Exclusive: Dolly Parton on rock, rhinestones and her genre-busting career

The upshot ? The Rock Hall respectfully rejected Parton’s rejection, formally accepting her into its ranks a year ago. And the singer also kept to her word. Rockstar, the rock album Parton pledged to make, drops on November 17—a 30-track extravaganza of nine original songs and 21 covers of classic rock tunes, many performed with the original artists, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Debbie Harry and Melissa Etheridge. Other artists who sing along with Dolly include Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks, Pink, Sting, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Brandi Carlile and Lizzo.

„I think this is some of my best work,” Parton tells Newsweek, in an exclusive interview ahead of the album’s release later this month. „I just wanted to be true to the songs and true to the art form.”

The album is certainly a departure from Parton’s usual country fare, but departures from the norm are actually nothing new for the singer-songwriter. Parton has made a career of crossing genres, breaking barriers and disrupting traditional ideas about what a country artist, particularly a female one, can be. She pioneered the country-pop crossover with hits like „9 to 5” and „Here You Come Again,” and has also ventured into bluegrass, Christian music, disco and now, rock, with musical storytelling often focused on women and female empowerment. In addition to her musical career, she is an actor, a business mogul and a philanthropist. And she’s done it all while insisting, despite industry pressure to change, on staying true to who she is and her personal vision of her career, executed with steely determination encased in rhinestones, big hair, heels, humor and plenty of country charm.

In the process, Parton has paved the way for other country singers, especially women, from Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood to Taylor Swift and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus (who joins „Aunt Dolly” for a moving performance of her signature hit „Wrecking Ball” on the new album), to also venture into other musical genres, to try their hand at acting, to build their business brands and to generally take charge of their own career destinies.

„We’re all just trying to be Dolly,” Underwood said in a Country Music Television tribute to Parton in 2020. „She is somebody who has set an incredible example for us and paved such a path for us. If there was no Dolly, there would be no us.”

Humble but not falsely modest, her goal when she first moved to Nashville in 1964 at age 18, Parton tells Newsweek, was „to be extraordinary.” Numbers help show just how well she succeeded. At her core, Parton is a songwriter: She’s written more than 3,000 songs, of which 26 have hit No. 1 on the country charts, a record for a female artist. She’s sold 100 million records worldwide. This June she was presented with three more Guinness World Records, making 10 in all, for the longest span of No. 1 hits on the U.S. country albums chart for a female singer, the most studio albums released by a female country music singer (65) and the most top-10 entries on the U.S. country albums chart for a female singer (48). She’s also won numerous awards and accolades including 11 Grammy Awards out of 51 nominations and twice been up for an Oscar.

But it is her business dealings, centered around her Dollywood theme park in her native East Tennessee and related ventures that have made Parton a wealthy woman—she’s the richest female artist in country music, according to Forbes, with an estimated net worth last year of $440 million. That, in turn, has facilitated her desire and ability to be a generous and prolific philanthropist through her Dollywood Foundation. Among her many notable charitable works: With a $1 million donation, she was a major funder of the research that led to the creation of the Moderna COVID vaccine; she’s donated more than 205 million books to promote children’s literacy through her Imagination Library; and she raised millions in 2016 for East Tennessee residents impacted by devastating wildfires.

Parton is not without controversy. Her work in recent years, particularly on issues related to LGTBQ+ rights, has sometimes been used by the right as a symbol of wokeness. Yet unlike many performers with a large queer following who have been similarly tagged, Parton still somehow manages to remain broadly popular with both sides.

Newsweek culture columnist H. Alan Scott, host of the Parting Shot podcast, asked Parton about this, recent remarks by Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner denigrating women in music, her long career, signature style and other topics (including her new book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones from Ten Speed Press). Their conversation, lightly edited for space and clarity, follows.

Newsweek: Since the beginning of your career, you’ve been a disruptor of expectations about what it means to be a country music artist and a woman in the music industry. Now you’re releasing your first rock album. Do you actively try to challenge people’s expectations of you?

Dolly Parton: No, I just do what my heart is telling me to do at that time. I used to think that someday I might like to do a rock-and-roll album. I’ve done rock songs on different albums and my husband’s a big rock fan. Then the years went by, and I thought, I’m probably too old to do it now.

