Dolly Parton has spent much of her career crossing musical boundaries. She became a country icon, a songwriter, an actor, a philanthropist, and one of popular music’s most recognizable voices. Yet even by her standards, one collaboration stood out: a late-career appearance on a contemporary Christian song that introduced her to a new chart audience and earned her another Grammy Award.
The song was “There Was Jesus,” recorded by Christian artist Zach Williams with Parton. Released in 2019, it became a major success on Christian radio and eventually won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. For Parton, the recognition marked a notable achievement: it was her first No. 1 on a Christian chart and, to date, the last Grammy Award she has won.
The story behind the recording is just as compelling as its success. Williams and his collaborators wrote a song about discovering God’s presence in difficult seasons. His wife suggested inviting Parton to participate, even though the idea initially seemed unrealistic. Then Parton called back.
A Song About Finding God in Difficult Times
“There Was Jesus” centers on a simple but powerful message: faith can be present even when people do not immediately recognize it.
The lyrics describe moments of loneliness, disappointment, waiting, and fear. Instead of presenting faith as a life without hardship, the song focuses on the idea that God remains present through hardship. That theme helped it connect with Christian listeners and made it especially suitable for a duet between Williams and Parton.
The song was written by Zach Williams, Jonathan Smith, and Casey Beathard. Williams had already established himself as a significant voice in contemporary Christian music, but “There Was Jesus” gave him an opportunity to reach a wider audience through Parton’s involvement.
Its appeal came from several elements:
- A universal theme: Many listeners can relate to looking back on difficult experiences and recognizing sources of help or grace.
- A conversational duet structure: Williams and Parton trade lines rather than simply singing identical parts.
- A blend of musical traditions: The production belongs to contemporary Christian music, while Parton brings the phrasing and warmth associated with country and gospel.
- A clear, memorable chorus: The central idea is repeated in a way that makes the song accessible on radio and in congregational or personal listening contexts.
Crystal Williams Suggested Asking Dolly Parton
The collaboration might never have happened without a suggestion from Williams’s wife, Crystal.
According to the story Williams has shared about the song’s development, Crystal proposed asking Dolly Parton to sing on it. Williams viewed the idea as a long shot. Parton was one of the most famous performers in the world, and there was no guarantee that she would be interested in appearing on a contemporary Christian recording by another artist.
His record label reportedly thought he was joking when he raised the possibility.
That reaction was understandable. Parton had deep roots in country, bluegrass, gospel, and traditional pop, but she had not previously become a regular presence on the major Christian music charts. Although she had recorded religious and gospel material throughout her career, a formal collaboration on a contemporary Christian radio single was not an obvious career move.
Still, Williams asked.
Then Parton called him back.
Dolly Parton’s Connection to Gospel Music
Although “There Was Jesus” represented new territory in terms of the Christian charts, gospel was not foreign to Parton. Religious music had been part of her musical background from childhood.
Parton grew up in a large, deeply religious family in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Gospel singing was part of her early life, and Christian themes have appeared throughout her catalog. She has recorded gospel albums, performed spiritual songs, and frequently incorporated faith, family, hardship, and redemption into her songwriting.
That background helped explain why she was a natural fit for the song, even if the collaboration appeared surprising from a marketing perspective.
Parton’s voice also brought a distinctive emotional quality to the recording. Her delivery is conversational and intimate, but it can expand into a strong, expressive country-gospel sound. On “There Was Jesus,” that combination complements Williams’s contemporary Christian style without overwhelming it.
The result is less a novelty duet than a meeting of two established musical traditions.
The Recording and the Role of Collaboration
“There Was Jesus” was released as a single by Zach Williams featuring Dolly Parton. Its arrangement keeps the focus on the vocal exchange and the song’s message rather than relying on excessive production.
Williams takes the role of the contemporary Christian lead, while Parton’s entrance gives the track an immediately recognizable change in color and perspective. Their voices are different, but that contrast is part of the recording’s appeal. Williams offers a modern worship-oriented sound; Parton brings decades of experience in country, bluegrass, and gospel performance.
The collaboration also demonstrates why established artists can remain culturally relevant long after their early commercial peaks. Parton did not need to imitate younger Christian performers or radically change her identity. Instead, she contributed the qualities that had defined her career: clarity, emotional directness, and an ability to communicate a lyric in an instantly personal way.
