WATCH: Kelly Clarkson and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Team Up For Unexpected Loretta Lynn Tribute Performance

Kelly Clarkson and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson paid tribute to the late Loretta Lynn with a duet on The Kelly…

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Lauren Jo Black

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October 17, 2022

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12:15 pm

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Dwayne Johnson, Kelly Clarkson; Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal

Kelly Clarkson and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson paid tribute to the late Loretta Lynn with a duet on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Monday (Oct. 17). 

The unlikely pair joined forces to perform “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” a song co-written by Lynn alongside her sister, Peggy Sue Wright. The iconic country hit became the first of many No.1s for Lynn, who passed away at the age of 90 on October 4. 

https://youtu.be/-xOBCQ5-zXE

This “extra special” Kelyoke segment is the second time Clarkson and Johnson have teamed up to honor a country music icon. 

In early 2021, Johnson visited The Kelly Clarkson Show in support of his NBC sitcom, Young Rock. In the midst of the segment, they duetted Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ iconic hit “Islands In The Stream.”  

Dwayne Johnson, Kelly Clarkson; Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal
Dwayne Johnson, Kelly Clarkson; Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal

During the show, Johnson detailed his one-time desire to pursue country music. 

“You had country music star like ambitions, you wanted to be a country singer and I had no idea,” Clarkson admitted. 

“I did! As wild as that sounds, and you’ll appreciate this obviously cause your love for music and certainly country music too,” Johnson revealed. “I grew up loving blues, hip-hop of course but then country but traditional like that three chords and the truth, steel guitar kind of country.”

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Johnson went on to recall a time he was living in Nashville and immersed himself in the music along lower Broadway. He even admitted to belting out country songs in some unexpected places. 

“I was at a grocery store and I was shopping and when I say shopping I was doing a little five-finger discount at that time because I couldn’t afford anything and I was in the middle of the row in a shopping aisle and I was belting out this song, not caring who was listening to me,” Johnson explained. “Then, a woman comes around the corner and she sticks her head around the corner, she looks and I stopped singing, she looks at me, her eyes go wide an she’s like ‘wow I did not expect to see someone who looks like you singing that song.’ And I said ‘oh thank you,’ then we had this chat and she was like ‘so clearly you should go down to Broadway cause that’s where all the country singers are.’ I didn’t tell her I was 15 and had no business being in a bar at that time, but then I went down there to Broadway and I used to hang out down there and listen to all the acts and I did have it in my mind that I was gonna become a country music singer.”

Later that year, Johnson shared his hopes to one day collaborate with a country music outlaw.   

“My love for hip-hop goes back to day one, and I love traditional and outlaw country music,” he shared in an interview with Billboard. “I may collaborate with some artists in that genre as well. Some of those guys are my friends – like, for example, Jamey Johnson, Mickey Lamantia, Gethen Jenkins. There’s a real authenticity there… Maybe I could pick up my guitar.”

The Kelly Clarkson Show recently returned to television for its fourth season. This season has featured several musical guests, including Garth Brooks, and Kelsea Ballerini. Sam Smith recently joined her for a duet of her chart-topping hit, “Breakaway.” 

Click HERE for details on how to watch The Kelly Clarkson Show.

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Lauren Jo Black

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Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.