July 22: Broadway Music Opens Nashville Tryout Dolly opened her new Broadway-bound bio-musical Friday night in Nashville at Belmont University to a sell-out crowd. She welcomed them to the premiere reminding them not to sing along because "this ain't no hootenanny!" She also made appearances at Saturday and Sunday night's performances as well. Check out coverage from Whiskey Riffhere and The New York Timeshere. Photo is courtesy Joshua Skidmore from Saturday night and is used with permission. Thanks!
Dolly's 'Little Golden Book' Gets Audiobook Companion An official audiobook of My Little Golden Book About Dolly Parton, which was fact-checked by Dollymania.net, will hit stores Tuesday as read by Amythyst Kiah. See what the narrator had to say about the project here and listen to the book from Audible here.
'Whorehouse' BluRay Details Released A few more details have emerged from Blu-Ray.com about a new special edition BluRay release of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas coming from Kino Lorber Sept. 23. It will feature a new 2K restoration from a 35MM interpositive plus new audio commentaries from Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Perri Cummings as well as Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry. Also included will be previously-released features a making-of featurette, outtakes, and the theatrical trailer. (Still no deleted scenes, no premiere TV special, and no commentaries from Dolly.)
Former Publicist In Memory Care Kim Fowler, who was Dolly's publicist at Sugar Hill Records when she was associated with the label from 1999 through 2006 and also responsible for early promotions when the band Nickel Creek hit it big on the label, has been diagnosed with dementia and is raising funds to support her memory care. During her tenure at the label, Fowler helped Dollymania become Dolly's "official unofficial" website at the time, directing other press to use it for their background information on Dolly rather than the label's own materials. She also allowed the site to announce a couple of Dolly's albums and a couple of her tours at the time in advance of other media. Read more about Fowler's life and career here and consider donating to her campaign here.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, after just one week in the top 100, "Tyrant" from Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album featuring a credited spoken word intro from Dolly falls off the U.K. pop single tally, down from No. 83. Elsewhere on the charts, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 falls back down from the top of the British country compilation album, losing one to No. 2, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains four to No. 6, and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe slips three to No. 8, while Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables and Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series both fall out of the top 20, down from No. 17 and No. 20, respectively. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, dips eight to No. 11 U.K. pop, 24 to No. 25 Scottish albums, 27 to No. 29 album sales, 25 to No. 27 physical album sales, 34 to No. 91 downloads, and three to No. 7 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, regains one to No. 8 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, inches up one to No. 7 British country albums and two to No. 2 Ameriana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter dips three to No. 6 pop albums, Malone loses one to No. 7 Australian country albums, Beyonce loses three to No. 35 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection advances one to No. 24 country.
Stateside, the July 19 numbers show Carpenter gains four to No. 5 pop albums, 16 to No. 3 sales, and one to No. 8 Canadian albums, holding steady at No. 8 streaming. Malone rises four to No. 24 pop albums, loses two to No. 18 Canadian albums, gains three to No. 20 streaming albums, and falls one to No. 6 country albums. Beyonce advances 35 to No. 54 pop albums, seven to No. 13 country albums, and three to No. 6 Americana albums.
July 15: Kardashian Interview Leads To Many False Stories
Dolly was interviewed last week for Kloe Kardashian's podcast and spoke about a wide variety of subjects including their collaboration on her jeans collection. One comment, however, was taken out of context and generated dozens of false stories that she had put her entire music career on hold, or in some versions just her songwriting on hold, due to her husband's passing. In reality, she mentioned Carl Dean's passing and explained she had several ideas of possible songs about him or inspired by the experience of losing him but that she has so many other important projects to work on at present she can't allow herself to experience the strong emotions that would come with writing those specific songs about Carl but is continuing to work on her other projects and writing songs on other subjects that come to her. "I can't do it right now 'cause I've got so many other things that I can't afford the luxury, you know, of getting that emotional right now," she explained about the songs focusing on Carl. "I'll write something else, though, if it comes." Watch the full interview here or in the media player above.
