Such an incredible duo.
Of course, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers famously worked together for decades, and were beloved both individually, and as a pair, by country music fans everywhere. They had a natural, undeniable chemistry, and of course, teamed up for one of the most iconic country songs of all-time, “Islands in the Stream,” in 1983.
And in 1984, on the heels of their success with “Islands,” Dolly and Kenny teamed up again to release a Christmas album called Once Upon a Christmas, which was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA in 1989, and was produced by Rogers with David Foster. They also put out an accompanying Christmas special called Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember, which is remains a timeless classic to this day.
The television special aired December 2nd, 1984 on CBS, and was directed by Bob Giraldi and included performances of all ten songs from the album. And today, Dolly shared a video of part of the special on Instagram, where she and Rogers are having a sweet little back-and-forth, with Dolly saying:
“If anybody in this world was ever born to play Santa, it was you, Kenny. You don’t even need a fake beard.”
Rogers joked:
“I though you were gonna say patty.”
Dolly laughed as she responded;
“Oh, judge not lest you be judged, I always say that.”
And Rogers, with quite a look, smirks at Dolly, saying:
“You always say that?”
Dolly smiled, saying it’s usually when she’s just trying to “get out of trouble”:
“Well, when I’m trying to get myself out of trouble.”
No disrespect to either of their spouses, but I mean… you can feel the chemistry, I don’t know how else to put it. Here’s the clip, you have to see it:
And of course, fans picked up on the palpable connection too, leaving plenty of comments about Kenny and Dolly, as well as the special as a whole:
“He was so cute in this. I miss Kenny”
“I watch this every year at Christmas. You two were Magic!”
“He must have been in love with you. Best song.”
“The chemistry between these two”
“Loved seeing these two together.”
“The way he looked at her when she said she was trying to get herself out of trouble.”
“Oh, he was fine.”
“This album was an absolute staple of my childhood Christmases and I listen to it every year still”
“Aww he looks so cute.”
“So much love for Kenny. You have worked with so many gorgeous and talented men.”
“Many childhood Christmas memories of their Christmas album.”
“Watch this every year and listen to the soundtrack numerous times during the season!”
“This needs to run every Christmas!”
“National treasures.”
“Cute.”
“What an amazing pair!!!!”
There’s a reason they were such a beloved duo, and whether strictly platonic, or something more (Dolly in particular has always played it coy in terms of the nature of their relationship going beyond just being friends), they really were magic together.
And if you want to watch it now, you’re in luck, because the entire program is also available on YouTube, and you can watch it here:
