Forty-nine years ago Monday, Dolly records the title song and “Shattered Image” for All I Can Do, her first album for which she got co-producing credit; released as a single five months later, the title track reaches No. 3. Forty-nine years ago Tuesday, Dolly records “To Daddy” for All I Can Do but removes it when friend Emmylou Harris expresses interest in covering the song; Emmy's version, released two years later, peaks at No. 3 on the country singles chart; Dolly's original isn't released until The Essential Dolly Parton Vol. 1 comes out in 1995. Forty-seven years ago Tuesday, Here You Come Again marks its final of nine weeks atop the country album charts (Dolly's second); it also reaches No. 20 pop and becomes her first platinum album for sales in excess of 1 million copies. Forty-one years ago Tuesday, The Great Pretender debuts on the album charts; it reaches No. 7 country, No. 71 pop. Fifty-one years ago Wednesday, Porter & Dolly announce the breakup of their duo. Forty-four years ago Wednesday, “9 to 5" is certified as Dolly's second gold single for sales in excess of 1 million copies. Thirty-two years ago Wednesday, Whitney Houston's cover of Dolly's "I Will Always Love You" tops the Billboard pop charts for the 14th week -- breaking the record for longest-running No.1 single in history at that time. Thirty-one years ago Wednesday, “The Day I Fall In Love” with James Ingram debuts on the adult contemporary singles chart; it peaks at No. 36. Thirty-seven years ago Thursday, Porter & Dolly perform together on the stage of The Grand Ole Opry for her ABC television series, the first time the two sing together publicly since 1974. Forty-four years ago Friday, 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs marks its second of 10 weeks at No. 1 on the country album charts (Dolly's fourth time at the top and longest stay there); it also reaches No. 11 pop and gold status for more than 500,000 copies sold (Dolly's fifth). The same day, “9 to 5" reaches No. 1 on the pop charts. Thirty-eight years ago Friday, “To Know Him Is To Love Him” with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris debuts on the country singles charts; three months later it would become Trio's sole No. 1, Dolly's 21st of her record 25 times atop the country singles charts, Emmylou's fifth and most recent No. 1, and Linda's second and most recent country No. 1. Twenty-four years ago Friday, Dolly wins her sixth Grammy Award, this time for Best Bluegrass Album for The Grass is Blue. Fifty years ago Saturday, “The Bargain Store” debuts on the adult contemporary singles chart; the No. 1 country single would peak at No. 35 AC. After 14 nominations from 1969 through 1978, Dolly takes home her first of 10 regular Grammy Awards when the album Here You Come Again wins Best Female Country Vocal Performance forty-seven years ago Sunday (the title song from the album had been nominated as a single for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance the previous year). Forty years ago Sunday, “Don't Call It Love” debuts on the adult contemporary chart; the song would peak at No. 12 adult contemporary and No. 3 country. Twenty-five years ago Sunday, Dolly picks up her fifth Grammy Award, Best Country Vocal Collaboration, for “After The Goldrush,” the second she shares with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris as The Trio.
Upcoming television appearances
(All times Eastern unless noted)
The RCA Sessions (1968-1976), 22-song digital collection of rare Porter & Dolly songs first released on the 2014 complete recordings boxed set, April 5
Love & Music 1973 Porter & Dolly album, digital release, March 29
We Found It 1973 Porter & Dolly album, digital release, Feb. 1
Sabrina Carpenter Duet Drops On 'Please, Please, Please'
Pop star Sabrina Carpenter on Friday released her promised expanded edition of her Grammy-winning album Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition fesaturing a remix of her No. 1 single “Please, Please, Please” as a duet with Dolly. The country-influenced arrangement also featured censoring of one line from a curse word at Dolly's request. Download your copy from Amazon here and stream on YouTube here or in the media player above. Dolly released behind-the-scenes footage of the two listening to the finished song to her social media here.
Potential Musical 'Dollys' Revealed, Symphony Singers, Too Dolly last week announced 15 finalists from the search for Dolly casting call for her upcoming bio-musical Dolly: An Original Musical. Check them out in a reel posted to social media here. She also last week revealed several vocalists who will be touring with the upcoming symphonic showcase of her music, Threads: My Songs In Symphony. Learn more about those singers here.
Dollywood Named A 'Forbes' Best Employer Forbes magazine last week named Dolly's theme park, Dollywood, to its list of the best 498 midsized employers in the U.S., one of just 15 companies in the travel and leisure sector.
U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables loses its pole position on the U.K. country compilation albums chart after two weeks, the charts released Friday confirmed. The album falls six to No. 7 for the week in its third chart week, while Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 regains one to No. 1, Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection rises two to No. 3, and Dolly's The Monument Singles holds steady at No. 6, but The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe falls out of the top 20, down from No. 20, and Original Album Series by Linda Ronstadt holds steady at No. 18. Post Malone's country album F 1 Trillion, featuring a Dolly duet, regains three to No. 5 country albums while Beyonce's Cowboy Carter gains one to No. 3 country, holding steady at No. 1 Americana, and sliding 20 to No. 79 pop, off the Scottish chart (down from No. 85), eight to No. 72 streaming, off the top 100 sales chart (down from No. 71), and 46 on the downloads list to No. 20.