Dolly Joins Zac Brown Band On New CD The Zac Brown Band on Monday announced their next album, Love & Fear, hitting stores Dec. 6, will feature a new collaboration with Dolly titled "Butterfly." Others included on the album will be Snoop Dogg and Marcus King.
Sixx Speaks Of How Dolly Collab Came To Be "Home Sweet Home," Dolly's collaboration with rockers Motley Crue, debuted last week at No. 1 on the MediaBase Classic Rock Chart based on airplay at classic rock stations. And band member Nikki Sixx spoke with Forbeshere about how the duet came to be.
Capaldi Meets Dolly Dolly may have another collaboration coming soon. British singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi on Monday posted an image with Dolly to his Instagram here without explanation.
Kelly Does Dolly In Vegas Dolly had suggested Kelly Clarkson cover "I Will Always Love You" in her Vegas residency, and she obliged, Country Now reports here.
Haskell Murder Case Ends In Suicide The sad tale of Sam Haskell IV ended over the weekend with more tragedy as the son of Dolly's longtime production partner took his own life in a Los Angeles jail Saturday while awaiting trial for allegedly killing and dismembering his wife and murdering his in-laws while his children were at school. Dolly has been very close to his parents, Sam Haskell III and former Miss Mississippi Mary Haskell, for decades, considering them family. The grandparents are now raising their three grandsons, whom Dolly introduced to the crowds at Dollywood last year as her "California nephews." Sam III was Dolly's longtime television agent at the William Morris Agency before he left to manage the Miss America Pageant. The two have co-produced many projects together over the years, often starring Dolly with Mary Haskell and/or daughter Mary Lane Haskell in supporting roles, and share one Emmy Award win and several nominations together. More details are available from The New York Timeshere.
Beyonce Collaboration Hits U.K. Chart Across the pond, Dolly's spoken into to the track "Tyrant" off Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album snags her another top 100 U.K. pop single credit, as the track enters the chart at No. 83 Friday. Elsewhere on the charts, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 regains the pole position on the British country compilation album, rising one to No. 1, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection inches up one to No. 10, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Volume 1, featuring Dolly appearances, falls off the top 20, down from No. 14, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables gains one to No. 17, Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series slips one to No. 20, and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe rises one to No. 5. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, holds steady at No. 3 U.K. pop, shooting up 27 spots to No. 1 Scottish albums, 23 to No. 2 album sales, and 18 to No. 2 physical album sales, re-entering the downloads chart at No. 57 and slipping two to No. 4 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, regains one to No. 9 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, inches up one to No. 8 British country albums and loses one to No. 4 Ameriana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter gains one to No. 3 pop albums, Malone stays steady at No. 6 Australian country albums, Beyonce rises two to No. 32 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection advances one to No. 25 country.
Stateside, "Home Sweet Home" with Motley Crue falls off Hot Hard Rock Songs and Hard Rock Digital Sales charts in the July 5 Billboard numbers released last Tuesday, down from No. 21 and No. 4, respectively. Carpenter holds dips three to No. 9 pop albums, 10 to No. 19 sales, two to No. 8 streaming, and three to No. 9 Canadian albums. Malone drops seven to No. 28 pop albums, two to No. 16 Canadian albums, and two to No. 23 streaming albums, holding steady at No. 5 country albums. Beyonce skyrockets 56 to No. 89 pop albums, eight to No. 20 country albums, and three to No. 9 Americana albums.
July 8: Enter To Be In Dolly's New Audiobook Dolly wants to feature you in the official audiobook of her final in the trilogy of coffee table books, Star Of The Show: My Life On Stage, being released Nov. 11. She announced on social media a call for fans to visit a website here by July 31 and submit an audio or vertical video clip no more than two minutes in length telling their favorite story about their fandom for Dolly such as a concert memory, what a song meant to them, meeting her, or how she influenced their life. The recordings will be interwoven into the audiobook.
