Fifty-two years ago Monday, Jolene debuts on the album charts; it spawns the country No. 1 hits “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene” (which also reaches No. 7 U.K. pop and No. 60 U.S. pop), as the album peaks at No. 6 country. Forty-one years ago Monday Real Love debuts on the country album charts, her final RCA studio album, it produces two No. 1 singles and one No. 3 single as the album itself reaches No. 9. Fifty-four years ago Wednesday, the erotic “Touch Your Woman” debuts on the country singles charts; it would reach No. 6. Forty-nine years ago Wednesday, New Harvest, First Gathering, Dolly's first post-Porter solo album, debuts on the album charts; two months later it would become her first full album to hit No. 1 on the country charts, peak at No. 77 pop, a year later win Dolly her first American Music Award (Best Country Album) and earn a Grammy nomination for the song “Higher and Higher.” Nineteen years ago Thursday, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 debuts in the top 10 of the British pop albums chart and No. 1 country, her first top 10 entry on the pop side there; the disc peaks at No. 8 pop and becomes her first U.K. platinum album. Fifty-five years ago Friday, Dolly's first full gospel album, Golden Streets of Glory, debuts on the country album charts; it would peak at No. 22, and the title song would give Dolly her sole Grammy nomination for Best Sacred Performance. Thirty-three years ago Friday, Slow Dancing With The Moon debuts on the album charts; it would peak at No. 4 country, No. 16 pop, and sell more than 1 million copies to become her sixth platinum album. Fifty-six years ago Saturday, Fairest of Them All debuts on the country album charts; it reaches No. 13. Forty-five years ago Saturday, 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs marks its fifth of 10 weeks at No. 1 on the country album charts (Dolly's fourth and longest stay atop the chart); it also reaches No. 11 pop and gold status for more than 500,000 copies sold (Dolly's fifth). Fifty-one years ago Sunday, The Bargain Store debuts on the country album charts; it would reach No. 9. Eighteen years ago Sunday, Dolly's Backwoods Barbie debuts on the pop albums chart at No. 17; it also shoots up to No. 2 country after having debuted in the lower parts of the chart the week before due to stores selling a few copies before they were supposed to come out.
Upcoming television appearances
(All times Eastern unless noted)
March 10, 3 p.m., FX Movies, 9 To 5 (re-runs 12:40 a.m. March 11)
March 18, 11:45 p.m., TCM, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas
March 19, 6 p.m., Showtime Family, Steel Magnolias
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
Kentucky Senator Tries To Kill Imagination Library A Republican state senator in Kentucky learned last week not to mess with Dolly or her signature early childhood literacy program. Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, a Democrat, had sponsored a joint resolution in the legislature to encourage the state to find ways of increasing participation in Dolly's Imagination Library statewide in the Bluegrass State. Then Sen. Michael Nemes, Republican, filed an amendment seeking to end the public funding from the state's general fund that subsidizes the program by paying half of each community's local share for book printing and postage (the public-private funding structure that has allowed almost half of U.S. states to take the program statewide). News coverage set off a flood of condemnations from voters of the senator's attempt to take books out of the hands of children, and within days of his amendment becoming reported, he voluntarily removed it from the resolution, which then passed unanimously with all Republicans and Democrats in the Senate supporting it. Read more from MSN here.
Allegiant Adds Second Dolly Flight After the first Dollywood Flight 925 from Orlando to Knoxville sold out, Allegiant airlines and the park last week announced the addition of a second Dolly-themed Flight 2925 on Nov. 6, WATE reported here.
SongTeller Sign Lit Up Dolly's SongTeller Hotel in Nashville last week lit its rooftop sign. Watch the lighting on their Facebook page here.
Stateside, Carpenter is No. 23 U.S. pop albums, while Malone is No. 12 country and No. 97 pop.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 12 pop albums, Malone No. 5 Australian country albums, and Beyonce at No. 27 country.
See You At Dollywood! Dollywood has a dress rehearsal for season passholders Thursday and then open for the season with Dolly on Friday, and your webmaster expects to be there. Look for coverage here next week plus follow Duane Gordon on Facebook to see updates from the park!
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
March 3: Dolly Children's Hospital Announced
East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville last week revealed it was being renamed the Dolly Parton Children's Hospital, or "Dolly Children's" for short. The nearly 90-year-old institution unveiled the new name, logo, and website (DollyChildrens.org) with a video on Today. Although the amount of Dolly's contribution was not revealed in the announcement, the hospital noted her partnership will ensure "every child who walks through our doors receives the treatment they deserve." In a press release, Dolly said: "Being fortunate to have grown up in the mountains of East Tennessee, I learned early on what it means to take care of one another Every child deserves world-class care, wrapped in kindness and love. I'm so honored to stand alongside this hospital and do my part to help bring more hope, more comfort and more healing to children and families." Check out the announcement video here or in the media player above and the Today story and segment here. The announcement also prompted Fortune magazine to examine her philanthropy with a piece here.