Down Under, Post Malone's F 1 Trillion rises one to No. 6 country, while Cowboy Carter slides two to No. 16 Australian country albums. Malone's album holds steady on the top 50 Australian pop albums at No. 47.
In the U.S., Dolly's Little Sparrow falls back off the bluegrass albums chart, down from one week at No. 14, the Feb. 15 Billboard charts released Tuesday showed. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion gains three to No. 17 Top 200 albums, and one to No. 3 country albums, falling one to No. 14 Canadian albums, and re-entering the top 50 current albums list at No. 44. Beyonce's post-Grammy push gives her Cowboy Carter, a 33-point gain to No. 4 country albums and 12-point climb to No. 2 Americana/folk albums, re-entering the Top 200 at No. 19, sales chart at No. 28, and current sales at No. 23.
First created as "Duane's Dolly Pages" in 1996, and becoming Dollymania in 1998, this is the oldest continually operating Internet site dedicated to Dolly Parton and the ONLY regularly-updated resource about her available anywhere in the world!
Past news
Feb. 10: Dolly Duets With Sabrina Carpenter Fresh off her Grammy wins, pop artist Sabrina Carpenter last week announced she would be releasing a deluxe version fo her album Short & Sweet on Friday featuring a collaboration with Dolly on a remix of her No. 1 hit "Please, Please, Please." Announcing it on social media, Carpenter said: "as a thank you for giving this album 2 Grammy's :') short n' sweet deluxe is now available for pre order.. and yes that does say featuring Miss Dolly Parton…. she wouldn't want me to swear but holy shit!!!!!" Dolly responded with a heart and butterfly emoji. Reserve your copy here!
'IWALY' Named Country's Best Love Song By 'Billboard' Billboard on Friday named its critics' choices for the 50 best love songs in country music history and Dolly came in at No. 26 with "Rockin' Years" with Ricky Van Shelton (a song written by her late brother, Floyd Parton) and No. 1 with her own "I Will Always Love You." See the full list here.
'Jolene' Goes Triple Platinum Overseas Dolly's single "Jolene" was certified three times platinum in the U.K. on Jan. 31 for sales and steams equivalent to 1.8 million, it was announced by BPI on Friday.
Illinois Could Get Dolly Plates A bill was introduced last week in the Illinois Senate that if passed would make the state the third, after Tennessee and Ohio, to offer specialty license plates to benefit Dolly's Imagination Library early childhood literacy program if it passed. The legislation is SB 1506.
Hospital Gift Highlighted The Union Medical Center in Dolly's mother's hometown in rural South Carolina held its ribbon cutting last week and Dolly sent a video message in recognition of her $100,000 gift to build a healing garden on the property in honor of her mother. Check out a news story here.
'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Reboot Nearing With Dolly EP Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans went crazy earlier last week upon news that the series was nearing closure on a deal with Hulu to order a reboot pilot starring and executive produced by lead Sarah Michelle Gellar. Variety shared the exclusive report here, which also noted Dolly has signed on to executive produce for Sandollar Films. The company she owned with her late manager Sandy Gallin produced the original film and co-produced the original TV show, but Gallin was the listed executive producer instead of Dolly. Now that he is deceased, she will take on that role.
Dolly Costume Exhibit Opens At Resort Dollywood may be temporarily closed until the new season starts but the park's Heartsong Lodge & Resort is hosting an exhibit of pieces from Dolly's wardrobe now through March 12. The curated collection is displayed in the Acoustic Lounge and is open to resort guests. Items include outfits from Dolly's 2021 appearance on Grace & Frankie, her 2002 Halo & Horns tour, her 1970 cover of The Fairest of Them All and other items from her archives selected by Dolly's niece and Director of Archive Services, Rebecca Seaver. The exhibit is open to all resort hotel, dining, merchandise, or spa patrons daily and is accessible Thursday nights for Tennessee residents and Dollywood season passholders without a stay or additional purchase. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to noon and 5-8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to noon and 5-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Seattle Men's Chorus Plans Dolly Shows The Seattle Men's Chorus in April will debut a new tribute show about Dolly and her music which they will perform April 6 in Seattle, April 13 in Bellingham, May 3 in Tacoma, and May 18 in Everett. Read more about it from Broadway Worldhere.
Dolly Sends Wishes To High School '9 To 5'-ers Dolly sent video greetings to the actors at Elkhart High School appearing in a production next month of her 9 To 5: The Musical. Learn more from WNDU here.