Dolly Scores First Hard Rock Chart Single Dolly's new charity collaboration with Motley Crue on their classic "Home Sweet Home" last week snagged her the first career chart entry on the Hot Hard Rock Songs and her first top 10 on the Hard Rock Digital Sales chart. The tune debuts on the July 5 Billboard charts at No. 21 Hot Hard Rock Songs and No. 4 Hard Rock Digital Sales, surpassing 2023's "Bygones" with Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford which went to No. 19.
Dolly To Lead 'Stand Up To Cancer' Dolly last week was announced as the headlining appearance for the ninth annual Stand Up To Cancer special which will air live at 8 p.m. Eastern Aug. 15 across all major networks and most major streaming platforms from The Pinnacle in Nashville with host Sheryl Crow. Additional guests are expected to be announced prior to broadcast. Check out the announcement video on their website here.
Dollywood Radio Premieres On iHeart Radio Although Dolly announced in May that it was coming, the official Dollywood 40th anniversary channel on iHeart Radio debuted this week featuring songs from her career, songs she has selected from friends, and selections from the music played in the park itself. The channel is available on the service's website and app. "Dolly Parton is a living legend, and now her music, the music she loves, and the fun of her Dollywood theme park, all have a dedicated home on iHeart's Dollywood Radio, hosted by Dolly herself, said Jon Zellner, President of Programming Operations & Digital Music for iHeartMedia. "This new station captures the heart and soul of the Smoky Mountains, featuring a handpicked blend of country classics, bluegrass, folk, and songs by some of Dolly's dearest friends in music. We're honored to partner with Dollywood to bring this one-of-a-kind listening experience to life exclusively on the iHeartRadio app." Pete Owens, Dollywood's Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, echoed the sentiment of Zellner: "The partnership with iHeartMedia to develop Dollywood Radio is exciting for us because it means our loyal fans can enjoy the sounds and excitement of a day at Dollywood even if they aren't able to be here. We are celebrating our 40th anniversary season in 2025, and our fans have been sharing so many of their favorite memories of the park through the decades. We're thankful for the opportunity to work with iHeartMedia to celebrate this milestone for the next year. We know our guests are going to enjoy being able to take a little bit of Dollywood home with them!"
Interviewer Details Dolly Interactions Celebrity journalist Lawrence Grobel this week excerpted in Vanity Fair several entries from his diaries about interviewing famous people including his time following Dolly on tour in 1978 for her Playboy interview with him. Read the collection here.
Dolly Celebrates Ozzy's Retirement Dolly, Elton John, Billy Idol, and Jonathan Davis were among the celebrities sending videotaped well-wishes to Ozzy Osborne at his farewell concert in his hometown of Birmingham, England, over the weekend before 40,000 fans in his final appearance with his legendary band, Black Sabbath. She said: "Well, Ozzy Osbourne, it's Dolly Parton here. Now, I know you're at home, and what a wonderful place to be, right? Are we supposed to be saying 'Farewell to you?' Well, I don't think that's going to happen. How about we just say, 'Good luck, God bless you, and we will see you somewhere down the road?' Anyway, I love you. I always have, and we're going to miss you up on stage, but you know what? I wouldn't be surprised if you show up somewhere else, and I'll be there. Love you!"
U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 remains at No. 2 British country compilation album, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains four to No. 11, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Volume 1, featuring Dolly appearances, inches up two to No. 14, and Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables slips six to No. 18 while Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series re-enters the top 20 at No. 19 and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe re-enters the top 20 at No. 6. Elsewhere on the U.K. charts, Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, rises two to No. 3 U.K. pop, falling nine to No. 28 Scottish albums, seven to No. 25 album sales, and one to No. 20 physical album sales, remaining steady at No. 2 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, sinks two to No. 10 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, drops five to No. 9 British country albums and two to No. 3 Ameriana albums, falling off the top 100 streaming, down from No. 86, and pop, down from No. 93.
Down Under, Carpenter dips two to No. 4 pop albums, Malone stays steady at No. 6 Australian country albums, Beyonce stays at No. 34 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection climbs one to No. 26 country.
