July 31: 'Smoky Mountain Rain' Gains On AC Chart Dolly's duet with Ronnie Milsap on "Smoky Mountain Rain" from his album Ronnie Milsap: The Duets gains two spots this week to No. 28 in its second week on the 30-position Billboard adult contemporary singles chart the Aug. 3 charts announced Tuesday revealed.
More From Newport Folk Festival Coverage of Dolly's surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival continued over the past several days, with some of the more unique being an interview with CBS News here about how she snuck into the festival and performed for free, and an interview with Brandi Carlisle about singing with Dolly at the event from Billboardhere.
Dolly Set Grammy Museum Records The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles saw its two highest months of attendance in history due to its Dolly costume exhibit in February and March, the Grammys announced this week, according to Broadway Worldhere.
Monique Talks Desire To Work With Dolly The new Mr. Nashville Talks interviews Monique and she talks about wanting to work with Dolly. Check it out here.
Dolly Parton The Dog Passes Away Actress Jennifer Anniston recently lost her dog, which she had famously named Dolly Parton, reuniting her with her ex for a memorial service for their pet. Coverage in celebrity media included Entertainment Tonighthere.
'9 To 5' Announces UK Touring Cast Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical officially announced the remainder of its UK tour cast this week. Learn more from London Theatrehere.
July 29: Dolly Surprises Newport Folk Festival With Performance
Dolly surprised the audiences at the Newport Folk Festival Saturday in Rhode Island when she walked on stage to close out the segment curated by uberfan Brandi Carlisle titled mysteriously "The Collaboration" with none of the performers revealed in advance. Her all-female supergroup Highwomen were on the show as well as Judy Collins, Sheryl Crow, Linda Perry, Jade Bird, Amy Ray and others. At the end, the Highwomen sang a chorus of Dolly's "Eagle When She Flies" before Carlisle called Dolly herself to the stage, donning the yellow wagonwheel pantsuit she had made for her 2008 Porter Wagoner tribute at Dollywood. They joined her in a full version of the song, video of which is available here or in the media player above, followed by "Just Because I'm A Woman" (here or in the media player below), "Jolene" (here or below), a duet of "I Will Always Love You" with Carlisle (here or below) and closing the show with all of the women coming back on stage for "9 To 5" (here or below). Perry also shared a backstage take on "Eagle When She Flies" here or below. Dolly shared on her social media a picture from the event saying here: "I just love surprises! You should have seen the look on your faces :) Thanks for having me, Brandi Carlile :)" Coverage was all over the media afterward, including CMT here, Refinery 29here (which noted the LGBTQ+-affirming nature of her singing basically her Vince Gill duet version with out lesbian Carlisle, although she had previously performed the song with out lesbian Melissa Etheridge on CMT's Crossroads in 2003), Billboardhere (which said the women "made history" with a "fierce female super jam") and The Providence Journalhere, which noted Dolly took the water taxi back to Jamestown following her set and the entire boat serenaded her with "9 To 5." The appearance wasn't a complete surprise, as the Grammy Museum back in mid-May let the cat out of the bag with a press release for the charity auction coinsiding with its Linda Perry tribute in June that included an auction item of a meet-and-greet with Dolly and Perry at the Newport Folk Festival. A few hours later, a corrected press release was issued changing it to a meet-and-greet at a yet-to-be-determined location, at which time Dollymania.net reported on it and speculated she could be performing at the festival but organizers did not want to announce it yet. It turned out that prediction was correct.
Win Dolly Opry Meet And Greet The Grand Ole Opry over the weekend announced a new contest to win a travel package for two to Nashville for Dolly's 50th Opry Anniversary Week. Entries will be accepted through Sept. 17 here to win airfare, hotel, tickets to the Dolly tribute shows that week, tickets to the sold out Saturday Opry shows featuring Dolly herself, a meet-and-greet with Dolly and more.
Australian, British Chart Updates The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation albums chart in its 150th chart week, it was revealed Friday. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) holds steady at No. 7, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) dips two to No. 16, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) gains four to No. 9. Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) rises seven to No. 13 in its 410th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.