Family Album Remains No. 1 In Minor U.K. Chart Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables retains its No. 1 position for a second consecutive week on the British country compilation albums chart, it was revealed Friday. The project falls off the overall album sales tally, down from No. 100, physical album sales, down from No,. 94, and Americana albums, down from No. 22. Elsewhere on the compilations list, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 regains three to No. 2, Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection inches up one to No. 5, and top 20 re-entries are seen for Dolly's The Monument Singles at No. 6, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe at No. 20, and Original Album Series by Linda Ronstadt at No. 18. Post Malone's country album F 1 Trillion, featuring a Dolly duet, slips two to No. 8 country albums while Beyonce's Cowboy Carter sees an uptick following its Grammy wins, gaining three to No. 4 country and eight to No. 1 Americana while re-entering pop at No. 59, Scottish at No. 85, streaming at No. 64, sales at No. 71 and downloads at No. 20.
Down Under, Post Malone's F 1 Trillion holds steady at No. 7 country, while Cowboy Carter gains 17 to No. 14 Australian country albums. Malone's album re-enters the top 50 Australian pop albums at No. 47.
In the U.S., Dolly's Little Sparrow re-enters the bluegrass albums chart at No. 14 on the Feb. 9 Billboard charts released Tuesday. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion drops two to No. 20 Top 200 albums, losing one to No. 4 country albums and No. 13 Canadian albums, and falling back off the top 50 current albums list, down from No. 49. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, which won't see its post-Grammy bump on the U.S. charts until later this week, falls back out of the Top 200 albums, down from No. 179, losing seven to No. 37 country albums and two to No. 14 Americana/folk albums.
Feb. 3: Jimmy Carter Beats Dolly For Grammy Dolly on Sunday lost the Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for the audio book of Behind The Seams: My Life In Rhinestones to the late former President Jimmy Carter for a collection of Sunday School lessons. Other nominees were The Beatles, George Clinton, and Barbra Steisand. The win marked Carter's fourth Grammy for spoken word recording. It marked Dolly's first nomination in the category, expanding her number of genres to 10. However, Beyonce's first-time nominations in the country and Americana genres took her out of a tie with Dolly for the female artist with the most nominations in different genres to 11. Their previous three-way-tie-holder Janet Jackson fell to third place with nine genres. Beyonce was the night's big winner, with her album Cowboy Carter, on which Dolly provides two voice-overs plus wrote the classic "Jolene" which is covered on the project, won Album of the Year as well as Country Album of the Year. In addition, she won Country Duo/Group Performance with Dolly's goddaughter Miley Cyrus for "II Most Wanted."
Dolly Musical, Dolly U Announced At Belmont
Dolly on Tuesday officially announced the dates and details of what she had previously revealed months ago: that her bio-musical Dolly: An Original Musical will debut in Nashville for a test run this summer prior to next year's move to Broadway. In an appearance at Belmont University here or in the media player above, she revealed tickets went on sale Tuesday for the four-week engagement which includes a world premiere preview Friday, July 18, continuing through Aug. 7, with the official opening night occurring Aug. 8. The run ends Aug. 17. She said her favorite song from the show was "I Wouldn't Be Here If You Hadn't Been There," about those who elevated her to where she is today and which she said she would be releasing as a single, and director Bartlett Sher said his was "God, Sex, and Music," which he said encapsulated Dolly herself and her contradictions. The show also served as the first project for Dolly U, a new partnership Dolly has created with Belmont to provide immersive educational experiences for students with the performing arts, working on all aspects of production. Tickets are available here. The show is still casting, with 126 video submission slots for members of the Actors Equity union eligible to submit to casting directors Carrie Gardner and Jason Thinger, by Feb. 14 for the three Dollys, Porter Wagoner, Carl Dean/Johnny Cash, young Judy Ogle, adult Judy, and Sandy Gallin.
'DNA' Debuts Overseas Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables must have shipped all of its U.K. sales last week because it debuted on the British charts much higher than it did in the U.S. The collection pops in at No. 100 overall album sales (includes downloads), No, 94 physical album sales, No. 22 Americana albums and No. 1 U.K. country compilation albums. Stateside, on the other hand, the album never sold enough in one week to appear on any all-genre sales charts and only appeared on the bluegrass albums list, one that only takes sales of a few hundred copies to enter the top 10. Elsewhere in Britain, Post Malone's country album F 1 Trillion, featuring a Dolly duet, slips three to No. 6 country albums while Beyonce's Cowboy Carterloses two to No. 7 U.K. country albums and five to No. 9 Americana albums. On the country compilation albums list, in addition to Dolly's family album, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 drops two to No. 5 and Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection inches down one to No. 6, while Original Album Series by Linda Ronstadt falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 20.
Down Under, Post Malone's F 1 Trillion loses two to No. 7 country, while Cowboy Carter slips three to No. 31 Australian country albums. Malone's drops out of the top 50 Australian pop albums, down from No. 49.
