NBC Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
NBC Insider Happy's Place

Dolly Parton & Reba McEntire's Twangy Harmonies Duetting "How Blue" Are Masterful

Can Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire recreate this moment on The Voice

By Chris Phelan
Reba McEntire Defines Sisterhood with Co-Star Belissa Escobedo | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
Now Playing
2:30
Web Exclusive
Reba McEntire Defines Sisterhood with Co-Star Belissa Escobedo | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:13
Highlight
Bobbie and Emmett Flirt at the Arcade | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:44
Highlight
Steve Opens Up to Bobbie About His OCD | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:15
Highlight
Gabby Gets Isabella's Late Father's Whiskey Back | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:49
Highlight
Bobbie Chickens Out of Getting a Tattoo | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:46
Highlight
Will the IRS Come After Bobbie? | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:35
Highlight
Isabella's Mom Thinks Bobbie Ruined Her Daughter's Life | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
4:35
Highlight
Gabby Doesn't Know if She'll Be a Good Mother | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:09
Highlight
Bobbie Visits Emmett in the Hospital | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:39
Highlight
Bobbie Has a Heart-to-Heart with Her Daughter | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:08
Highlight
The Annual Happy's Place Anniversary Roast | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:56
Highlight
Isabella's Breakup Letter Totally Fails | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:48
Highlight
Steve Howey Guest Stars on Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:04
Web Exclusive
Steve Howey's Reunion with Reba and Melissa Peterman | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
4:06
Web Exclusive
Melissa Peterman & Steve Howey Take Over the Universal Studios Hollywood Tram | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:40
Highlight
Bobbie Tells Isabella What Their Late Father Was Like | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
4:53
Highlight
Gabby Gets an Intervention | Happy's Place | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:33
Highlight
Bobbie Goes Fishing with Emmett | Happy's Place | NBC

Almost 18 years before Happy's Place premiered, Reba McEntire was in a very happy place of her own that fans still talk about. 

How to Watch

Watch Happyâs Place on NBC and Peacock.

On November 18, 2006, the now-iconic television series CMT Giants debuted with a salute to the career of Reba McEntire, highlighted by performances by Kelly Clarkson, Dolly Parton, and other country artists. It was a night of honoring the Queen of Country Music as only McEntire's peers could.

The show's highlight was an unforgettable rendition of McEntire's "How Blue" by Parton herself — followed by an impromptu duet between the two icons. 

Parton's performance of "How Blue" was impressive on its own.  The country music pioneer had the entire crowd clapping along with her silky-smooth vocals singing McEntire's familiar lyrics. And, of course, nobody was more honored than McEntire herself. The camera kept catching her smiling ear-to-ear. 

"Oh, I wasn't that good!" Parton exclaimed to the crowd in response to their applause after she finished. "Nobody can sing it like Reba!"

As great as Parton's performance was, she topped it by bringing McEntire up on stage to do a quick duet of the song's chorus — and McEntire didn't disappoint. For a few magical seconds, the two icons gave fans one of the most wholesome moments in music history.

Watch the amazing Reba McEntire/Dolly Parton duet moment here.

Both women sang flawlessly. For McEntire, it was a very special moment because she idolized Parton growing up, and sharing the stage with her was a dream come true.

RELATED: Reba McEntire Couldn't Touch or Kiss Rex Linn in His Halloween Costume: "Gross!"

"I grew up listening to Dolly Parton, when she had her very first album, My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy," she revealed to Newsweek in a 2023 interview. "I love that album because she wrote songs and told a story. I like a song that tells a story. Dolly and I, we just love, we're not here to judge or to preach. We love what we get to do."

Here's what to know about "How Blue" by Reba McEntire

Reba Mcentire lays on her side in a floral dress while holding a flower

Released as the lead single from McEntire's 1984 album, My Kind of Country, "How Blue" helped propel McEntire even further into superstardom.  The song's success led to her winning a CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1985.

RELATED: All About Reba McEntire and Rex Linn’s Darling Relationship

The song topped Billboard's U.S. Hot Country Songs chart, settling into the number-one position on January 19, 1985. "How Blue" is one of 24 number-one country hits that McEntire has under her belt! The track was considered a departure from McEntire's usual sound as it incorporated elements of country-roots music,  such as steel guitars and fiddles, which were not used in McEntire's previous singles.

Sponsored Stories
Recommended by Zergnet