Some songs are recorded on purpose – for one reason or another – while some are even recorded by accident and some for other reasons or other purposes.
Kenny Rogers and Dottie West's 1978 No. 1 "Every Time Two Fools Collide" fits in there somehow – somewhere – as the recording actually began on purpose but did wind up by accident.
According to Kenny, he was booked to record at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, Tennessee at 7 p.m. And he knew that Dottie West was booked to record in the same studio that day and that her session would end at 6 p.m.
So he decided to drop in early and and visit Dottie.
He said "When I walked in, Dottie was in the studio – alone – with headphones on – doing some overdubs on a song she had already recorded titled "Every Time Two Fools Collide."
"When she finished, we were listening to the playback in the control room and I just started singing along. Dottie commented that she liked that and I told her that we should record a duet someday.
"And she immediately hit on the idea of making the song that she had just recorded a duet. So I recorded my part in just a few minutes and it was done and that was it."
Dottie met with Kenny's management team a few days later and signed a contract with them. The two then began working their solo concerts into a duet act and the "duet single by accident" eventually led to a duet album.
"Every Time Two Fools Collide" entered the country charts February 18, 1978 atNo. 65. It scooted up to No. 1 the week of April 22nd where it stayed for two weeks and was on the country charts for 17 weeks.
The single also scored in the top 50 pop charts.
The single was Kenny's third No. 1 and Dottie's first. Up until that time, Dottie West had placed 41 songs on the country music charts – three of which had also scored on the pop charts. And she had previously recorded with Jim Reeves, Jimmy Dean and Don Gibson.
"Every Time Two Fools Collide" was written by Jan Dyer and Jeff Tweel. The United Artists single was produced by Larry Butler.
West and Rogers scored four more singles on the country and pop charts between 1978 and 1984.
Dottie West died in a car crash in 1991.
Kenny Rogers died in 2020.
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