In the U.S., Post Malone's F 1 Trillion drops two to No. 18 Top 200 albums on the Feb. 2 Billboard charts released Tuesday, remaining steady at No. 3 country albums, losing one to No. 12 Canadian albums, and re-entering the top 50 current albums list at No. 49. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, loses 21 to No. 179 Top 200 albums, holding steady at No. 30 country albums, and gaining one to No. 12 Americana/folk albums.
Jan. 27: 'You'll Never Walk Alone' Duet Released
Demaree, a single mother in Tennessee who was a child star on Broadway, has released a new duet with Dolly of the classic "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the musical Carousel. She explains in a story from Nashville's NewsChannel5 here or in the media player below that the duet came about because her mother befriended Dolly's assistant Judy Ogle through work and they were at Judy's house one day when Dolly showed up and her mother informed Dolly that Demaree had a dream of recording a duet with her. The song was chosen because of its special connection to her mother – who found strength in the song when her high school was performing the musical following her own mother's death from being struck by a car while walking. Listen to the collaboration on YouTube here or in the media player above and download it from your favorite retailer including Amazon here.
Big Broadway Announcement Coming Tuesday Producers of Dolly: An Original Musical say a "huge announcement" will be coming at 10 a.m. Central/11 a.m. Eastern Tuesday.
Fans Seek To Rename Airport For Dolly Instead Of Trump A Tennessee legislator has introduced a bill asking that Nashville's airport be renamed after President Donald Trump, which spurred some Dolly fans to create an online petition asking they instead rename it after Dolly. Check out a report from The Leaf Chroniclehere and sign the petition, which as of press time had over 1,200 signatures, here.
New Dolly Kitchenware Line Available Thanks to Tony for alerting me to a relatively new collection of authorized Dolly Kitchenware Essentials from Mainstream International available now from Amazon here. For sale now are a set of seven kitchen towels (one for each day of the week), an apron and towel set, and an oven mit set.
Dollywood Donates Locomotive Engine Dollywood recently donated its display locomotive, Southern Railway 2-8-0 No. 107, built in 1887, to the Knoxville & Holston River Railroad for preservation in exchange for a donation to the region's Hurricane Helene relief efforts, Trains reported here. For decades, the train has sat outside exposed to the elements adjacent to the parking lot for the theme park's "yellow house" off-park ticket office at the corner of Parkway and Dollywood Lane in Pigeon Forge.
U.S., Canadian, Aussie Chart Updates Post Malone's country album F 1 Trillion, featuring a Dolly duet, inches down one to No. 16 Top 200 albums on the Jan. 25 Billboard charts released Tuesday, remaining steady at No. 3 country albums and No. 11 Canadian albums, falling out of the top 50 current album, down from No. 48.
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon's holiday album Holiday Seasoning, featuring his Dolly duet "It's Almost Too Early For Christmas," falls out of the top 10 comedy albums, down from No. 4.
Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with a "Jolene" cover and Dolly voice-overs, tumbles 51 places to No. 158 Top 200 albums, 12 to No. 30 country albums, and three to No. 13 Americana/folk albums, falling off current albums, down from No. 29.
Down Under, Post Malone's F 1 Trillion loses two to No. 6 country, while Cowboy Carter rises one to No. 28 Australian country albums. Malone's drops 30 spots to No. 49 Australian pop albums.
Across the pond, Beyonce's album loses two to No. 5 U.K. country albums and remains steady at No. 4 Americana albums. Malone's album regains one to No. 3 country and falls off the top 100 streaming charts, down from No. 97. The U.K. country compilations tally sees Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 stay at No. 3 and Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection slide one to No. 5, Glen Campbell Duets: Ghost On The Canvas Sessions, with a Dolly duet, falls out of the top 20, down from No. 10, and Original Album Series by Linda Ronstadt dips six to No. 20 while Emmylou Harris' first entry falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 18.
Jan. 20: 'Smoky Mountain DNA' Special Teaser Released
Thanks to Benjamin for alerting me to a teaser video now available on Venmo here or in the media player above for the multi-part docuseries on her album Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables. The docu-series was originally expected to premiere at the album's release in November, but the project's website has said it should come out sometime this year. (The video was moved behind a password-protected wall, but several copies have been posted to YouTube including one here.)
Dolly Gains Another U.K. Silver Record Fourteen years after its release, Dolly's 2011 album Better Day, was certified silver by BPI in the UK last week for sales in excess of 60,000 copies since release. Dolly's management seems to have mistakenly claimed it went silver in July 2014 alongside Blue Smoke but it apparently wasn't at that sales level at the time.