July 26: 'In The Good Old Days' Re-Issued For Download Sony Music on Friday released the last of Dolly's RCA Records albums not available for digital download, 1969's In The Good Old Days. With this release, her entire 1968-1985 albums for the label are now available. Get yours here!
Sevierville Releases Dolly Promo Videos
The City of Sevierville's tourism department this week released three brief "interviews" with hometown girl Dolly about her memories of the town. She recorded one here on visiting Red's Café as a child, one here on her statue on the county courthouse lawn and one here on growing up in the area, appearing on The Cas Walker Show, the Pines Theatre and Walker's greased pole contest.
Ronstadt Doc Trailer Released With Dolly
Greenwich Entertainment on Thursday released the trailer for the documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice, which features interviews and performance clips with Trio partners Dolly and Emmylou Harris, among others. The project will hit theatres in September followed by a CNN broadcast. It is directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedmann, who also directed the Oscar-winning Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt for Dolly's Sandollar Productions in 1989. Watch the trailer here or in the media player above.
Tips On What To Munch On At Dollywood Delish on Thursday released a piece of the 16 most over-the-top places to eat at Dollywood, and they still didn't touch on all of the food options at the park. Read it here.
'9 To 5' Parody Takes On Abortion Rights Comedian Missy Modell this week released a parody of Dolly's "9 To 5" aimed at anti-abortion laws in Alabama called "99." Check it out here or in the media player below.
July 25: Dolly. Vincent Earn Bluegrass Awards Nomination For 'Please' Dolly on Wednesday received her ninth International Bluegrass Music Association Association Awards nomination with "Please" by Dolly and Rhonda Vincent from the CD Restoration: Reimagining The Songs Of Elton John And Bernie Taupin getting a nod for Collaborative Recording Of The Year. The song competes against Balsam Range with Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble for "Burning Georgia Down;" Missy Raines with Alison Brown, Mike Bub, and Todd Phillips for "Darlin' Pal(s) of Mine;" Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers with Del McCoury for "The Guitar Song;" and Roland White with Justin Hiltner, Jon Weisberger, Patrick McAvinue, and Molly Tuttle for "Soldier's Joy/Ragtime Annie." The winner will be revealed Sept. 26. Dolly has won four IBMAs (Best Bluegrass Album in 2000, Recorded Event of the Year for various artist albums in 2002 and 2004, and as a songwriter for Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year). Her other nominations include Female Vocalist in 2000 and 2001, Recorded Event in 2001, and Album of the Year in 2001.
July 24: 'Smoky Mountain Rain' Debuts On AC Chart Dolly is back on the singles chart. Her duet with Ronnie Milsap on "Smoky Mountain Rain" from his album Ronnie Milsap: The Duets debuts this week at No. 30 on the 30-position Billboard adult contemporary singles chart dated July 27 and announced Tuesday. It marks Dolly's first return to that tally since her duet with Rod Stewart on "Baby It's Cold Outside" rose to No. 2 in the 2004-2005 holiday season and Milsap's first entry there since 1991. The song has yet to appear on the country charts.
East Tenn. Writers Hall Of Fame Selects Dolly Dolly is among this year's honorees who will be inducted Sept. 20 into the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame, her selection being in recognition of "outstanding contribution to East Tennessee culture and literacy," it was announced Tuesday. She is not expected to attend the ceremony but rather will accept the award via video.
July 22: Australian Chart Updates Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition)slips five spaces to No. 20 in its 409th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.
July 20: 'Treasures,' 'Whorehouse' Re-Issued Digitally For Download Universal Music Group on Friday re-released Dolly's 1996 Rising Tide Records album Treasures digitally, making both of her solo UMG albums available for download for the first time ever, following the re-issue of 1998's Decca Records album Hungry Again back in January. Get your copy here! In addition, the label re-issued digitally its MCA Records soundtrack for The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, which was originally released in partnership with RCA Records in 1982. British re-issue house BGO was slated to release a four-on-two CD packaging of Porter & Dolly's Once More/Two Of A Kind/Together Always/The Right Combination, Burning The Midnight Oil on Friday, but Amazon is showing it as temporarily out of stock. Amazon UK is showing an Aug. 2 release date, so perhaps it was delayed.
