Martina McBride shares her favorite Dolly Parton memories

Amna Nawaz:

Tributes continued to pour in today for Dolly Parton a day after her death. According to her team, Dolly worked until the day she died and a whole slate of projects planned well into 2027 will go on as part of her legacy.

Singer-songwriter Martina McBride, named female vocalist of the year four times by the Country Music Association, three times by the Academy of Country Music, joins me now to discuss what made Dolly, Dolly.

Martina, welcome, and thank you for joining us.

Martina McBride, Singer-Songwriter:

Thank you for having me.

Amna Nawaz:

Let me just start by saying how sorry we are for your loss. We know you knew Dolly, you got to work with her.

But what was your reaction when you first heard the news? And how are you holding up today?

Martina McBride:

Well, Dolly had such a big life. And I spent all day yesterday and a lot of today just reading all the tributes and listening to her old interviews.

And she left such a legacy of love and kindness and spunk, and on top of all of her talent, songwriting talent, singing talent, acting talent. So I think it was a life -- I mean, I know it was a life well lived, and that's how I'm holding up with it.

Amna Nawaz:

We know you had a chance to perform with her on several different stages. You collaborated with her on your 2005 album, "Timeless."

What was it like to work with the Dolly Parton?

Martina McBride:

She was very professional. That's the first word that comes to mind, obviously the words I just said, kind and talented, obviously. But she was -- she came in. She was ready to work. She worked quickly. And I just thought, wow, what a pro.

Amna Nawaz:

You shared that, when she came in to sing with you on the "Timeless" album, you felt compelled to go back into the studio after she'd recorded to rerecord your tracks. Why?

Martina McBride:

Oh, because she really raised the bar vocally. I had a vocal that I thought was finished, and she came in and sang a harmony with me, and I thought, oh, my goodness, I have to raise -- I have to go in again and try to make it as good as what she was.

And so she really pushed -- without saying a word. She -- obviously, she would never have never have suggested that, but she just made you want to be better. You really wanted to be at that level.

Amna Nawaz:

As a fellow country music artist, specifically as a fellow female country music artist, someone who built this whole business empire around her over her career,what kind of impact did she have on you and the work you wanted to do and all the others following in her footsteps?

Martina McBride:

Well, I think she proved that you could be a good, strong, smart businesswoman in this industry. It's not always easy, but she -- I saw a clip today where she said she never loses her temper, but she uses her temper.

And I think she just led by example. She was very -- this interesting mix of super caring and giving, but also really, really strong. And when you were around her, you just got that -- you got both of those things. You knew that she was an amazing woman and she was strong. She stood her ground. She stood up for what she believed in.

And so I think that that's part of what she left for all of us is to -- she led by example.

Amna Nawaz:

She also had this ability to appeal to everyone, regardless of their background or their beliefs or where they were in the world. Everyone loved Dolly. What do you think it was about her that allowed people to be drawn to her in that way?

Martina McBride:

I feel like she had the intention that everyone deserves to be loved and accepted just the way they are. And I have heard her say that, and we're all God's creatures.

And she -- I think that she spoke -- she was just honest, really. Well, two things. Her sense of humor was amazing. So she kind of approached -- everybody was kind of caught off guard by what she was going to say next. She was so smart, so smart. And she was just honest. She was authentic.

And when somebody comes at you with just who they are, with no other frills or anything, she just was really Dolly all the time. And I think that's -- how can you fault somebody for anything, really believe in what they're saying and what they're doing.

Amna Nawaz:

It's a tough question to answer, but is there any one memory with her that stands out to you or a favorite song or a line of one of her songs that stays with you?

Martina McBride:

Yes, I got to sing for her, her song "Coat of Many Colors," which is one of my favorite Dolly songs. And I sang that song as a child with my dad's band. And my dad would accompany me on guitar, and I would sing at different functions and in church and things.

And I sang "Coat of Many Colors" as a child, and I was asked to sing to honor her when -- and she was in the audience. And that's such a hard thing to do, but she was so -- hard because you want to do such a great job and you're nervous.

But she was so precious and so warm and wonderful and complimented me on the singing of the song. And it was just a -- it was just kind of this moment that we shared together, and it's always so great when you get to honor someone in that way.

Amna Nawaz:

Martina McBride, we can't thank you enough for making the time today to help us to honor Dolly Parton and her legacy. Thank you very much.

Martina McBride:

Thank you for having me.

(Music)