Dolly Makes 10 Most Influential Artists The Luminate Index, a new music artist ranking system from the publishers of Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter, has released in inaugural list of the world's most influential artists in the United States to help businesses make product partnership decisions, and Dolly is the only country artist to make the top 10. The rankings are based on 30 percent streaming (where Dolly usually ranks very low), 15 percent social media presence, 25 percent public awareness, 15 percent public perception, and 15 percent fan engagement. The top 10 for 2024 were:
10. Dolly
9. Lady Gaga
8. Ariana Grande
7. Shakira
6. Eminem
5. Rihanna
4. Elton John
3. Beyonce
2. Adele
1. Taylor Swift
New Product News Such popularity has led to numerous recent business opportunities including a new home goods line from Lifetime Brands called "Dolly's Jeweled Mosaic Collection" coming to stores in spring 2025 but seen at home expos such as here, naming of Shannon Foster as general manager of her upcoming Songteller Hotel in Nashville which aims for a 2026 opening with a Dolly museum, restaurant, and entertainment venue here, and an interview with digital magazine Food & Beverage about her new wine collection here.
'Whorehouse' To Be Re-Issued On BluRay Kino Lorber Studio Classics has announced it will soon release a new BluRay of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas featuring Dolly from 1982. No details yet on bonus material or release date but the studios say it was made from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, which suggests a 4K release could be in the future.
Dolly Suit At Grammy Auction Dolly has donated one of the outfits she wore to her 2019 MusiCares Artist Of The Year ceremony to this year's MusiCares auction, which has announced this year's proceeds will go to musicians who lost their homes in the recent California wildfires. Originally estimated to go for $3,000, Dolly's item is currently at $6,000 in online bidding. The final auction occurs the morning of the Grammy Awards, Feb. 2. Bid here.
More Grammy Records Noted Billboard last week noted Dolly is the No. 1 female and No. 1 vocalist for the most years to have received at least one nomination with 37. Only composer John Williams surpasses her with 42. Read the full list here.
Trans-Lesbian 'Jolene' Cover Released Tears for the Dying, a goth-punk group fronted by the trans-feme niece of Chip Young, the session guitarist Dolly taught her signature "Joelene" guitar riff to perform on the original recording of the song, last week released their cover of "Jolene," singing it from a gender-queer trans lesbian perspective. Read an interview about the project here and watch the video here.
U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates It appears Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables lasted only seven weeks on the bluegrass albums chart, falling out of the top 15 in the Jan. 18 numbers released Tuesday, down from No. 5 in its final week.
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon's holiday album Holiday Seasoning, featuring his Dolly duet "It's Almost Too Early For Christmas," slips two to No. 4 comedy albums.
Post Malone's country album F 1 Trillion, featuring a Dolly duet, slides one to No. 15 Top 200 albums and one to No. 3 country albums, falling four to No. 48 current albums and rising one to No. 11 Canadian albums.
Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with a "Jolene" cover and Dolly voice-overs, falls 70 to No. 107 Top 200 albums, nine to No. 18 country albums, four to No. 10 Americana/folk albums, and three to No. 29 current albums sales, falling back off top album sales, down from No. 39.
Down Under, Post Malone's F 1 Trillion loses one to No. 4 country, while Cowboy Carter falls 11 to No. 29 Australian country albums. Malone's gains 16 to No. 19 Australian pop albums.
Across the pond, Beyonce's album loses one to No. 3 U.K. country albums and three No. 4 Americana albums. Malone's album dips one to No. 4 country and seven to No. 97 streaming charts, falling off the pop chart at No. 93 at No,. 90. The U.K. country compilations tally sees Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 stay at No. 3 and Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection remain at No. 4, Glen Campbell Duets: Ghost On The Canvas Sessions, with a Dolly duet, rise nine to No. 10, and Original Album Series by Linda Ronstadt gains two to No. 14 and Emmylou Harris' first entry loses five to No. 18.
Jan. 13: Dolly To Perform On Wiggles' Country Album Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles last week announced their upcoming country album, Wiggle Up, Giddy Up, hitting stores March 7 with some Dolly collaborations. According to the track list, Dolly performs on the songs "Friends!" and "We Will Always Be Friends." In addition, the group covers "Love Is Like A Butterfly." Other guests on the project include Lainey Wilson on "Let's Ride!" and Orville Peck on "Friends Of Dorothy." Reserve your copy here!
'Southern Living' Cover Girl Dolly graces the cover of the new issue of Southern Living magazines scheduled to hit newsstands the Friday of this week in honor of the 40th anniversary of her theme park. Among the items are a new photo shoot, an interview with humorist Rick Bragg here, a piece on Dollywood's history here, and an article on park food here. The cover story got the notice last week of NBC's Today, which reported on it here.
'Good Lookin' Cookin'' Remains On 'PW' Best Sellers Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly, Rachel Parton George, and Maurice Miner earns a 16th week in the Publishers Weekly top 25 Best Selling Nonfiction Hardcover titles for the week, falling six to No. 22 and moving 4,220 copies for a cumulative total of 220,221 since release. The book fell off the New York Times Best Seller List last week after 14 consecutive weeks on the Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous tally.
