Keith Urban has wished Dolly Parton a sweet happy birthday.
The country singer released a video Monday that starts with an audio recording of his 10-year-old self playing banjo and singing Applejack, a song written and recorded by Parton in 1977.
Urban then adds with a smile, “I’m just here to say you’ve been a massive inspiration to me for a long time, Dolly, and God, thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve ever done.”
He goes on to thank her for the inspiration she’s provided as a songwriter, artist and humanitarian.
“Just the goodness that you’re brought into the world with your heart and your curiosity and your passion and your insane musical gift,” the singer said.
“Here to many, many, many, many, many years ahead,” Urban concluded. “I love you, Dolly.”
Urban and Parton have long been part of a mutual admiration society. In 2010, the two (with Vince Gill) performed George Jones’ classic He Stopped Loving Her Today. Parton introducing Urban by saying: “I know his momma used to spend a lot of time over here, and I felt like he was kind of lonesome all that way from home. And I wrote him a note one time and said, ‘Well, I can be your other mother, your other lover or the sister you never wanted.’
“I never heard back from him on that.”
The pair recorded together in 2005 on Parton’s duets album, Those Were the Days, collaborating on a bluegrass-tinged version of The Twelfth of Never.