Crystal, Loretta Cover Dolly Track With Sister Crystal Gayle on Friday announced her first studio album in 16 years, You Don't Know Me, and noted it will include a trio recording with her sisters Loretta Lynn and Peggy Sue Wright on a cover of Dolly's first major hit as a songwriter and singer, "Put It Off Until Tomorrow," on which she sang uncredited duet harmony with Bill Phillips in 1966. In a press release, Gayle explained: "Loretta and Peggy made this album very special by singing 'Put It Off Until Tomorrow' with me. It is a song that we have performed together throughout the years. This is the one and only trio performance on record. We've done the Boston Pops together. We performed together in Lake Tahoe and Reno and a few things like that. But we've never actually made a record together. Peggy Sue still comes out on the road with me, singing backup harmonies. I recorded the track, then Patsy, Loretta's daughter, asked her to sing on my album. Loretta is such an incredible singer. She got through the song right away and then went, 'What's next?' We should have recorded the whole album together! Loretta had her stroke not long after we recorded this." Lynn had previously recorded the song herself in 1966 and back in the 1970s performed it in several television appearances including as a quartet with Gayle and Wright and their brother and as a trio with Gayle and Jim Ed Brown and as a trio with The Wilburn Brothers before re-recording it as a trio with Dolly and Tammy Wynette in 1993
Snopes Corrects Dolly Tabloid Report Dolly got another Snopes entry this week, this time refuting the tabloid reports that she suffers from facial paralysis. Read it here.
U.K. Chart Updates The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt moves up one to No. 2 on the British country compilation albums chart in its 149th chart week, it was revealed Friday. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) gains two to No. 7, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) moves up six to No. 14, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) inches up one to No. 13.
Dolly Hints She'd Ride Down "Old Town Road" Dolly this week responded to Lil Nas X's suggestion she join him for a remix of his megahit "Old Town Road" by Tweeting an altered picture of the album cover art adding a pink horse with blonde hair to his black horse and Billy Ray Cyrus's brown horse. Check out the Tweet here or below.
July 17: Watch New Dollywood Doc On Wildwood Grove
Dollywood has released a new documentary about its 2019 park expansion, Wildwood Grove. In Wildwood Grove at Dollywood: Imagination Comes To Life, Dolly talks about the area's inspiration and how stories and memories from her childhood are incorporated in its features. Watch the documentary on YouTube here or in the media player above.
Lil Nas X Wants Dolly On 'Old Town Road' Although rapper Lil Nas X said a few days ago that he planned no new remixes of his megahit "Old Town Road," he followed it up with a Tweet saying he'd love to record a new remix with Dolly and rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The song's current remix, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, this week become the second-longest-running No. 1 in the history of Billboard's Hot 100 chart at 15 weeks, besting Whitney Houston's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You" as well as "Uptown Funk," "Macarena," "Candle In The Wind 1997" and several other tunes that had racked up 14 weeks each at the top spot. If it holds on next week, it will tie "Despacito" and "One Sweet Day" with the most weeks at No. 1 in history. Read more here.
'Jackie's Back' With Dolly, Again Two decades ago, Dolly had a cameo in Jenifer Lewis' mockmentary comedy Jackie's Back, and now that they're starring together in Dolly's Netflix holiday movie Christmas On The Square, the two paired up for a skit featuring the Jackie character which Lewis posted this week to her official Facebook page. Watch it here or in the media player below.
July 15: Apply To Be A Dollywood Insider Dollywood has put out the call for its fourth crop of "Dollywood Insiders," a panel of 15 volunteers who share experiences and insights into the park through original online content. From traffic tips and best-value suggestions to where to eat and what not-to-miss, the Insiders provide expert advice via blogs, pictures and video. Pete Owens, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, said in a press release: "As we have grown our Dollywood Insider program, we have added value to our guests' experience—elevating regular guests to experts who trade best-practice secrets when it comes to spending a day at our park. These people who serve on our panel are relatable. They don't get a pay check to say what they're saying and that resonates with other guests." Insiders pitch and then execute their storytelling ideas about the park, Splash Country water park, DreamMore Resort and Spa and Dollywood Smoky Mountain Cabins. They must reapply to the panel after serving a one-year term. Perks include behind-the-scenes access, tickets and invitations to media events. Applications are due here by next Monday, July 22. After interviews, panelists will be selected and notified by Monday, July 29.