But then when they put me in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I felt like that was my perfect chance. It’s like everything fell right in my lap. And I’m not one to not make the most of any good thing that falls in my lap.

This is hardly the first time you’ve gone out of your musical comfort zone. You’ve done pop, bluegrass, even disco.

I’m willing to try anything. What’s the worse that’s going to happen, if I can’t do it? So what, at least I tried.

Were you nervous to tackle some of these classic rock songs?

I was a little apprehensive, mostly because I wanted to make sure I could do these songs justice. I wanted to be true to the songs and true to that art form.

There’s a formula to rock-and-roll, staying on the beat and [that means] not doing what I’m used to, [which is] singing whenever and wherever I please and however I want to. But in rock, you’ve got to stay on the beat. And I thought, now this has to be good, because my butt is on the line here. I said, if I’m going to do a rock-and-roll album, you better do it good, girl.

So, how do you think it turned out?

I think this is some of my best work, actually. I really challenged myself as a vocalist. When I was hearing myself in the headphones, I’d think, „Hey, I’m doing okay here.” Some songs better than others. Some I thought, do I dare reach for that note? Like on „Stairway to Heaven.” Then I thought, if [Led Zeppelin lead singer] Robert Plant can do that, I can do that. So, I just went for it.

When it was all done, I thought, hey, I’m real proud of this. And I had all of those great artists [on the album with me]. I had a lot of support.

Did anyone you wanted to sing with on the album turn you down?

No. A lot of people I wanted to be on it, we couldn’t work it out as far as their timing and mine. They were either on tour [or] they were doing an album of their own. But I was very honored and flattered [by the response] because I hate to ask anybody to do anything. It was an honor to have all those great people be willing to do it. Even the ones that didn’t get on, it was an honor for them to say they would have.

So, I’m a huge fan of Miley Cyrus [Parton’s goddaughter], and obviously you are too…

Oh, now I would have smacked her upside the head if she said no. I would have dragged her off tour. Miley was definitely going to be on it, no matter what.

One of the most moving songs on the album is „Wrecking Ball” with Miley. She recently spoke out about the backlash she got [over that music video’s explicit content] when the song came out in 2013, making this duet even more poignant. Why did the two of you choose that song for your rock album?

I wanted to do „Wrecking Ball” because I love that song and I love Miley and I love how she did it. I knew back then what she was going through. I mean, it could not be easy trying to overcome Hannah Montana [the wholesome teen-turned-pop-star Cyrus played on the Disney sitcom of the same name].

She was just trying to be Miley Cyrus. I saw that. I felt that. I knew that. And I love her. Miley is amazing in every way. She could do anything she wants. She’s a great actress, great singer, she writes great. I think she’s the hot rock chick of this day and time.

Do you see any parallels between you and Miley, in your careers?

I see it, I feel it, and that’s natural, I’ve known her her whole life. She’s looked to me for certain things. I see a lot of similarities. I mean, I wish I had her legs. I wish I had a lot of things Miley’s got, but she’s got me, and that’s enough for her.

I hope someday we get to do more things together, whether it’s a movie, an album, a TV show. I really think we’re magical together.

Who are some other women in rock who you admire and looked to for inspiration on Rockstar?

I admire all of them. We had Pink and Brandi Carlile on „Satisfaction,” which I thought turned out great. Getting to sing with Stevie Nicks was a thrill. And Joan Jett, I was kind of thinking of her when I wrote the song „Rockstar,” the title song, because I was thinking about a little girl rocker, standing in her dressing room and her mom and dad not wanting her to do it, and I was thinking about a girl that would grow up to be a rock-and-roller. I love Sheryl Crow and Emmylou Harris, who sang with me on [„You’re No Good”]. I wanted to do a tribute to Linda [Ronstadt] and I chose that because that was one of my favorite Linda songs and Linda’s not able to sing anymore [due to a rare brain disorder]. And Pat Benatar, she was amazing. We had a lot of great, great girls and we had a lot of great guys.

Jann Wenner, the co-founder of Rolling Stone, recently came under fire for some disparaging comments he made about women in music not being as smart or articulate as men. Do you think women in rock are often unjustly criticized?

I heard that comment. I was surprised because I’ve known Jann for years. And I thought, is that how you really think about us?

