www.dollymania.net                News                          January 2014

Jan. 29:
Nevada Reviewers Love Dolly Concert
Dolly was to wrap up the first American leg of her Blue Smoke World Tour Tuesday night in Phoenix, Ariz., and over the last couple of days, reviews from her Nevada stops have praised the show. Vegas Seven gave it five stars here, The Las Vegas Sun opined here it was "seamless from start to finish," and Las Vegas Weekly here said she should get her own nightly show on the Vegas Strip. Also while in the area, she issued a photo on Tumblr of her checking out the Dolly slots at manufacturer IGT's studios. See it here.


Jan. 27:
Dolly Loses Grammy To The Civil Wars
The Grammy Awards at Sunday's pre-telecast ceremony awarded the Best Country Duo/Group Performance trophy to the now-defunct duo The Civil Wars for "From This Valley," besting Kenny Rogers and Dolly for their new duet "You Can't Make Old Friends." John Paul White, a member of the duo, said in accepting the award: "I want to apologize to Dolly Parton for depriving her of anything at all. She's one of my biggest heroes and it's an honor to be nominated with everyone in this category." The other nominees were "Don't Rush" by Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill, "Your Side Of The Bed" by Little Big Town and "Highway Don't Care" by Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Taylor Swift. The nomination was Dolly's seventh in this category which she won with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris in 1987 for their Trio project. She has also been nominated four times with Porter Wagoner (1969, 1970, 1971, and 1973) and previously with Rogers (1985). In the 1990s and 2000s the category split into two – with the duo/group award becoming solely for regularly-performing combos and a new "country collaboration with vocals" category that separated out for those artists who don't regularly perform together, garnering Dolly six additional nominations and one more win, bringing her total to 13 nominations and two wins for the two categories now that they have been combined again. This was her third nomination with Rogers, as they also shared a Pop Duo or Group nomination in 1983. The weekend's celebrations kicked off with a Dolly connection, as producer Clive Davis held his Grammy bash on Saturday night which featured Dolly goddaughter Miley Cyrus as one of its performers for the star-studded crowd, and one of the three songs she performed was Dolly's "Jolene," one of this year's Grammy Hall of Fame inductees. Music Times predicted that Kenny & Dolly would win but thought Clarkson and Gill deserved the award, according to a preview posted prior to the awards here. Finally, prior to Sunday's ceremony, ABC News noted that Beyonce and Dolly are tied as the most-nominated female artists in the history of the awards with 46 each.

Blue Smoke World Tour Kicks Off Out West
Dolly's Blue Smoke World Tour kicked off to a full house Friday night at the Agua Caliente Resort and Casino in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and word is that the show was amazing. She continued the first American leg of the tour in Primm Valley, Nev., Saturday and Reno on Sunday. I'm told she repeated the same set list on Saturday night as the Friday opener except for the addition of "Little Sparrow." Of particular note was that she included Alicia Keys's "This Girl Is On Fire" in her opening medley. Thanks to Gary Lane for sending in the image at left from the California show. Click on it for a larger view. Some additional shots were sent in from Sergio Garcia that are viewable here. Thanks! Some additional photos are available from Zimbio here. She plays Phoenix, Ariz., on Tuesday before heading Down Under for the New Zealand and Australian legs of the tour. Prior to her Primm engagement, The Las Vegas Sun published an interview here, and following her tour opener, KMIR ended its newscast with a clip of her performing here. Setlist posted the following set list here following Friday's show:

  • Opening instrumental
  • Fire medley – Baby I'm Burning, Something's Burning, Great Balls of Fire, This Girl Is On Fire
  • Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That?
  • Jolene
  • Blue Smoke
  • Don't Think Twice
  • My Mountains
  • Grandpa medley – Old Time Religion, I'll Fly Away, I'm On My Way, My Mountains
  • Coat Of Many Colors
  • Smoky Mountain Memories
  • Home
  • Rocky Top
  • Together You And I
  • Lay Your Hands On Me
  • Intermission
  • Two Doors Down
  • Better Get To Livin'
  • Lover Du'Jour
  • Banks Of The Ohio
  • Travelin' Prayer
  • Shine
  • Dolly medley – It's All Wrong But It's All Right, The Bargain Store, Love Is Like A Butterfly, Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You, But You Know That I Love You, Real Love, Think About Love
  • Here You Come Again
  • Islands In The Stream
  • 9 To 5
  • I Will Always Love You