NPR Discusses Impact Of Dolly's '9 To 5' NPR's "American Anthem" series, which is a yearlong look at songs that "rouse, unite, celebrate and call to action," took a deep dive into Dolly's classic labor anthem "9 To 5" during Morning Edition last week. Check it out here. Thanks, David!
Overseas Chart Updates The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt moves up one to No. 3 on the British country compilation albums chart in its 148th chart week, it was revealed Friday. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) gains one to No. 9, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) re-enters the top 20 at No. 20, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) dips three to No. 14. Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) jumps up 11 spots to No. 15 in its 408th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.
Learn More About 'Christmas At Dollywood' Actress Danica McKellar appeared on The Hallmark Channel's Home & Family late last week to provide more details on her upcoming holiday movie for the channel, Christmas At Dollywood, which is an original idea she pitched to the network after working with Dolly on an Imagination Library documentary. The movie will film at the park next month and is expected to feature a cameo by Dolly herself. Watch the interview here or in the media player below.
July 11: Dolly Wraps 'Christmas On The Square' According to several social media posts by people associated with Dolly's Netflix holiday musical, Christmas On The Square, the movie completed filming in the Atlanta area this week. It is expected to air this holiday season on the streaming service and stars Dolly, Jenifer Lewis and Christine Baranski.
Dolly Will Have Cameo In Hallmark Christmas Movie That's not the only holiday flick that will feature Dolly this year. Hallmark Channel on Wednesday announced Danica McKellar (known as "Winnie" from The Wonder Years) will next month shoot Christmas At Dollywood on location in Tennessee, including at Dolly's theme park, and it will air in December as part of this year's "Countdown To Christmas" movies on the cable channel. McKellar, who is also a children's author with two titles in Dolly's Imagination Library and who recently narrated a documentary about Dolly's charity which will soon be released, told Entertainment Tonighthere that Dolly will appear in the movie for one or two cameos but could neither confirm nor deny whether it will feature any original Dolly songs. After the exclusive ET report, the network issued a press release with details that McKellar will play a Broadway producer and single mom who goes to Dollywood to help create a special holiday extravaganza show for the park's 20th annual Smoky Mountain Christmas festival, but she butts heads with the park's entertainment director, who is trying to use the festival to springboard to the role of general manager of the park, but of course being a Hallmark film, the two fall in love. Although some media reports mischaracterized Dolly's cameo as Dolly "starring" in the film, the press release makes it clear she will only be on screen briefly in "a special appearance" during the movie. Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming & Publicity, Crown Media Family Networks, said in the press release: "Dolly Parton is a bright light who is rich in spirit, kindness, and love. 'Christmas At Dollywood' features Danica McKellar in a story about finding love and new beginnings in the most familiar place -- home. A holiday movie set in a winter wonderland like Dollywood exemplifies the quality of the talent, storytelling, and filmmaking that has made COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS the #1 program event on television for ten years."
Johnson Program With Dolly Interview Heads To AXS Variety announced Wednesday that cable network AXS has acquired both seasons of AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson's UK television program A Life On The Road, in which he interviews legendary music artists about their careers, most notably talking about touring. Dolly appeared recently in the second season of the program, aired in Britain on Sky Arts. Her episode will premiere stateside at 9 p.m. Eastern Nov. 10. Read more about the show here.
Austin Gets Huge Dolly Party Next Month The Museum of Human Achievement art space in Austin will host a Dolly Fest Aug. 3, Austin 360 reported here. The night opens with an 8 p.m. staged reading of a play, Songs For Drunk Cowboys Who May Also Be Women: An Anti-Musical (For Fools, Only), about a wannabe country singer and her chihuahua named Dolly Parton. This is followed by Kill Jolene: A Karaoke Play, where 20 local artists will perform Dolly songs including some incorporation of dance, video and drag. The night closes with DJ Boi Orbison until midnight. More information is available here.