U.S., Aussie, U.K. Chart Updates The seasonal return of Kenny Rogers and Dolly's Once Upon A Christmas was only one week this year, as the 1984 collection falls off the Top Country Albums charts after one week this season at No. 45 and one week on the Canadian top 100 albums at No. 55. Elsewhere on the charts:
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon's holiday album Holiday Seasoning, featuring his Dolly duet "It's Almost Too Early For Christmas," slips one to No. 2 comedy albums, gaining two to No. 30 holiday albums in its ninth chart week.
Post Malone's country album F 1 Trillion, featuring a Dolly duet, gains 32 to No. 14 Top 200 albums, 21 to No. 12 Canadian albums, and seven to No. 2 country albums, falling four to No. 48 current album.
Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with a "Jolene" cover and Dolly voice-overs, continues its post-Christmas Day NFL halftime show rebound gaining 102 spots on the top 200 albums at No. 37, 12 to No. 9 country albums, four to No. 6 Americana/folk albums, and six to No. 26 current albums sales, re-entering top album sales at No. 39.
Down Under, Post Malone's F 1 Trillion holds steady at No. 3 country, while Cowboy Carter slides one to No. 18 Australian country albums. Malone's inches up one to No. 35 Australian pop albums.
Across the pond, Beyonce's album falls back out of the pop top 100, down from No. 100, and top downloads, down from No. 85, while holding steady at No. 2 U.K. country albums and No. 1 Americana albums. Malone's album holds steady at No. 3 country and re-enters the pop chart at No. 93 and streaming chart at No,. 90. The U.K. country compilations tally sees Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 slide one to No. 3 and Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection lose one to No. 4, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe fall back out of the top 20, down from No. 19, while Original Album Series by Linda Ronstadt rises four to No. 16 and Emmylou Harris' first entry gains seven to No. 13, both of which contain Dolly guest appearances, and Glen Campbell Duets: Ghost On The Canvas Sessions, with a Dolly duet, re-enters the top 20 at No. 19.
Jan. 6: Dolly Collection Featured At Sevierville Birthday Party The newly renovated historic Pines Downtown in Sevierville (230 Court Avenue), where Dolly had her first paying gig and often performed with The Cas Walker Show as a child, will celebrate her 79th birthday this month with a huge party from 4 p.m. until midnight on Saturday, Jan. 18, the day before her big day. "Roots to Rhinestones: A Dolly Birthday Bash!" will feature a one-day exhibit from The Dolly Collection, Patric Parkey and Harrel Gabehart's pieces that comprise the largest privately-held collection of Dolly memorabilia. Wigs, costumes, and more will be on display. Specialty cocktails and mocktails inspired by her songs and life will be offered and her hits will play all night long. Special cupcakes will be available first come, first served. Guests are encouraged to don their most sparkly Dolly-inspired attire for "a night of glitter, glamour, and everything Dolly!" Learn more on their website here and social media here.
'Cookin'' Falls Off 'NYT' List, Remains On 'PW' After 14 consecutive weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly, Rachel Parton George, and Maurice Miner falls out of the top 10 for the first time this week, down from No. 7 on the Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous tally. On Publisher's Weekly, however, which classifies it under Nonfiction Hardcover Best Sellers, the title falls eight to No. 16, selling 9,033 copies last week for a 15-weekcumulative total since release of 217,248 copies sold.
'Mountain Magic' Reairing Attracts 1.6 Million NBC's third annual airing of the Emmy-nominated Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas garnered 1.64 million viewers on Boxing Day to come in third in its time slot behind Ghost and Matlock on CBS (2.05 million) and ABC's The Year: 2024 (2.17 million).
'Once Upon' Returns To Charts Once Upon A Christmas makes its seasonal chart return this week in the Billboard tallies released Tuesday and dated Jan. 4. The 1984 holiday collection with Kenny Rogers re-enters the Top Country Albums chart at No. 45 and Canadian Top 100 Albums at No. 55. Elsewhere on the charts:
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon's holiday album Holiday Seasoning, featuring his Dolly duet "It's Almost Too Early For Christmas," remains steady at No. 1 comedy albums, gaining four to No. 32 holiday albums in its eighth chart week and falling off current album sales, down from No. 32.
Post Malone's country album F 1 Trillion, featuring a Dolly duet, loses five to No. 46 Top 200 albums, 14 to No. 33 Canadian albums, and one to No. 9 country albums, gaining four to No. 44 current album sales and falling off streaming, down from No. 37.
Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with a "Jolene" cover and Dolly voice-overs, re-enters the top 200 albums at No. 139 thanks to her Christmas halftime show, rising 12 to No. 21 country albums, two to No. 10 Americana/folk albums, and 12 to No. 32 current albums sales.
Down Under, Post Malone's F 1 Trillion holds steady at No. 3 country, while Cowboy Carter gains three to No. 17 Australian country albums. Malone's inches down one to No. 36 Australian pop albums.
