Zach Williams Remembers Dolly Parton: She Was Moved to Tears by My Song About Jesus

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Grammy-winning singer Zach Williams had just finished recording a new song several years ago when his wife, Crystal, offered a suggestion: You should see if Dolly Parton would collaborate with you on it.

As Williams tells the story, Crystal loved the song—and she believed Dolly would, too. That song, "There Was Jesus," would go on to win a Grammy, with Parton’s trademark voice helping turn it into a powerful duet.

But at the time of Crystal’s suggestion, Williams thought the idea was the musical equivalent of a Hail Mary pass in football – at best.

“I was like, ‘You don’t just call Dolly and ask her to sing on your song.’ She was like, ‘Well, you won't know if you don't ask.’ And I called my record label. And I said, ‘Hey, can we see if we can get Dolly Parton to sing on this?’ And they thought I was joking, too – because nobody has Dolly Parton's number.”

But Williams’ label didn’t give up – and, eventually, the song made its way to Parton.

“She agreed to listen to the song,” Williams told Crosswalk Headlines. “And so when I first spoke to her, she said, ‘Zach, I never made it through the song – I didn't even have to listen to the whole chorus.’ She said, ‘I knew it was special. And I knew I wanted to be a part of it. … I think it's one of the best songs I've ever heard in my life.’”

Williams recounted the story of the collaboration prior to Parton’s death this week at the age of 80.

“And so we got together and worked for about four hours one day at a studio in Nashville, and she was a blast to get to know and hang out with and just – she was amazing. And she told me the day that I walked into the studio to track the song, she said, ‘You're gonna win a Grammy for this.’ And I was like, ‘Maybe’ – and she was right.”

"There Was Jesus" won a Grammy in 2021, giving Williams his second career win and her 10th. It would prove to be her final Grammy. "There Was Jesus" was written by Williams, Casey Beathard and Jonathan Smith.

But it wasn’t Williams’ only collaboration with Parton – he also teamed up with her on "Lookin’ for You," a song about a seeker searching for peace in all the wrong places before finally finding it in Jesus.

“I was working with Dolly on the Christmas special a few years ago,” Williams said of the 2022 project, "Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas." “And she asked me what I was working on, and I played the song for her, and we finished – and she was wiping tears out of her eyes. And she was like, ‘That's beautiful. Where was I at when you recorded that? You should have asked me to sing on it.’”

Williams, sort of surprised, asked her: Would you have collabbed with me on it?

“She was like, ‘Absolutely.’”

Eventually, Williams told his record label that Parton wanted to be part of "Lookin’ for You."

“And so we sent it over to Dolly, and she put her vocals on it and sent it back – and I love how it turned out,” Williams said. “I already loved the song – but with her voice on it, I just feel like it just makes it so much more emotional. And I love what it speaks about.”

Photo Credit: ©Provident

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.