July 9: 'Here You Come Again' Makes Booking.com Commercial Dolly's "Here You Come Again" is about to be featured in another commercial. Booking.com has licensed the song for its new commercial titled "Freedom," where a guy is shown in a facial close-up zooming around. The camera zooms out to show he is in a wheelchair and the resort he has booked at Booking.com is fully wheelchair accessible. Watch the clip from Adweekhere.
July 8: 'Very Best' Falls On Australian Country Albums Chart Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) loses seven places to No. 26 in its 407th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.
July 6: Tenn. Tourism Dept. Promotes Dollywood With Kids
The Tennessee Department of Tourism recently posted a new page to its website here promoting Dollywood through the eyes of children under its new "Kid Reviewed" campaign. The site includes reviews from children as well as a commercial filmed during a press conference with kids here or in the media player below and several Dolly responses to video questions submitted by kids to an "Ask Dolly" challenge. The videos (posted above and below) offer Dolly responses to queries about butterfly-themed clothes here, whether she'd consider a chicken boy to join the Chicken Lady here, that one kid comes for the food which is better than his mother's here and how to make one girl's little sister grow to be tall enough to ride Firechaser Express here.
Dolly Discusses Park Food In 'USA Today' Dolly chatted this week with USA Today about food options at Dollywood and throughout Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Check out the story here.
U.K. Chart Updates The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe by Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt moves up one to No. 4 on the British country compilation albums chart in its 147th chart week, it was revealed Friday. Also on the U.K. country compilation albums chart, Harris's Original Album Series: Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Ronstadt) slips three to No. 10, while Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) falls off the top 20, down from No. 17, and Ronstadt's Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) gains two to No. 11.
Willie Extends Record Over Dolly Willie Nelson this week extended his lead over pal Dolly for the most top 10 country chart albums, Billboard reported here. His Ride Me Back Home entered at No. 2 with 19,000 units sold, giving him his 52nd top 10 album, compared to Dolly's 44. Loretta Lynn and George Strait are tied for third place with 41 each.
U.K. Parents Protest Losing Dolly's Library The Doncaster Council in the U.K. this week voted to end their participation in Dolly's Imagination Library because the outside organization that had funded it for 12,000 local families for the past three years at the cost of £678,000 ($849,000 U.S.) had ceased funding the initiative, the BBC reported here, and parents were mad. The Doncaster Free Press posted two stories here and here about complaints that the Council should have sought alternative funding options as several other communities have done.
Tenn. Gov.: Dolly Is Best Thing About My State Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Independence Day Tweeted the 50 best things he likes the most about his state, and he chose Dolly as the state's No. 1 asset.
July 2: IAAPA Interviews Dolly About Dollywood Process The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions has chosen Dolly as the cover girl for the new edition of its publication, Funworld, detailing the behind-the-scenes happenings of Dolly and her partners at Dollywood when planning the park's future. Read the article here.
Ronstadt Doc Gets Distribution The Linda Ronstadt documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice, which premiered at this year's Tribeca Film Festival and features interviews with Dolly and Emmylou Harris, among others, has been purchased for distribution, Variety announced here. The movie will have a theatrical release in September and be broadcast at some point on CNN.
Knoxville Imagination Library Celebrates Post Office Knoxville television station WBIR on Monday followed local Imagination Library staff as they thanked postal workers for helping them deliver more than 3 million books to Knox County children over the past 14 years. Watch the story here.
July 1: Dolly Wishes Fans Happy 50th Pride Anniversary
With LGBTQ+ Pride Month at a close, here's Dolly's message to New York City's Pride Festival honoring the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Pride movement at Stonewall. You may watch it on their Facebook page here or in the media player above.
Australian Chart Updates Down Under, the "gold series" re-issue of The Very Best Of Dolly Parton (Australian Tour Edition) shoots up a dozen digits to No. 19 in its 406th chart week on the Australian country albums chart since its original 2007 release, it was revealed Saturday.