    GAC, Overseas Charts Updated
    After an impressive 16 weeks on the chart, the music video for "You Can't Make Old Friends" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly on Friday fell out of the viewer-voted top 20 countdown on cable channel Great American Country, down from No. 18 the previous week. Vote for it in next week's charts on GAC here. Overseas, the three-disc The Real Dolly Parton slips two more places to No. 80 in its 15th week on the Irish pop albums chart. The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 loses six to No. 31 in its 306th week on the Australian country albums chart, while The Very Best Of Dolly Parton: Australian Tour Edition rises four to No. 19 in its fifth week on the chart. And in the U.K., Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1, released in 2011, dips one to No. 3 on the on the British country compilations chart in its 19th week back on the tally with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) holds steady at No. 5 in its 20th week on the same chart.

    Porter & Dolly Feud Noted By FOX News
    Porter & Dolly's 1974 fall-out made a list from FOX News over the weekend of country music's biggest all-time feuds. Read more here.

    Simpson Dresses Kid In Dolly Shirt
    Jessica Simpson's little daughter Maxwell blew up the Internet late last week when mom released a photo of her in a Dolly tee-shirt. Simpson called the shirt "vintage," something repeated by all of the media that covered the photo, but the shirt was from her Better Day World Tour, which makes it just over two years old, but I guess to a 19-month old that makes it vintage :) See it here.


    Jan. 24:
    Blue Smoke World Tour Kicks Off Friday
    Dolly's Blue Smoke World Tour gets underway in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Friday, and in a press release she noted: "It's always great to perform at home in the good ol' USA. We're kicking off our Blue Smoke World Tour right here at home. I love traveling all over the world; but it's true, there's nothing like home." After that show, Saturday in Primm Valley, Nev., Sunday in Reno, Nev., and Tuesday in Phoenix, Ariz., it's Down Under for the New Zealand and Australian legs of her tour. Pre-tour coverage came out Thursday from The Reno Gazette Journal here, Arizona Daily Star here and Arizona Central here.

    Kenny Disc Falls Back Off Charts
    After 12 weeks on the chart, Kenny Rogers's You Can't Make Old Friends, featuring his Grammy-nominated Dolly duet on its title track, falls back off the country albums chart in the Feb. 1 tally released Thursday, down from No. 41. Also on the chart, Willie Nelson's To All The Girls, also with a new Dolly duet, dips nine to No. 39 country in its 14th week and falls off the top 200 current albums list, down from No. 174.

    LBT Predicts Kenny & Dolly Grammy Win
    Dolly learns on Sunday whether she wins her ninth Grammy Award, and one competitor thinks she'll go home with the statue. Little Big Town member Jimi Westbrook says "How cool is that?" that the band, which won Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group last year, is up against Kenny and Dolly this year, adding: "Probably gonna lose to 'em, so not very cool." Read more from ABC News here.


    Jan. 23:
    Latest 'Blue Smoke' Album, Tour News
    Fans Down Under will get to preview Dolly's Blue Smoke CD as it nears its release in Australia and New Zealand on Jan. 31. Country Music Channel (CMC) will post a song a day from the album, with the first cut, "Unlikely Angel," released Thursday via SoundCloud. Unfortunately, the service won't allow those outside of the Australia area to listen. Check out the previews here. The first cut will be followed by "Don't Think Twice" on Friday, "Home" on Saturday, "Banks Of The Ohio" Sunday, "Lay Your Hands On Me' Monday, "Miss You-Miss Me" Tuesday, "If I Had Wings" Wednesday, "Love D'Jour" next Thursday and "Try" on the album's release date. In related news, Dolly sat down with pal Kathie Lee Gifford for her podcast program Kathie Lee and Company Wednesday to discuss the album and Blue Smoke World Tour. Take a listen here. Renowned For Sound reviewed the CD here. And Father Jim Sichko, organizer of the Evening Among Friends fundraiser featuring Dolly on May 27, tweeted another hint about his upcoming Dolly announcement here: "FEB 2 I will announce big sweepstakes-will be available to anyone&everyone!  I hope you like seats 1A&1B! unforgettable 4  nights-that's all"