Across the pond, A Holly, Dolly Christmas falls back off the top Scottish albums, down from No. 81. Malone's album slips one to No. 3 country. Beyonce's album re-enters the pop top 100 at No. 100 and top downloads at No. 85 while gaining three to No. 2 U.K. country albums and four to No. 1 Americana albums. The U.K. country compilations tally sees Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 remain steady at No. 2 and Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection stay at No. 3, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe decline five to No. 19 and Original Album Series re-enter the top 20 with Linda Ronstadt's entry at No. 16 and Emmylou Harris' first entry at No. 20, both of which contain Dolly guest appearances.
Dec. 30: Dolly Cookbook Remains On Best Seller List Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly, Rachel Parton George, and Maurice Miner earns a 14th week on the best seller lists this week. The title slips three to No. 7 on the New York Times Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous Best Sellers List. Publisher's Weekly did not update its best seller list for the week.
Dolly Nominated For Animal-Lover Award Dolly was nominated last week for the first Animal Lovers Choice Awards for pet-friendly celebrities from the producers of the Teen Choice Awards. She is up for Female Country Artist against Carrie Underwood, Carly Peare, Kacey Musgraves, Lainey Wilson, and Miranda Lambert. Vote here.
Elle King Sings Of Opry Ban After Dolly Tribute Elle King last week released a video of her singing about being banned from the Grand Ole Opry over her drunken performance at last year's second annual Opry Goes Dolly tribute. Check it out here.
Beyonce Half-Time Show Includes Dolly's Voice Dolly wasn't there but her voice was at Beyonce's Christmas Day halftime NFL show as her voiceover introduction to "Tyrant" was played to introduce Beyonce's cover of "Jolene" on the program. Approximately 27 million viewers tuned in for the halftime show, compared to just 24 million viewers who watched the game itself. Read more from CBS here.
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon's holiday album Holiday Seasoning, featuring his Dolly duet "It's Almost Too Early For Christmas," remains steady at No. 1 comedy albums, gaining three to No. 36 holiday albums in its seventh chart week and inching up one on the current album sales list to No. 32.
Post Malone's country album F 1 Trillion, featuring a Dolly duet, loses four to No. 41 Top 200 albums, one to No. 37 streaming, two to No. 19 Canadian albums, three to No. 8 country albums, and three to No. 48 current album sales.
Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with a "Jolene" cover and Dolly voice-overs, dips one to No. 33 country albums and one to No. 12 Americana/folk albums, re-entering current albums sales at No. 44. I would expect a sales surge from her NFL halftime show to appear in future charts.
Down Under, Post Malone's F 1 Trillion holds steady at No. 3 country, while Cowboy Carter gains eight to No. 20 Australian country albums. Malone's rises two to No. 35 Australian pop albums.
For the seventh year in a row, here is our annual Christmas present to you: rare video of a 1969 holiday special An Old-Time Country Christmas featuring Porter & Dolly, Loretta Lynn, the Wilburn Brothers and others. Enjoy here or in the media player above, and Merry Christmas!
More Classic Dolly, Family Music Released Several Dolly-related projects came out of the vault last week and the week before. In addition to the previously-reported digital releases of Precious Memories and Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land Of Blue Smoke, that week saw re-issues of:
her single "I Still Believe" from her 2020 holiday concert special
Backwoods Barbie with bonus tracks "I Will Always Love You" (Live), "The Grass Is Blue" (Live), "Rose Of My Heart," "Hallelujah Holiday," and "Berry Pie"
Better Day with bonus tracks from special edition Blue Smoke "Get Up, Get Out, Get On," "Angels in the Midst," "Olive Branch," and "Early Morning Breeze" (although the latter is from Coat Of Many Colors instead of the 2014 version originally as a bonus)
Live From London with the Cracker Barrel bonus tracks "Shattered Image" and "My Tennessee Mountain Home" (although the latter was the version from Heartsongs instead of the new version originally as a bonus)
Pure & Simple with bonus tracks "Mama" and "Lovin' You."
Then on Friday of last week, Owepar released digitally four classic albums from Dolly's family members under its "Smoky Mountain DNA Series:"
That's not the only new music this week, as Dolly and her niece Heidi Parton on Friday released a holiday single "Oh What A Night," an epic seven-minute long Christmas opus. Stream on YouTube here or in the media player above and download it from Amazon here.
New Platinum Certifications Announced It's not five golden rings, but just in time for Christmas Dolly has one more shimmering circle decoration, as "Islands In The Stream" with Kenny Rogers achieved the BPI triple platinum digital award status on Friday recognizing streams and downloads equivalent to 1.8 million sales of the single in the U.K. But that's not the only shiny addition, as Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, featuring two Dolly spoken-introductions plus a cover of "Jolene," was certified simultaneously gold and platinum in the U.S. on Tuesday for sales in excess of 1 million copies.
'Good Lookin'' Earns 13th Best Seller Week Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly, Rachel Parton George, and Maurice Miner celebrates 13 weeks on the best seller lists this week. The title advances three to No. 4 on the New York Times Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous Best Sellers List while gaining two to No. 9 Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller in Publisher's Weekly, selling 21,271 more copies to a cumulative 188,389 since release.
