How A Song About Jesus Became Dolly Parton’s Last Grammy Win
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Throughout her lifetime, Dolly Parton won 11 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Her first Grammy came in 1979 for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female for her song “Here You Come Again” after 13 nominations. The final grammy Award of her lifetime was in 2021 for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “There Was Jesus” by Zach Williams.
All About “There Was Jesus”
Zach Williams wrote “There Was Jesus” with Jonathan Smith and Casey Beathard.
When asked about the inspiration behind the song, Williams said, “Looking back at 20 years ago when I had no idea that God was in the moment, that He was even with me through some of the hard things that have gone on in my life. Now I can see that He had His hand in everything I was doing.”
The moment they finished writing it, Williams knew he wanted to ask Parton to sing on the song. So, he sent over the demo to Parton’s manager and she loved it. They recorded it just a few weeks later.
“It was a really cool moment, just to have the privilege to record a song with Dolly Parton. Working with Dolly was a true honor,” the Christian singer recalled. “She has a way of making you feel like you are the only person in the room. She is so down-to-earth and genuine, and I can’t wait for people to hear that in the song.”
In 2019, Parton performed “There Was Jesus” at the CMA Awards with Williams, making it the duo’s first time singing the song live.
“There Was Jesus” Became Dolly Parton’s Last Award-Winning Song
Following the release of “There Was Jesus,” the reception was incredible. It went No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay and Christian Adult Contemporary charts, No. 2 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, and is certified Platinum, selling over one million units.
The song also was nominated for several awards including a Dove Award for Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. Parton and Williams took home a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song at the 2021 ceremony.
After Parton passed away on August 25, Williams took to Facebook to share a clip of their music video and wrote, “Thank you for everything, Dolly. Singing ‘There Was Jesus’ with you will forever be one of the greatest honors of my life.“
It is so fitting that a song about Jesus was the last award-winning song of Dolly’s life. She was incredibly outspoken about her faith, and began her love for singing in church. God knew what he was doing when he paired Dolly and Zach together for this song.
Watch their music video for “There Was Jesus” below.