    London Auction Registration Reminder
    Don't forget that if you are interested in bidding on the prize package to see Dolly in London in June to benefit The Friends of the Smokies, you will need to register and pre-qualify by Thursday to participate in the online auction at the Evergreen Ball on Saturday if you are not attending in person. As a reminder, the prize is six days and five nights in London, leaving June 25 and returning July 1, with VIP seats at Dolly's O2 concert either June 27 or 28 including airfare, hotel, spa credit, backstage tour and a meet-and-greet with Dolly. Learn more here.


    Jan. 21:
    Cherokee Pre-Sales Start Tuesday
    Ticket information was released Monday for Dolly's May 25 engagement at Harrah's Cherokee Resort Event Center at the Native American casino just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's North Carolina side. Caesar's Total Rewards members will have access to a 10 a.m. pre-sale starting on Tuesday, while Ticketmaster members have a pre-sale starting Wednesday. Tickets, which are $75 to $125, go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday. All attendees must be 21 years old or older. This announcement leaves her two nights in Tulsa, Okla., as the final dates on her Blue Smoke World Tour for which ticket information has not yet been released.


    Jan. 20:
    Happy Birthday, Dolly!
    Dolly celebrated her 68th birthday Sunday, and the world noticed :) Ovation television network observed it with several Dolly movies and a re-airing of its entire Song By Song: Dolly Parton series. An example of some of the celebration included a list from artist and "Dollypologist" Addie Brownlee on The Village Voice of her most representative songs as a "Dolly Parton Primer" here, Logo's The Backlot presented one critic's opinion of Dolly's 20 greatest songs here and The Huffington Post noted the day here.

    Meet And Greet Contest Down Under
    Attendees to any of Dolly's shows in Australia or New Zealand have an opportunity to enter to win a meet-and-greet with Dolly, Live Nation has revealed on its Facebook page. Entries will be accepted via e-mail at digital@livenation.com.au with the subject "Dolly Parton Meet & Greet," the answer to the question "If you were to meet Dolly Parton, what question would you ask?" in 25 words or less and your section, row and seat number from your concert ticket. The most creative entry in each city on the Down Under leg of the tour will be chosen as winners for themselves and a guest. Thanks, Jacob!

    GAC, Overseas Charts Updated
    The music video for "You Can't Make Old Friends" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly remained steady at No. 18 on last week's countdown on Great American Country released Friday. Vote for it in next week's charts on GAC here. Overseas, the three-disc The Real Dolly Parton drops two places to No. 78 in its 14th week on the Irish pop albums chart. The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 dips one to No. 25 in its 305th week on the Australian country albums chart, while The Very Best Of Dolly Parton: Australian Tour Edition holds steady at No. 23 in its fourth week on the chart. And in the U.K., Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1, released in 2011, loses one to No. 2 on the on the British country compilations chart in its 18th week back on the tally with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) inches up one to No. 5 in its 19th week on the same chart.

    Billboard Profiles Grammy Hall Of Fame Inductees
    In advance of next Sunday's Grammy Awards, Billboard magazine profiled this year's Hall of Fame inductees, leading the story with Dolly's "Jolene." (Although the profile contains one error – claiming the album was Dolly's first to crack the top 10 although it was her third solo album to make the top 10 and her 12th if you count her duet albums with Porter Wagoner.) Read more here.


