DOLLY PARTON & REBA McENTIRE – “HOW BLUE”: WHEN THE WOMAN WHO INSPIRED REBA SANG ONE OF HER DEFINING SONGS
In 2006, the stage of CMT Giants: Reba McEntire became the setting for one of those country music moments that feels bigger than the song itself. Dolly Parton walked out to perform “How Blue,” the song that had helped establish Reba McEntire as one of country music’s most important voices in the 1980s. Released by Reba on September 24, 1984, “How Blue” became her third No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart, reaching the top in January 1985. It was the first single from her album My Kind of Country, a record that helped strengthen Reba’s reputation as part of the traditional country revival of the era. More than two decades later, Dolly stood onstage to sing the song herself, and the tribute became even more special when Reba joined her.
The choice of song was particularly fitting because “How Blue” represented an important turning point in Reba’s career. Written by John Moffat and produced by Harold Shedd, the recording had a stripped down traditional sound built around acoustic guitar, fiddle and steel guitar. It sounded very different from some of the more polished country pop records dominating radio at the time. Reba had reportedly been hesitant about recording it initially, but Shedd persuaded her to give it a chance. Once she did, the song became a breakthrough. It reached No. 1 on the U.S. country chart and No. 6 on Canada’s RPM Country Tracks chart, while helping reinforce the traditional country identity that would become such an important part of Reba’s artistic image.
The lyrics are full of wounded pride. The singer is speaking to someone who has left her heartbroken, asking how he could possibly understand “how blue” she feels unless he has experienced the same kind of loneliness himself. Reba’s original recording carried that ache with remarkable directness. But Dolly approached the song from a slightly different angle. Her voice brought a softer Appalachian warmth to the melody, almost as though she were remembering the song rather than simply performing it. That distinction made the tribute fascinating. Dolly was not trying to imitate Reba’s 1984 recording. She was placing her own musical fingerprint on a song that had become part of Reba’s story.
And the personal connection between the two women went much deeper than one television performance. Reba had first met Dolly in 1977, around the time of Reba’s Grand Ole Opry debut, and Dolly quickly became one of the artists Reba admired enormously. Decades later, their friendship had become a genuine part of country music history. In the 2006 CMT Giants special, Dolly was introduced as an inspiration to Reba before performing “How Blue.” The program also brought together a remarkable collection of artists to celebrate Reba, including Kelly Clarkson, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Wynonna Judd, Trisha Yearwood, LeAnn Rimes and others.
There was something almost beautifully circular about the performance. Dolly had already been a major star for more than a decade when Reba was still beginning to find her place in Nashville. By the time CMT Giants arrived, Reba herself had accumulated decades of hits, awards and television success. Yet on that stage, the relationship between influence and inspiration remained visible. Dolly could sing one of Reba’s signature songs, and Reba could stand beside the woman whose career had helped show her what was possible. It was not about deciding who was the greater singer. It was about recognizing the musical conversation between generations.
That conversation became even more touching when Dolly and Reba joined voices on the song. Reba’s familiar phrasing and Dolly’s distinctive tone created an entirely different version of “How Blue.” The performance suddenly stopped being merely a tribute from one singer to another and became a shared celebration. Dolly was giving the song back to Reba, and Reba was accepting it from someone who had been part of her musical imagination for decades.
The timing of the tribute is worth remembering, too. Reba’s My Kind of Country had arrived in 1984 at a crucial moment in Nashville, when artists such as George Strait, Ricky Skaggs and Reba were helping bring traditional country sounds back toward the center of the genre. “How Blue” was one of the songs that announced Reba’s ability to carry that tradition forward. Dolly, meanwhile, had already spent years proving that traditional country music could coexist with pop success, Hollywood, television and an expanding public identity. The two careers were different, but they were connected by the same respect for the song itself.
And that is what makes “How Blue” at CMT Giants so memorable. It was not simply Dolly Parton covering a Reba McEntire hit. It was a moment when an inspiration stepped onto the stage and sang the music of the woman she had inspired. Then the two voices came together, turning a song about loneliness into something unexpectedly warm. For a few minutes, the sadness in “How Blue” was still there, but surrounding it was something equally powerful: admiration, friendship, and the unmistakable sound of two country legends sharing the same microphone.