Cher Is Recording a Country Album

Gregg Allman is contemplating a country album and Gwyneth Paltrow signed a recent deal to make a pop-country record, but here are four words country music never thought it would hear: Cher is going country!

The diva herself has hired Carrie Underwood and Lee Ann Womack's producer, Mark Bright, according to Digital Spy, and he is confirming that Cher is indeed recording a country album. Bright says, "Cher knows that her listeners also listen to country music, so she felt it was a natural thing to develop a country music relationship."

Cher, of course, is not a total stranger to country. She was a presenter at the 2010 CMA Awards, getting a standing ovation by the likes of Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Ronnie Dunn when she walked onstage. Taylor Swift was even seen throwing her arms enthusiastically into the air as Cher sauntered up to the mic.

The 'I've Got You Babe' singer reminded the audience that country runs deep in her family. When her mom was young, she sang with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. On the show, Cher said, "When I was about five, I thought there was only two kinds of music: the songs that were in 'Dumbo' and 'Cinderella' and country." She added, "The first song my mom ever taught me was 'Hey Good Lookin,'' and my dear friend Merle Haggard and I've been talking about doing a duet forever, but I really have a hard time wrapping my head around 'Haggard and Cher.'"

The last publicly reported time Cher was in Nashville was 2008, when she booked a private jet and came to Twang Town to see her good friend Haggard in concert at the Ryman. Later that night, a man was charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication after he repeatedly harassed her at the legendary club Tootsies Orchid Lounge.

In 2009, Cher and her boyfriend were seen at a Haggard show in California. Her most recent brush with country music was to star in the movie 'Burlesque' alongside Julianne Hough earlier this year.

But we can't ignore one of Cher's earlier run-ins with a country great: In the video below, Cher joins the legendary Dolly Parton onstage for a 'Spiritual Medley,' dated from a 1978 television special.

Watch Cher and Dolly Parton Glam It Up for Their 'Spiritual Medley' in 1978