    Jan. 17:
    London Trip, Meet-And-Greet Auction Offered
    The Friends of the Smokies have revealed the details of the Dolly fund-raising package they had teased earlier in the week on their Facebook page. The item will be auctioned at its Evergreen Ball on Jan. 25. Bidders will be asked to register and pre-qualify by Jan. 23 to participate in the online auction if they are not attending the event in person. The prize is six days and five nights in London, leaving June 25 and returning July 1, with VIP seats at Dolly's O2 concert either June 27 or 28 including airfare, hotel, spa credit, backstage tour and a meet-and-greet with Dolly. Learn more here

    New Date, Changed Date Down Under
    Dolly has added a second show in Sydney, Australia, for her Blue Smoke World Tour, putting a Feb. 19 concert on her itinerary. In addition, her Adelaide, Australia, engagement has moved from Feb. 25 to Feb. 13 to accommodate her previously-announced new dates in Tamworth and Cairns. Tickets for the new Sydney date go on sale next Friday. Read more from Yahoo Australia here. In other tour news, the European leg is promoted in the new issue of Country Music Magazine with a Dolly cover story in the British publication (check out a sample here). Thanks, Laurent! Also, I'm told that Silver Legacy Hotel in Reno, Nev., will host a Dolly look-a-like contest Jan. 25 in observance of her concert in that city. Learn more here. Thanks, Manny!

    Kenny, Willie Albums With Dolly Move On The Charts
    You Can't Make Old Friends, Kenny Rogers's new album with a Grammy-nominated Dolly duet on its title track, earns another week on the country albums chart in the Jan. 25 numbers Billboard released Thursday. The CD gains five to No. 41 in its 12th chart week. Willie Nelson's To All The Girls, also featuring a new Dolly duet, slips one to No. 30 country and rises five to No. 174 current albums for its 13th chart week.


    Jan. 14:
    Organization: Announcement Of Dolly Charity Package Coming Soon
    Friends of the Smokies, the nonprofit organization supporting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which Dolly supported as the official ambassador for the 75th anniversary of the park, is teasing an upcoming reveal regarding Dolly as a fundraiser for the charity. Their Facebook page noted here on Monday: "A very special announcement is coming very soon, courtesy of Dolly Parton, to help raise money for Friends of the Smokies at our upcoming Evergreen Ball on January 25th. FYI- Passport required. Thank you to Dolly & Dollywood for this amazing opportunity." Look for more details when they're announced soon.

    New Australian Date Added
    Yet another Down Under concert has been added to Dolly's Blue Smoke World Tour. She will perform at the Cairns Convention Centre in Cairns, Australia, on Feb. 24. Tickets are available for My Live Nation members Wednesday and to the general public Friday, The Cairns Post reported here.

    Billboard Notes Dolly Achievements
    To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the hot country songs chart, Billboard magazine counted down the10 biggest hits of each decade of the tally, and Dolly garnered two positions: "Here You Come Again" ranked No. 6 for the 1970s and "Islands In The Stream" was No. 6 in the 1980s. See the full list here. In addition, the piece noted she has the ninth most overall No. 1 hits in the genre, the most for a female artist, at 25 career chart-toppers.


    Jan. 13:
    Another Australian Tour Date Added
    Dolly's Blue Smoke World Tour added another date Down Under over the weekend: Feb. 16 in Tamworth, Australia. According to The Northern Daily Leader, city officials lobbied the tour promoters to be added to the itinerary. Read more from that publication here and The Music here. Pre-sale tickets for My Live Nation members go on sale Wednesday, followed by the general public sale Friday. In other tour news, Dolly interviews promoting the tour appeared in The West Australian here and England's Birmingham Mail here.

    GAC, Overseas Charts Updated
    In the channel's first new music video chart since publishing its year-end tally, "You Can't Make Old Friends" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly falls a dozen digits to No. 18 on this week's countdown on Great American Country, it was revealed Friday. Vote for it in next week's charts on GAC here. Overseas, her three-CD compilation The Real Dolly Parton regains 21 spots to No. 76 in its 13th week on the Irish pop albums chart. Down Under, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 slips three places to No. 24 in its 304th week on the Australian country albums chart, while The Very Best Of Dolly Parton: Australian Tour Edition inches up one to No. 23 in its third week and The Essential Dolly Parton falls off the top 40, down from No. 36 in its 63rd chart week. And in the U.K., Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 1, released in 2011, rises two to recapture the No. 1 spot on the on the British country compilations chart in its 17th week back on the tally with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony while her Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) inches down one to No. 6 in its 18th week on the same chart.

    Former Dollywood Executive Profiled
    The Mountain Press profiles former Dollywood executive Eunice Eledge in a lengthy piece published over the weekend here.

