Dwayne Johnson Joins Kelly Clarkson for a Special ‘Kellyoke’ Tribute to Loretta Lynn [Watch]

Kelly Clarkson had a surprise up her sleeve during Monday’s (Oct. 17) installment of her talk show, the Kelly Clarkson Show: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joined her for a very special edition of her “Kellyoke” segment, in tribute to the late, great Loretta Lynn.

Johnson brought his best classic country vocals and mega-watt smile to the unexpected collaboration, which took place as this week’s installment of Clarkson’s “Kellyoke” covers segment. The pair performed “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin'(With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” a single that Lynn released in late 1966 which went on to become one of her signature songs.

It was the country legend’s first-ever No. 1 hit, and its success helped earn her the Female Vocalist of the Year award at the 1967 CMAs.

Country music history is full of legendary duet partners — Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and of course, Lynn and Conway Twitty, to name a few — and Clarkson and Johnson took some visual cues from those classic pair-ups in their performance of “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’.” They stood side by side on stage with matching microphones, standing in front of a lit-up, gold-and-brown toned background that was subtly reminiscent o the Grand Ole Opry stage.

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While Johnson’s appearance as the host’s duet partner might seem a little out of left field, it’s no secret that the actor and former pro wrestler is a big country music fan. Back in 2011, he signed on to play Charley Pride in a biopic about the legendary country performer’s life. Those plans fizzled out and the movie was never released, but Johnson’s country fandom continued to burn bright. In 2021, Outsider noted his love for traditional and outlaw country, citing Instagram posts from the star that shared his love for Cody Jinks, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Sturgill Simpson and more.

But Johnson’s not just a fan: Early on in his career, Johnson wanted to be a country star himself — and he even made some moves towards trying to make it happen. He shared the details during an interview with Clarkson on her show in February 2021, explaining that he went down to Nashville’s Lower Broadway to try his hand at performing in the street’s famed honky-tonks and bars, but ultimately felt that he didn’t have the vocal chops to make it in the business.

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After his tribute performance to Lynn, however, it might be time to revisit that decision: Johnson gamely held up his end of his duet with Clarkson, with a vocal flair that would probably get a seal of approval from Lynn herself.

Lynn died on Oct. 4 of natural causes at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. She was 90 years old.

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Source: Dwayne Johnson Joins Kelly Clarkson for a Special ‘Kellyoke’ Tribute to Loretta Lynn [Watch]