I don’t think women have gotten their just due. That’s been true through the years, whether you’re in country music or rock-and-roll, you’re going to always get some of that [bad attitude from men]. I’ve always been glad that I had a chance to do my thing. But I think it’s great women are being allowed to do so much more than they used to [and] get played more on the radio. I think we’re getting more of a chance now than we used to in all the fields of music. But in rock, there were a few of them and there’s a few more of them coming along now like Miley.

Looking back at your early career, are there any times when you faced overt sexism or a double standard that stands out to you?

I didn’t have as much of that trouble as a lot of [women] did. Of course, I’ve seen my share of stuff and people hitting on me, but I never felt I had to sleep with anybody unless I wanted to. Certainly not to get to the top.

I’ve only had songs not played on the radio, back in my younger days, mostly because they were controversial. Like a song I had called „The Bargain Store.” It was just about a broken heart, in my mind, like a broken life, it’s like the bargain store is open, come inside. People said, „Oh, that’s too suggestive.” And I thought, what? It never crossed my mind.

And then I had a song called „Down from Dover,” which was about a pregnant girl that they wouldn’t play because she was [having a baby] out of wedlock. I had another one called „The Bridge,” same thing. So they wouldn’t play my record, not because I was a girl, but because I was writing songs back then that [radio stations] wouldn’t play, even though the [subject matter] is common now.

What advice do you have for young female artists dealing with some of the sexist behavior and comments they encounter?

I don’t have as much advice as I would just say, you’re going to hear [remarks like] that but don’t let that stop you. If you’ve got the talent, you just keep on keeping on, be true to yourself. If you’re that good and you believe in yourself that much, somebody else will see it, and they will take you for the right reasons.

We have to sacrifice and compromise to some degree to get anywhere in any business. But don’t ever sacrifice your principles and your values and who you are. There is a statement I use over and over again, I guess it’s Shakespeare, „To thine own self be true.” Whoever said that, they said a mouthful.

And if you want sleep with someone, fine; just don’t sleep with them for the wrong reasons.

Now that you’re in your seventies, are you coming up against any ageism?

I don’t think of myself in numbers of years. Oh, every now and then I’ll stop in my tracks and think, oh my God, in 10 years, I’ll be so-and-so years old, I better get after it.

But you can’t be crippled by that, you’re not going to stop the numbers. If you’re talented, your talent is going to last, if your mind is still good and your body holds up. I’m kind of making hay while the sun shines, because for some reason unbeknownst to me, I’m still hot.

When I titled the album, Rockstar, it was kind of a joke, tongue-in-cheek, like, yeah, that’s me, the rock star at 77 years old. But it made sense to me. I’m never going to stop. I’m never going to stop dreaming. As long as I’m healthy and I can get out there, no telling what I might do tomorrow.

Your new book, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, lays out how you created the image that has become your brand. How did you deal with people who tried to make you look more conservative?

When I first came to Nashville, I had several people tell me that nobody was going to take me seriously as a songwriter and a singer, because I looked too trashy. [My style] was cheap looking and over the top but that kind of fit my personality. I was not comfortable dressing down. I felt too ordinary, and I didn’t want to be ordinary. I wanted to be extraordinary. So, I didn’t listen to them.

In fact, when they’d tell me [to dress more conservatively], the hair would get bigger, and the rhinestones shinier. I know they were just trying to help—it was good advice from people who cared about me like [Nashville musician] Chet Atkins and [record producer] Fred Foster, who gave me my first contract after I moved to Nashville in ‘64. He thought that I could be pretty, but I’m not a natural beauty. When they tried to change me like that, I didn’t like the way I looked or felt, with flat hair and conservative clothes. I thought, I don’t know her.

That lasted about a week. I couldn’t do it, I just did not feel right about it.

You’ve been open about relying on some outside cosmetic help to always look like the Dolly we know and love. You’ve famously said, „If I see something sagging, bagging or dragging, I’m going to have it nipped, tucked or sucked.” Where do you find the confidence to be honest about not only aging, but also about how you maintain your beauty?

Those kinds of things are not embarrassing to me. I’ve done it. I’ll do it again. I’m just open about it. It’s some of my best comedy.

My life’s pretty open. I have my inner secrets and inner space that nobody can touch, but I’m open as far as what people need to know and what I’d like them to know about me.

I don’t think anybody can imagine you looking any way other than the Dolly we know. Do you always dress in character to go out in public?