    '9 To 5' Hits Montana
    A production of Dolly's 9 To 5: The Musical in Missoula, Mont., was covered over the weekend by The Missoulian here.

    Alabama Man Biking Across Florida For Library
    Alabama.com reports on a Wedowee resident who will bike 1,300 miles from Callahan, Fla., to Key West to raise awareness of Dolly's Imagination Library literacy project. Read more here. The program's expansion to Randolph and Tucker Counties in West Virginia was covered by WBOY here.


    Jan. 10:
    'You Can't Make Old Friends' Returns To Albums Chart
    The Kenny Rogers album containing his new Dolly duet on the title song re-enters the country albums chart this week on the Jan. 18 Billboard tallies released Thursday. You Can't Make Old Friends re-enters the 50-position chart at No. 46 for an 11th chart week. Willie Nelson's To All The Girls, also with a new Dolly duet, inches up one to No. 29 country and dips 14 to No. 179 current albums for its 12th chart week.

    Music Video Makes Top 25 On GAC Year-End List
    Dolly and Kenny's duet "You Can't Make Old Friends" ranked at No. 23 on the year-end top 50 viewer-voted countdown on cable network Great American Country (GAC) naming the best music videos of 2013.


    Jan. 6:
    Overseas Charts Updated
    The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1 gains two spots to No. 21 in its 303rd week on the Australian country albums chart, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton: Australian Tour Edition, combining the CD with the second installment of the series, dips three to No. 24 in its second week and The Essential Dolly Parton loses nine to No. 36 for a 63rd chart week there. In Ireland, three-CD collection The Real Dolly Parton loses 23 places to No. 97 in its 12th week on the Irish pop albums chart. And in the U.K., Emmylou Harris's Original Album Series, Volume 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) gains two to No. 5 in its 17th week on the British country compilations chart, while her first Original Album Series, Volume 1, released in 2011, holds steady at No. 3 on the same list in its 16th week back on the tally with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony.

    Dolly Prize Teased On Twitter
    Father Jim Sichko, organizer of the Evening Among Friends fundraiser featuring Dolly on May 27, tweeted a bit of an enigmatic message over the weekend alerting fans that they will want to tune in for details in a few weeks: "Announcing my birthday (2/2) the most OVER THE TOP gift for any DOLLY FAN or one who likes to travel! WHICH COULD BE YOURS FOR A ...PENNY?" Check out his Twitter feed here and get tickets for Dolly's concert here.


    Jan. 4:
    'Christmas' Ends Annual Holiday Chart Run
    The Dolly and Kenny Rogers holiday album Once Upon A Christmas has fallen back off the charts after its annual Christmas sales bump. The CD drops off the 50-position pop catalog albums list from No. 43 in its sixth week there this year and 22nd since release, off the 25-position country catalog albums list from No. 8 in its eighth chart week there this year and 91st week since release and off the 200-position pop albums chart from No. 179 in its fifth week this year and 26th since release. Willie Nelson's To All The Girls, featuring a new Dolly duet, gains two to No. 30 country and loses 16 to No. 165 current albums for its 11th chart week. I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, featuring her cover of Dolly's title song, falls back off the 50-position R&B/hip-hop albums chart, down from No. 46 in its 54th week.

    Kentucky Fundraiser Gains Attention From TV
    Dolly's May 27 concert in Richmond, Ky., made Lexington's Channel 18 news here Friday. Tickets remain available here.

    Another Ohio Community Adopts Imagination Library
    Miami County, Ohio, has launched Dolly's Imagination Library, The Dayton Daily News reports here.


    Jan. 1:
    Few Tickets Remain For Kentucky Charity Show
    Organizers of Dolly's May 27 An Evening Among Friends fund-raiser concert in Richmond, Ky., tell me the show continues to march toward a sell-out. Only 100 seats remain for both Orchestra 1 and Tier 2 seating, I'm told. After those are gone, just Orchestra 2 seats and a handful of new box seats will remain available. In addition, "we promise some exciting gifts and some gestures that will fall in line with our giving and receiving which our celebrity fundraiser is known for. -- this won't just be a typical concert by any means." Get your tickets from St. Mark Catholic Church here!