Carly Pearce has long been vocal about her reverence for traditional country and, particularly, the female artists who made and continue to make it. On her most recent project, 29, the singer takes cues from the legendary likes of Patty Loveless, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, both stylistically and in her unflinching willingness to tell the truth, even when that truth is difficult to say and hear.
In a recent interview with Radio.com’s Katie & Company, Pearce offers up another idea she has for tributing country music’s legendary women: The singer says she’s been tossing around the idea of teaming up with two of her peers, Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini, for a new rendition of the iconic 1987 Trio album, a collaborative project between Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt.
“You know, Maren and Kelsea and I talked about re-creating the Trio record. Or doing a song from it,” Pearce reveals. “I want to do that. We’ve talked about it. It’s been out there in the world. I think we should do it. “
The original Trio happened several years after Ronstadt, Parton and Harris first broached the idea of working together in the mid-’70s. Though the three performers had long been friends and mutual fans, their busy schedules — and the fact that all three of them were on different labels — made the logistics of collaborating difficult to nail down.
However, when it finally did come together, Trio was worth the wait. The album earned a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 1988, and it was also nominated for Album of the Year and Best Country Song that same year. The project picked up the coveted Album of the Year trophy at the 1987 ACM Awards, and also won Vocal Event of the Year at the 1988 CMA Awards.
While Ballerini, Morris and Pearce’s collaboration is still hypothetical, their friendship and mutual support for each other over the years has been self-evident; in fact, Pearce has shared that Ballerini was among the first people she confided in when she made the difficult decision to split from Michael Ray, her fellow country star husband of just eight months, in the summer of 2020. In that conversation, Pearce remembers to People, she struggled with her embarrassment at having to go through such a public split, but Ballerini helped her see her situation in a more positive light.
Though her divorce might not be “not like the cookie-cutter American dream,” Ballerini pointed out something that stuck with Pearce: that she might serve as an inspiration to other people who felt stuck in an unhealthy relationship. “Do you know how many people you’re going to help?” Ballerini told her friend.
Most recently, Pearce contributed to another, very different collaboration: She appears as duet partner on a new version of Christian artist Matthew West’s hit song, “Truth Be Told.”