Well, of course, I don’t stay dressed up like this at the house. I’ve got my downtime. But if I’m going out, I’m going to clean up.

I don’t want to be like some stars who come on set with their hair in rollers and Clearasil dots on their faces, in flat shoes and robes. Lord, I would die before I would do that, I would be embarrassed. I understand that’s their comfort zone. But if I’m going to be out in public, I want to look like a star.

I don’t always stay all dressed up. But I usually put on a little makeup and fix my hair in case something happens in the middle of the night. When I was living in L.A., I’d always tried to leave my makeup on and keep my hair done a little bit in case an earthquake came and I had to hit the streets. I want to look like Dolly in case somebody sees me. I’d rather they say, „Did you see Dolly? She didn’t have to wear all that makeup to go to the supermarket” than „God, did you see Dolly? She looked like hell.”

Is it ever difficult to live up to the esteem people hold you in?

I try not to think about it. Because when people put you on a pedestal, it’s kind of scary. I’m no angel, but I’ve played one on TV.

I just try to do my best. I don’t want anybody worshipping me. I don’t know where it comes from, but I think it’s because I’m older than the Washington Monument. People have grown up with me, they think of me almost like someone in the family, like I’m a favorite aunt.

I’m honored because I used to think when I was younger, that if I ever made it big, I wondered how I would be remembered when I was old. Now I’m old and I can see how I’ve been remembered so far. I just hope I can keep it up.

I mean, people make pilgrimages to Dollywood, that should tell you how much people worship you.

I’m honored and flattered. God’s been good to me, the fans have been good to me. I’ve had a lot of wonderful help through the years and still do. But I’m the one who has to get out there and try to sell it, to be the creative force. I’ve been made to look good because of a whole lot of people’s great work, but I’ve tried to uphold my end of the bargain.

When I got my first COVID vaccine, I said I wanted the Dolly vax because of your $1 million donation to Vanderbilt that led to the creation of the Moderna vaccine. You’ve said that you’re „addicted to the feeling of giving.” How do you choose the causes you donate to?

I keep my heart and my ears wide open, trying to see what the greatest needs are. I think if you’re in a position to help, you should.

I’ve liked doing things with children and young people. I still invest in the research for infectious diseases in children. One my little nieces had leukemia and they saved her through God’s will and the doctors at Vanderbilt, so now I have the Hannah Dennison Butterfly Garden over there and every year that’s where I donate.

I’m going to always do something, but I don’t really like to advertise what I’m doing unless it’s something that [is already public] like the Moderna vaccine. But I’ll be always trying to fill a need when I see it.

There was a moment at the 2006 Oscars where you performed „Travelin’ Thru,” a song you were nominated for from the film Transamerica, a movie about a transgender woman connecting with her son. For so many queer people, myself included, it meant so much to have Dolly Parton up there singing that song. Recently, a duet you did with Miley Cyrus, „Rainbowland,” was deemed too controversial to be played at a grade school concert. How does it feel when your work is embroiled in something controversial and used as a symbol of something wrong or bad? Does it become personal?

I try to see the good in everybody. I don’t judge, I just accept people as they are, like [the lyrics to] my song, „Be That”: „Whatever you are, be that/ Whatever you do, do that/ Anything else is just an act.” So, whoever you are, whatever you are, be that.

We can’t help being who we are. I don’t know why people just can’t accept people as they are. I try not to condemn or condone anything. And I will always just be there for people, and that’s not just about gay or transgender people, it’s about anybody.

I’ve always had a gay following and they’ve always been very good and generous to me. And my drag queens, when they asked me [how I felt] when they were having all the trouble here in Tennessee [a state ban on public drag shows, enacted in March, was later declared unconstitutional by a federal judge], I said Lord, just about everybody you just talked about [being anti-gay or trans] are in my own family and my own circle of friends.

But I am not a judgmental person. I just want to be accepted myself. I’ve always been an oddball, and if I can be accepted, I can accept anybody else.

Final question, and it’s a personal one for me: You’ve won every award under the sun, except the Oscar. You’ve been nominated twice for Best Song. It makes me angry that you’ve never taken home the gold. Does it make you angry? Do you want an Oscar?

Of course, everybody wants to win. But I never did work for the awards. I just want to do good work, and if I get it, I’m tickled to death if I win an award.

