Reba McEntire will always feel terrible about scrapping Kenny Rogers duet plans

Reba McEntire will always regret not telling Kenny Rogers she was going to record one of her first duets with Vince Gill instead of him.

Reba planned to record Heart Won't Lie with her pal Rogers, but cut the track with Gill - and didn't tell the late Coward of the County singer.

Talking to Apple Music's I Miss...90s Country Radio With Nick Hoffman, McEntire says, "The keys just would not work. Then I took the song, and did the duet with Vince. I didn't tell Kenny, which was my mistake, totally."

The track was released as the second single from McEntire's It's Your Call album in February, 1993, and gave her and Gill a number one.

"Kenny approached me at the CMA Awards," she reveals. "He said, 'Why did you do that?' I said, 'Kenny, I am so sorry. We were just going so fast. It's a great, wonderful song. I never even considered coming back and talking to you about that. And that's one of the things I totally regret.' I hugged his neck, and I told him I was terribly sorry. But I did not do that maliciously."

Reba was among the first stars to pay tribute to Rogers when he died in March, 2020, writing: "Kenny, Go rest high on that mountain. Please tell mama and daddy hi for me. Thank you for your friendship and your love. We are going to miss you but we are so happy you're singing with the Angels in heaven. Can't wait to see you again one of these days. Rest in peace my friend."