Dolly Plates Coming To Ohio The Ohio Legislature last week passed a bill to become the second state after Tennessee to offer a speciality license plate featuring Dolly's face to raise funds to support her Imagination Library early childhood literacy program. Ohio has more children enrolled in the program than any other state in the country. If the governor, whose wife took on statewide expansion of the program as her signature project, signs the bill, plates will be available later in 2025.
Florida Pirate's Voyage To Open In Spring The News Herald reports that Dolly's latest expansion of her Pirate's Voyage dinner theater to Panama City Beach, Fla., is on track for its spring 2025 opening. Read more here.
'Opry Goes Dolly' Returning For Third Year The Grand Ole Opry last week announced its third annual Opry Goes Dolly show on Jan. 18 to celebrate her 79th birthday. Although Dolly isn't scheduled to attend in-person, the night will feature other artists paying tribute to her career, specialty drinks, photo ops, and more and will serve as the first official show in the "Opry 100" series to celebrate the radio program's centennial in 2025. Learn more here.
Dolly Narrating Your Shopping On Monday At Wal-Mart If you're in a Wal-Mart or Sam's Club Monday listen to Dolly over the intercom on Walmart Radio, where she'll spend the day sharing holiday memories and greatest hits in stores and online at walmartworld.com.
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon's holiday album Holiday Seasoning, featuring his Dolly duet "It's Almost Too Early For Christmas," remains steady at No. 1 comedy albums, gaining one to No. 39 holiday albums in its sixth chart week and re-entering the current album sales list at No. 33.
Post Malone's country album F 1 Trillion, featuring a Dolly duet, falls five to No. 37 Top 200 albums, four to No. 36 streaming, three to No. 17 Canadian albums and two to No. 5 country albums, while rising two to No., 45 current album sales.
Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with a "Jolene" cover and Dolly voice-overs, rises four to No. 32 country albums and two to No. 11 Americana/folk albums.
Down Under, Post Malone's F 1 Trillion holds steady at No. 3 country, while Cowboy Carter slips one to No. 28 Australian country albums. Malone's also slips one to No. 37 Australian pop albums.
Across the pond, A Holly, Dolly Christmas falls off the top Scottish albums, down from No. 100. Malone's album re-enters the top downloads albums at No. 97 and remains steady at No. 2 country. Beyonce's album inches up one to No. 7 U.K. country albums and gains one to No. 6 Americana albums. The U.K. country compilations tally sees Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 gain one to No. 2 and Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection rise one to No. 3, while The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe dips five to No. 14, and the Original Album Series from Linda Ronstadt falls off the top 20, down from No. 17.
Rare Dolly Records To Benefit 9/11 Charity Thanks to Dolly fan Scott Peterson for sharing with us news of a fundraising sale from his Dolly collection to benefit the Global Youth Justice's Annual 9/11 Flag of Honor Across America Memorials on Sept. 11, 2025. You may buy the items via Buy Now on ebay here OR contact the seller directly and ask that 10 percent of the sale price go to support the Dolly website or Facebook group where you read about it while the remaining 90 percent of the sale price is donated directly to the charity. The items are:
Original 1957 45 of first Goldband single "Puppy Love" $1,199
Original 1962 black label general release of Mercury single "It's Sure Gonna Hurt." $400
Collection of her nine Monument Records singles 1964-67 $1,000
Test Pressing of "Heartbreaker" $399
Test Pressing of "You're The Only One" $399
Test Pressing of "Single Women" $399
Test Pressing of Porter & Dolly's "Yours Love" $250
Test Pressing of Kenny Rogers' "Blaze Of Glory" $300
"Dollymania: The Online Dolly Parton Newsmagazine. Your premier resource for Dolly Parton news and information." These pages are not affiliated with Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton Enterprises or Dollywood. Original text and images are copyrighted by Duane Gordon/www.dollymania.net or by their respective owners and published here with permission. These may not be reproduced without prior written consent.
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The newly renovated historic Pines Downtown in Sevierville (230 Court Avenue), where Dolly had her first paying gig and often performed with The Cas Walker Show as a child, will celebrate her 79th birthday this month with a huge party from 4 p.m. until midnight on Saturday, Jan. 18, the day before her big day. "Roots to Rhinestones: A Dolly Birthday Bash!" will feature a one-day exhibit from The Dolly Collection, Patric Parkey and Harrel Gabehart's pieces that comprise the largest privately-held collection of Dolly memorabilia. Wigs, costumes, and more will be on display. Specialty cocktails and mocktails inspired by her songs and life will be offered and her hits will play all night long. Special cupcakes will be available first come, first served. Guests are encouraged to don their most sparkly Dolly-inspired attire for "a night of glitter, glamour, and everything Dolly!" Learn more on their website 