Stateside, Carpenter holds steady at No. 6 pop albums, gains three to No. 9 sales, and falls one to No. 6 streaming and Canadian albums. Malone rises five to No. 21 pop albums, one to No. 14 Canadian albums, and one to No. 21 streaming albums, holding steady at No. 5 country albums. Beyonce regains 22 to No. 145 pop albums, three to No. 28 country albums, and one to No. 12 Americana albums.
July 1: 'IWALY' Certified U.K. Gold Single Dolly's signature song has collected more metal overseas, as "I Will Always Love You" on June 13 was certified as a digital gold single in the United Kingdom, recognizing sales of 400,000 copies since it was released digitally in 2004. The single received its silver digital certification for 200,000 copies sold in 2020.
Vegas Residency Sells Out In Minutes Dolly last Wednesday quickly sold out all six shows in her December residency in Las Vegas. Ticketmaster announced the sell-out one hour and 15 minutes after tickets went on sale, and the venue confirmed it 15 minutes later on social media. She is just the fourth artist in the history of the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace to sell out an entire multi-date engagement run at the venue, the others being Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, and Adele. Local media including The Review Journalhere reported immediately after tickets were on sale, more than 700,000 individual customers were in the queue lines seeking one of the 26,000 tickets being sold, which makes sense as more than 100,000 fans were in line for each of the six dates, a number which quickly ballooned to over 150,000 in line for each individual concert.
Dolly Meets The Wiggles After covering two of her songs and remotely recording two collaborations with her on their recent country album, Wiggle Up, Giddy Up, Australian children's performers The Wiggles recently finally met Dolly in person and posted photos to social media here and a brief video here.
Symphony Tour Gets Rave Review Broadway World gave a rousing review for the Kennedy Center performance of Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs In Symphony. Read what they said here.
Washington Imagination Library Saved After public funding for 50 percent of the cost of Dolly's Imagination Library early childhood literacy program in Washington State was cut by the Democratic state legislature facing a major budget crisis, the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction announced that funds have been secured through that office to cover the program for the coming year. Read more from South Sound Magazinehere.
Blazing Fury Reopens Friday After its long closure for a restoration project, the Blazing Fury roller coaster at Dollywood will re-open to the public on Friday, the park has announced. Built for the park's predecessor in 1978, the ride was refreshed over the past several months and will reopen with a ride by the Pigeon Forge Fire Department on Friday.
U.K., Aussie, U.S. Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 remains at No. 2 British country compilation album, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection falls four to No. 15, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Volume 1, featuring Dolly appearances, re-enters the top 20 at No. 16, and Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables gains two to No. 12. Elsewhere on the U.K. charts, Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, dips two to No. 5 U.K. pop, up one to No. 19 Scottish albums, six to No. 18 album sales, and three to No. 19 physical album sales, falling back out of the top 100 downloads from No. 91, and losing the top spot at streaming albums, inching down one to No. 2. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, sinks two to No. 8 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, slips one to No. 4 British country albums, 60 spots to No. 86 streaming, and 53 to No. 93 pop, gaining one to No. 1 Americana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter moves up one to No. 2 pop albums, Malone stays steady at No. 6 Australian country albums, Beyonce gains two to No. 34 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection dips two to No. 27 country.
Stateside, the June 28 Billboard charts find Carpenter up one to No. 6 pop albums, two to No. 12 sales, steady at No. 5 streaming, and down two to No. 5 Canadian albums. Malone regains one to No. 26 pop albums and two to No. 15 Canadian albums, remaining steady at No. 22 streaming albums and No. 5 country albums. Beyonce falls 71 to No. 167 pop albums and two to No. 31 country albums, remaining steady at No. 13 Americana albums.
Dolly opened her new Broadway-bound bio-musical Friday night in Nashville at Belmont University to a sell-out crowd. She welcomed them to the premiere reminding them not to sing along because "this ain't no hootenanny!" She also made appearances at Saturday and Sunday night's performances as well. Check out coverage from Whiskey Riff