Cody Johnson, Dolly Parton & Rhonda Vincent Reimagine “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
(Left) Jason Kempin / Getty Images / (Center) Amy Sussman / WireImage / Getty Images /(Right) Rhonda Vincent / Facebook
Rhonda Vincent Sings About Destinations And Fun Places On Her New Album
John Denver’s timeless song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” was recently reimagined by three talented vocalists: Rhonda Vincent, Cody Johnson, and Dolly Parton. Their collaborative cover appears on Vincent’s new album, Destinations and Fun Places.
As “The Queen of Bluegrass,” it was no surprise that Vincent was asked to join the Grand Ole Opry in 2020. She received the invitation from a good friend of hers, longtime Opry member Jeannie Seely.
That same year, Seely started rewriting a song she had written years before about the state of Missouri. As Vincent explained in a conversation with RFD-TV, the song’s original lyrics were lost in the 2010 Nashville flood.
Vincent joined Seely and Erin Enderlin in rewriting the long-lost song, “I Miss Missouri.” That writing session inspired her to list all the songs she could think of about places and destinations. She crafted a list of “over 100” such songs and got the idea to make a themed album.
That’s how Destinations and Fun Places came to be. The project, which dropped on Friday (August 9), contains two originals (including “I Miss Missouri”) and multiple covers, such as an updated rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
Rhonda Vincent Sings John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” With Dolly Parton & Cody Johnson
But Vincent didn’t record “Country Roads” alone. She enlisted the help of two famous friends, Cody Johnson and Dolly Parton.
Before Destinations and Fun Places debuted, Vincent played their finished collaboration for Johnson backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. He expressed his excitement about hearing the recording because he had never sung with Parton before.
“I just wanna hear what I sound like next to Dolly,” Johnson said before Vincent played the song for him. “You know, you’re the reason I got to sing with Dolly. Thank you, I owe you.“
Johnson had a priceless reaction as he listened to the finished song and heard his, Parton’s, and Vincent’s voices together for the first time.
View this post on Instagram
After Vincent shared the video of Johnson’s reaction to their collaboration, fans couldn’t wait to hear the new recording. It finally became available after Destinations and Fun Places dropped on August 9.
The song features Johnson and Vincent singing together on the first verse before Parton joins in and sings with Johnson on the second verse. All three performers unite in the chorus, creating beautiful harmonies that will give you goosebumps.
Their recording is accented with soaring instrumentals. Vincent told American Songwriter that her fiddle player, Adam Haynes, arranged string sections to flow throughout the track.
Speaking about the experience of recording “Country Roads” with Johnson and Parton, “The Queen of Bluegrass” said, “It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime performances.”
Now, you can hear Rhonda Vincent, Cody Johnson, and Dolly Parton sing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in the clip below. They make an incredible team!
