Dolly last week was unveiled as the narrator for a short film the State of Tennessee released about the state's history for the nation's 250th birthday. Watch it here or in the media player above.
'Opry Goes Dolly' Names Cast
The Grand Ole Opry last week announced the acts performing for their fourth annual "Opry Goes Dolly" birthday celebration in her honor and it will be headlined by Lainey Wilson, Vince Gill and Rhonda Vincent. Dolly recorded a video for the show to promote it but noted she wouldn't be there in person, leading to lots of media speculation that it is due to her recent health issues, but in truth she didn't attend the first, second, or third annual events so there is no reason for her to join them for the fourth one. However, she did agree to their release of a selection of branded merch for the evening under the emblem "80 Years of Song." Check out her video for the show that is this coming Saturday night (in advance of her 80th birthday on Monday) here and in the media player above.
Download 'Sing For The Common Man' Collab
As promised, Dolly's niece Jada Star released her cover of "Sing for the Common Man" featuring Dolly harmony vocals on Friday. Download it from Amazon here or stream it on YouTube here or in the media player above. The song, which was originally the B-side to "9 To 5," was written by Jada's parents, Freida Parton and Mark Andersen.
U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates Former No. 1 "Butterfly" by the Zac Brown Band and Dolly falls back off the Billboard Country Digital Sales Chart last week on the Jan. 10 charts after returning for a second week and claiming No. 6 on the tally. Also, her 1984 holiday collection with Kenny Rogers, Once Upon A Christmas, falls back off the Holiday Albums Chart, down from No. 50, and the Country Albums Chart, down from No. 42. Elsewhere on the U.S. charts, Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, is No. 10 U.S. pop albums, while Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 11 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 6 pop albums, Malone No. 3 Australian country albums and No. 32 pop, and Beyonce at No. 21 country.
Jan. 6: 'Sing For The Common Man' Collab Coming Friday A new collaboration will hit streamers on Friday with Dolly joining niece Jada Star on a new version of "Sing For The Common Man," The B-side to her million-seller "9 To 5" in 1980, the song was written by Star's parents, Freida Parton and Mark Andersen. It will feature Jada, Dolly, Jada's cousin Rebecca, Jada's musical partner Barry J. and a children's choir. Pre-save the track here.
'Butterfly,' 'Once Upon' Return To Charts Three months after spending one week at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Digital Sales Chart, "Butterfly" by the Zac Brown Band and Dolly re-enters for a second week, coming in at No. 6 on the tally's Jan. 3 edition released last week. That's not the only re-entry, as her 1984 holiday collection with Kenny Rogers, Once Upon A Christmas, re-enters both the Holiday Albums Chart at No. 50 and the Country Albums Chart at No. 42. Elsewhere on the U.S. charts, Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, is No. 30 U.S. pop albums, while Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 24 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 5 pop albums, Malone No. 3 Australian country albums and No. 34 pop, and Beyonce at No. 13 country.
Country Hall Of Fame To Talk Dolly's Fashion The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will be host a panel discussion of Dolly's 2023 book Behind The Seams: My Life In Rhinestones in celebration of her 80th birthday featuring her co-authors Holly George-Warren and Rebecca Seaver, director of museum and archive services for Dolly Parton Productions, as well as Dolly's longtime creative director Steve Summers. Supporting the current exhibit "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker," the panel is 3-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, and is free for Hall of Fame membership holders with tickets available for non-members. Read more from WSMV here.
Sister Opens Up About Prayer Controversy Dolly's sister Freida was interviewed about her new album recently but the published story chose to focus on the uproar she caused when she asked for prayers for Dolly during her recent illness. She explained she asked for prayers for her sister because that's what their mother encouraged them to do when she was alive. Read more here.
Ohio Promotes Imagination Library Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine plans to focus on supporting his existing successes for his final year in office, he told Cleveland.comhere, including his support for the state's affiliate of Dolly's Imagination Library early childhood literacy program. Ohio surpassed Tennessee a couple of years ago as the state with the largest number of enrolled children participating. The international program surpassed 300 million books delivered worldwide in December.
