Gabby Barrett Reveals Her Hilarious Connection to ‘Jolene’ as She Performs the Dolly Parton Hit in Nashville (Exclusive)

Gabby Barrett is honoring Dolly Parton. The country singer was one of several performers to take the stage during the first-ever America’s Tailgate special on CBS, and included a special tribute to Parton during her time on stage.

Ahead of the show, Barrett spoke to American Songwriter about her two-song set, during which she performed her song “In On It,” as well as a cover of “Jolene.”

The latter song was done in honor of the late great Parton, who recently died after a battle with cancer.

“I’ve done this song for years before I even came to Nashville,” Barrett said. “… I remember loving ‘Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You.’ They were the two that I would always do, obviously, inspired by Dolly.”

When Barrett set out to learn the Parton tracks, she did so both by listening to the songs and studying their lyric sheets.

“There is a [‘Jolene’] lyric sheet that exists on the internet and it’s slightly different from how Dolly does it. It’s not the wrong words, it’s just the placement of where certain words are,” Barrett said. “I’ve done it for years and years and years.”

After Parton’s death, Barrett was listening to “Jolene” when she realized she’d been performing it incorrectly all these years.

“I went, ‘Wait. I have to be wrong. This is the way it goes,’” she said. “I learned it the incorrect way.”

For her TV performance of “Jolene,” Barrett was joined on stage by Sugarland’s Kristian Bush on mandolin.

“That’s a full circle moment for me, because back in Idol days is where we actually first met him,” Barrett, who placed third on American Idol in 2018, said. “… He was always so very kind, one of the most humble guys I’ve ever met, quite honestly. I’m really thankful that he was able to be a part of this and add something special to it.”

Gabby Barrett Remembers Dolly Parton

Honoring Parton with her special performance was important for Barrett, who noted that the late legend ” impacted so many people, including me.”

“At a pretty early age I remember just watching all of her interviews and all of her performances and loving the same things that a lot of other people do,” she said. “She had an amazing personality, and was a hard worker, and was very witty and quick with things, but also was not afraid to say no and be who she is. There’s a lot to learn from her.”

On a more personal note, Barrett recalled getting the chance to speak to Parton one-on-one a few years back.

“I remember getting the opportunity to sit and ask her some questions and just kind of talk through the industry and business,” she said. “I remember her giving me some encouragement, which was very nice. Her belief in me was too.”

“She’s inspired me in a lot of different ways,” Barrett added. “I’m really thankful for that and I’ll take that the rest of my career in Nashville for sure.”

Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images

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