Dolly Parton was a huge fan of coach Kelly Clarkson's rendition of her 1974 hit, "I Will Always Love You," and even thinks it was one of the best covers of the song she's ever heard. While many people may know the song from Whitney Houston's 1992 cover for soundtrack, the original was actually written and performed by Dolly as a goodbye to her business partner as she embarked on her solo career. Kelly has been vocal about her love for the country singer, often covering her music and even performing "9 to 5" during the premiere episode of . The singer also collaborated with Dolly on a new duet version of the song for the upcoming documentary, .

On March 7th, Dolly hosted the 57th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, and Kelly had the honor of performing a tribute to the "Jolene" singer. The winner excitedly announced her performance on February 23rd and took the stage during the award ceremony to perform Dolly's 1974 classic. Kelly wore a long black gown and stood center stage with just her pianist and guitarist for a more laid-back rendition of the song staying true to Dolly's original recording. Fans were , praising her strong vocals and calling her one of the best singers of all time. Kelly certainly didn't let Dolly down as the songwriter was honored by coach's tribute.

While many artists have covered the 1974 song over the years, Dolly found 's cover to be one of the best ever. The 39-year-old welcomed Dolly as a guest on her talk show, where the two discussed Kelly's performance as well as the new rendition of "9 to 5" that the singers collaborated on. Kelly got honest about her fears, calling it "terrifying" to perform the song live and in front of Dolly herself. But luckily, the country singer had a very "" Dolly said as the audience agreed with her statement. She then added, " "

Kelly was equally honored to hear the icon's positive response to her performance and then went on to talk about their reimagined "9 to 5" duet. The documentary premiered at the South By South West festival on March 13th, and Kelly called it "amazing." She even confessed that she bragged to about getting to duet with Dolly. Author James Patterson also joined Kelly and Dolly for their interview and praised Dolly's music while also saying he's a fan of Kelly's 2009 single, "My Life Would Suck Without You."

Performing such a legendary song is nerve-wracking on its own, but performing it in front of its original writer and performing would definitely be, as Kelly put it, terrifying. Luckily Kelly's incredible vocals shined through during the Dolly tribute, and she put on a performance that blew everyone away. Dolly is a huge kindness advocate, so it makes sense that she would have such positive things to say about Kelly's performance. While their "9 to 5" duet has not been released to the public yet, after , fans can't wait to hear it.