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Big & Rich saw firsthand Dolly Parton put her fame aside after the 2016 Tennessee wildfires that devastated the community.
During an interview with Digital, the country music duo, Big Kenny and John Rich, who recently released their protest single titled “Hello AI,” recalled seeing Parton be an “extraordinary person” for her community and trying to help her neighbors.
“One thing that struck me that particular day, you know, Gatlinburg had basically burned to the ground. And that’s right in her backyard, where she’s from,” Rich began. “So, she was distraught over what was going on. In the moment of those performances, it wasn’t like you were standing next to Dolly Parton, the world famous iconic singer. You were standing next to a country girl who was trying to help out her neighbors. That was really her whole point.”
Big & Rich recalled Dolly Parton putting fame aside after the 2016 Tennessee wildfires. (Getty Images)
After devastating wildfires tore through Gatlinburg and Sevier County in November 2016, Parton rallied the country music community to help her native East Tennessee. Parton hosted the star-studded “Smoky Mountains Rise: A Benefit for the My People Fund” telethon on Dec. 13, with Big & Rich among the nearly 20 artists who performed.
DOLLY PARTON’S LIFE IN HER OWN WORDS: FROM SMOKY MOUNTAINS POVERTY TO COUNTRY MUSIC IMMORTALITY
The benefit ultimately raised more than $9 million for wildfire victims after the fires killed 14 people and damaged or destroyed more than 2,400 buildings, according to ABC News. The money supported Parton’s My People Fund, which provided direct financial assistance to families who lost their homes.
WATCH: John Rich recalls seeing Dolly Parton’s ‘heart’ during devastating Tennessee wildfires
Big Kenny recalled not only the “Smoky Mountains Rise” performance with Parton, but every encounter with the late country music legend during their interview with Digital.
John Rich of Big & Rich in 2018. (Johnny Louis/Getty Images)
“There have been multiple interactions over the years with Dolly and one thing you absolutely know about her is that she’s a big-hearted and a super kind person. And that’s how I would describe her that day. You could tell that, you know, it just meant the world to her to be doing what she was doing and it meant the world to her that we showed up that day to help her out,” he said.
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Big Kenny continued, “And every other time I’ve ever run into her, she’s just a super sweet and kind and funny and smart and just every other kind of adjective you can use for an extraordinary human being like Dolly Parton.”
WATCH: Big Kenny remembers Dolly Parton’s ‘big heart’ during 2016 wildfire relief telethon
Big Kenny, whose legal name is William Kenneth Alphin, told Digital that social media’s reaction to Parton’s death showed it did not matter what side of the political aisle people fell on or their religious beliefs – she was able to impact everyone.
Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25 at 80. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
“I would say that the thing that gets me about Dolly and if you follow social media, I don’t care what anyone’s beliefs or what side of the aisle they might stand on, you know, whether it be in politics or in church, it seems like everybody, no matter what, had a big respect and has big respect for Dolly and everything that she’s done and accomplished,” he said. “She just crossed all borders, crossed all lines, and everybody loves her and everybody will always love her.”
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Big & Rich recently released their protest single, titled “Hello AI.” The country music duo explained the impact that artificial intelligence is having on the music industry.
The song officially dropped for download on Aug. 28, 2026.
WATCH: John Rich warns AI-generated music is ‘ripping off’ American songwriters
“So right now, there are AI generated songs being monetized. That’s where the problem lies. It’s not, the problem does not lie with someone on their personal time messing around with it with an AI program and coming up with a song they wanna listen to. It’s when those songs start to be monetized that you find a real serious problem,” Rich said.
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He pointed out that AI cannot legally own the copyright, only humans can according to our laws. “So the original pencil to paper work that a human American songwriter created is getting ripped off and ripped off to the tunes of millions of times,” Rich said.
John Rich and Big Kenny of Big & Rich in 2014. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Big Kenny said that he’s “all for AI,” but there needs to be some guidance when it comes to it.
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“It just seems we need to hit the brakes a little bit and discuss it and talk about it. Man, I’m all about AI. I think AI could be one of the greatest revolutions that ever happens in America. And we want to see America be at the forefront of this,” he began. “We want to make all of the goodness happen from artificial intelligence that we can possibly make happen, whether it be in music or medicine. I mean, there’s so many great opportunities for it. But at the same time, things like this need to have guardrails on them.”
Big & Rich released “Hello AI” on August 28.
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