Parton will be inducted into the Rock Hall in Nov
Dolly Parton has confirmed she’s working on a rock album and will likely no longer tour. In a new interview with Pollstar, the country star says she’s putting the project together and teases that she may ask artists such as Ed Sheeran, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Stevie Nicks, goddaughter Miley Cyrus and Chris Stapleton to sing on it.
“Well, I am. When I got nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I thought ‘Well, no better time to do it.’ I had always wanted to do it. My husband is a big hard rock ’n’ roll fan, and for years I thought, ‘One of these days I’d like to do an album mainly just for him, just to kind of do it.’ When I got nominated, I thought, ‘Why not just go ahead and do it while the iron’s hot?’ Maybe have some of the greats, the legends of rock ‘n’ roll sing along with me,” she says.
“I’m gathering all that stuff and notifying a few people. When I get leveled out from finishing the movie [Run, Rose, Run], hopefully I’m going to have a real good album. I’m looking forward to it.”
She also confirms plans to record a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” with the hopes of getting two of its surviving members on the track.
“When I do the rock album, I’m going to actually re-record it – and do it more true to the regular record,” she states. “I’m trying to see if Robert Plant might sing on it. Maybe Jimmy Page might do the pick-up part on it.”
The mega star says she initially declined her nomination to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because she’s a country artist, but has reconsidered and will “gracefully” accept the honor in November.
“I have to honestly say, I’m very grateful and honored, but I’m also the kind of person – I had to do a rock album, because if I’m going to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I’m going to, by God earn it! (laughs) That’s my attitude toward it. There’s no way I’m not going to do an album, so people can see that I could and can do it.
“I was like a whole lot of people, I always felt the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was for rock ‘n’ roll people, who spent their lives, time, energy and talent in the rock ‘n’ roll field. I didn’t realize all the people who had gotten in who weren’t really rock ‘n’ roll, but I still stand by my thing. When I said I didn’t want to do it, I didn’t want to take votes from someone who’d spent their life in that. But I said, if they put me there, I will accept gracefully. And I will. I even wrote a song about the whole situation to sing at the ceremony. A fine, cute little rock ‘n’ roll song that’ll probably go on the rock ‘n’ roll album. It’s called ‘Rockin.’ ‘You know I’ve been rockin’ since the day I was born…’ You know, listening to Elvis and Journey and Chuck Berry, all those great people. It’s a fine little song, and it’s real rock-y, so I’ll have something fun to play off of, to ease some of the tension.”
The 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air on Saturday, November 19th at 8 pm ET/PT on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max.
While making music is fresh on Parton’s mind, she doesn’t express any interest on launching a full-blown tour again.
“I do not think I will ever tour again, but I do know I’ll do special shows here and there, now and then,” she says. “Maybe do a long weekend of shows, or just a few shows at a festival. But I have no intention of going on a full-blown tour anymore. I’ve done that my whole life, and it takes so much time and energy. I like to stay a little closer to home with my husband. We’re getting older now, and I don’t want to be gone for four or five weeks at a time. Something could happen. I would not feel right about that, if I were gone and somebody needed me. Or I would feel bad if I had to leave a tour if somebody got sick at home and needed me and then I had to walk out on the fans.”
On November 18th, Parton will release Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection. The career-spanning, cross-label anthology features 23 essential recordings from 1971-2020 for the first time on one album and include liner notes penned by Robert K. Oermann, who collaborated with Parton on her 2020 autobiography, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. Sony Music Nashville has released a lyric video of “Jolene” in support of the project.
This holiday season, Parton will also star in NBC’s Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas. The cast has been unveiled to feature Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmie Allen, Zach Williams and Miley Cyrus as guest stars with Tom Everett Scott, Ana Gasteyer and Angel Parker also starring. She will also star in the forthcoming Run Rose Run film based on the novel she wrote with James Patterson and released a companion album alongside it.
Last month, she launched Doggy Parton — a line of dog apparel, accessories, toys and more — in partnership with SportPet Designs. The collection is playful, flashy, and sassy, truly capturing the essence of the beloved icon. Being a passionate supporter of animals, a portion of every purchase will help fund and support Willa B Farms, a rescue where animals in need find never-ending love and care. Initially, Doggy Parton products will be available via Amazon with more retailers to be announced later.