But when I don’t, I’m not a sore loser. I think well, it just wasn’t my time.

Well, all I want is for you to get onstage, hold the Oscar and make a joke about a little gold naked man. Because I know you’d make a great joke about it.

When I get nominated, I will say I am so happy to have this little gold naked man.

SŁOWNICZEK

upshot – rezultat, wynik, skutek

genre – gatunek (literacki, filmowy, muzyczny)

bluegrass – styl muzyki rozrywkowej, wywodzący się z muzyki country

business mogul – potentat/rekin biznesowy

pave the way for somebody – umożliwić coś, sprawić, aby coś było możliwe (dla kogoś)

humble – pokorny, skromny

accolade – dowód uznania, wyróżnienie

prolific philanthropist – prężny/twórczy filantrop

wokeness – wyczulenie na uprzedzenia i dyskryminację

denigrate – umniejszać (wartość lub znaczenie czegoś)

fall into one’s lap – wpaść komuś w ręce, zyskać coś bez wysiłku, dostawać coś niespodziewanie

apprehensive – bojaźliwy, lękliwy

do something justice – przedstawić coś w tak dobry sposób, na jaki zasługuje

backlash – gwałtowna reakcja (przeciwko czemuś), ostry sprzeciw

poignant – wzruszający, przejmujący

disparaging comments – nieprzychylne/obraźliwe komentarze

articulate – elokwentny

overt sexism – jawny/oczywisty seksizm

out of wedlock – poza małżeństwem (np. mieć dzieci)

crippled – sparaliżowany, unieruchomiony

make hay while the sun shines – kuć żelazo póki gorące

unbeknownst to me – bez mojej wiedzy

tongue-in-cheek – ironiczny, żartobliwy

trashy – tandetny

over the top – skrajny, przesadzony

worship – oddawać cześć, czcić

uphold one’s end of the bargain – dotrzymywać swojej części umowy, wywiązywać się

z umowy

condone – wybaczać, zaakceptować

oddball – dziwak, ekscentryk

be tickled to death – szaleć z radości

Task 1

Read the text and answer the following questions:

1. Why did Dolly Parton initially reject the nomination for the Rock amp; Roll Hall of Fame?

2. What did she decide to do instead of accepting the Rock amp; Roll Hall of Fame nomination?

3. Who are some of the artists she collaborated with on her rock album “Rockstar”?

4. How has Dolly Parton influenced other country singers, especially women, in the music industry?

5. How does she feel about the criticism and challenges she faces when trying different music genres?

6. How did she feel about her vocal performance on the rock songs in her album “Rockstar”?

7. What advice does she offer to young female artists dealing with sexism in the music industry?

8. How does Dolly Parton respond to her work’s association with the LGBTQ+ community and any related controversies? 9. How does she feel about winning awards like the Oscar?

Task 2

First, match the words to form collocations and verb phrases that will help you describe the issue presented in the article. Next, write down a sentence using each collocation and verb phrase. The sentences you create should relate to the topic being discussed in the text. (See Key)

Collocations:

business

steely

prolific

gay

overt

double

following

standard

philanthropist

mogul

determination

sexism

Verb phrases:

cross

pave the way for

challenge

sacrifice

come up against

dress in

ageism

genres

character

people’s expectations

country singers

one’s principles

Task 3

Task description: Students will participate in a discussion about the life and career of Dolly Parton.

Task elements:

1. Recall the key points from the provided text about Dolly Parton’s career.

2. Discuss how Dolly Parton’s career path and genre transitions can serve as an inspiration for emerging artists.

3. Explore Dolly Parton’s impact on the music industry, female artists and the LGBTQ+ community.

4. Create and share your own recommendations for how Dolly Parton’s career can serve as a model for success and resilience in the music industry.

Task 4

Complete the following summary using information from the text.

Dolly Parton’s choice to initially decline her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination led her to create the “Rockstar” album. Her career is characterized by 1)_______ and has inspired artists such as Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus. Parton advises emerging talents to remain 2)_______. She is known for her 3)_______, including support for COVID vaccine research, and maintains openness about 4)_______, consistent with her “be that” philosophy. While she values awards, her primary focus is on producing excellent work, and she continues to have 5)_______ in her seventies.

Check the answer key!