”