Sometimes, the most fortuitous moments in life happen by sheer chance, like the time Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ overlapping studio schedules saved Rogers from passing up on what would be one of the most defining hits of his entire career. Moreover, if Barry Gibb, who was working with Rogers at the time, hadn’t noticed Parton downstairs, the country stars’ coinciding calendars would have been a moot point.
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Whether you call it the stars aligning or two islands fatefully forming in the middle of the same musical stream, the happenstance occurrence was a pivotal turning point in both Rogers and Parton’s enduring careers.
How Dolly Parton Saved Kenny Rogers From Passing On A Hit
While we might associate “Islands in the Stream” with two of the biggest names in country music history, its origins were far more pop-oriented. The Gibbs brothers (of Bee Gees fame) originally wrote the song for an R&B or soul artist, à la Marvin Gaye or Diana Ross. Eventually, the Gibbs gave the song to Kenny Rogers, who began recording his version in May 1983. However, the process was slow-going, and the unproductive sessions started to plant seeds of doubt about the song in Rogers’ mind.
Barry Gibb, who was working with Rogers in the studio, began brainstorming ways to breathe new life into the track. “You know what we need?” Gibbs asked Rogers. “We need Dolly Parton.” Per reporting by Taste of Country, Rogers’ manager chimed in, saying that he had happened to see Parton working downstairs in the same studio. “So, I said, ‘Go, get her and bring her back,’” Rogers recalled. “She came marching into the room, and once she came in and started singing, the song was never the same. It took on a personality of its own.”
In addition to kickstarting a friendship that would last for decades until Rogers’ death in 2020, “Islands in the Stream” was a tremendous commercial success for both country artists. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country, and Adult Contemporary charts in the States. It also topped the charts in Canada, Australia, and Austria.
A Chance Encounter Turned Into An Undeniable Career Highlight
In a 2023 interview with Australia’s Smooth Radio, Dolly Parton said her decision to collaborate with Barry Gibbs and Kenny Rogers on “Islands in the Stream” was one of the proudest moments of her decades-long career. “That’s another thing I’m as proud of as anything I ever did,” Parton said. “I’m always honored when great artists like Barry, who produced the record, and Kenny [ask me to work with them].”
“Barry said they tried to find the right people. They didn’t know what they was going to do with the song, almost dumped it, and then Barry asked Kenny if he knew a girl named Dolly Parton. ‘Yeah, I think I do, I think I could reach her.’ And I happened to be right up the street, so that was just meant to be. I went down, and within two or three hours, we had that whole record done.”
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers performed “Islands in the Stream” for the final time in October 2017 as part of CBS’ “Kenny Rogers Farewell Concert Celebration.” The singers hadn’t lost a beat, even playfully teasing one another on stage in between and during their duets. Indeed, the song will go down as one of the most prolific hits in country music history despite once being one studio visit away from getting scrapped for good.
Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images
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