Dolly To Appear At Dollywood March 13
Dollywood is preparing for a visit by Dreamer In Chief Dolly herself on Friday, March 13, to launch the park's 41st season during a media event on the park's public opening day. She is expected to take her usual open-car park tour that afternoon weather-permitting, but whether seats at the media event will be available for fans has yet to be revealed (in past years, availability of tickets for season passholders has typically been announced about a week in advance). While they announced the previously-shelved passholder preview day was returning after all (in an abbreviated fashion for the afternoon-only on March 12 with limited ride, shop, show, and restaurant operation and requiring advanced reservations which will be limited as well, so they're calling it a "dress rehearsal" for opening day), it has not been revealed whether Dolly will make any appearances that day or on Saturday. Also announced was that the park's two coal-fired locomotive engines had been converted back to the original oil-burning engines that they had when the park first acquired them, eliminating the coal embers that would get on riders' clothing, occasionally in their eyes (requiring the First Aid station to remove the embers), and sometimes lighting small wildfires along the route. The "I Will Always Love You" Festival March 13-April 12 will debut the MotoMotion Freestyle Show and a 3D visual concert called Artrageous in addition to the returning "From The Heart: The Life & Music of Dolly Parton" theatrical performances. Check out your Dollymania video recap from Dolly's season opening appearance last year here or in the media player above, The upcoming event marks her first return to the park and first in-person public appearance since she cancelled a string of planned appearances last fall and winter – including announcing the park's new indoor coaster that is currently under construction – to deal with kidney stones and a resulting infection.
Pre-Order 'Son Of Jolene' For April 17
The release date for Belle's collaboration with Dolly on "Son Of Jolene" has been announced as April 17, and the artist has been teasing the track with a little snippet of her vocals with Dolly in social media videos such as the one available here or in the media player above. Check out a story about the duet from Paradehere and pre-order the track from Amazon here.
Dolly Honors Ozzy At Brit Awardsa
Dolly appeared remotely over the weekend at the Brits, the British music awards, to present the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously to Ozzy Osborne. His wife, Sharon, and daughter, Kelly, accepted the award. Watch part of Dolly's tribute here or in the media player above.
Dollar General Unveils Spring Home Collection Dolly's new spring homegoods collection has debuted at Dollar General, the retailer announced last week. Check out some of the items on their website here.
Stateside, Carpenter is No. 20 U.S. pop albums, while Malone is No. 14 country and No. 102 pop.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 14 pop albums, Malone No. 7 Australian country albums, and Beyonce at No. 24 country.
Feb. 24: Fly 925 With Dollywood And Allegiant Dollywood and Allegiant airlines have partnered for a special Nov. 6 flight from Orlando to Knoxville numbered Flight 925 with a Dolly theme. The flight will feature Dolly gate celebrations, live Dolly-themed entertainment, an in-flight trivia contest, exclusive merchandise, and themed food and drinks. Also available is a special Dollywood Resorts lodging package to stay on park and receive Dollywood tickets with special exclusive ride times, reserved show seating, treats, and more. Read more from WATE here.
Belmont Creates 'Billy The Kid' Stage Play Belmont University students have created a live theatrical adaptation of Dolly's children's book Billy The Kid Makes It Big as part of its Dolly U curriculum and will tour it this spring to local Nashville-area elementary schools, Music Row reports here.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 remains at No. 1 on the British country compilation albums chart, while Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection stays at No. 3, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe falls out of the top 20, down from No. 15, Emmylou Harris' first installment in Original Album Series inches down one to No. 15 while its second installment rises two to No. 14, and Ultimate Dolly Parton re-enters the top 20 at No. 20. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 10 U.K. pop. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 9 Americana albums and falls out of the top 20 British country albums, down from No. 17. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 9 British country albums.
Stateside, Carpenter is No. 21 U.S. pop albums, while Malone is No. 11 country and No. 100 pop.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 13 pop albums, Malone No. 5 Australian country albums, and Beyonce at No. 25 country.
Feb. 17: 'Broken Angels' Music Video Drops
"Broken Angels" with The Grascals, originally released a little over four months ago, last week got its official music video featuring Dolly in studio with the band. (Presumably, she couldn't tape the video last year when she was experiencing her health issues, but she hasn't cancelled any planned appearances since November and her producer said she was recently in his studio and appeared to be in good health.) Watch the video on YouTube here or in the media player above, and download it from Amazon here.
Dolly Joining 'Son Of Jolene' Artist Belles earlier this month released her original song that's a sequel to Dolly's "Jolene" about the titular character's cheating offspring, "Son Of Jolene." She sent the song to Dolly, who liked it so much she is recording vocals to add to the track. Read more from Upworthyhere.
U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates Dolly's new recording of "Light Of A Clear Blue Morning" to raise funds for pediatric cancer research at Vanderbilt with vocals from Queen Latifah, Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, and Miley Cyrus has fallen off the charts, down from No. 6 Country Digital Song Sales and No. 22 Digital Song Sales in its second chart week, the Feb. 14 charts released last week showed.
Across the pond, her 1977 original version of the song falls off the top 100 British download singles, down from No. 93 in its third week, and British singles sales chart, down from No. 100 in its second week.
Elsewhere on the U.K. charts, on the British country compilation albums chart, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 remains at No. 1, Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection slips one to No. 3, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet, falls out of the top 20, down from No. 20, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe falls four to No. 15, Emmylou Harris' first installment in Original Album Series inches up one to No. 14 while its second installment re-enters the top 20 at No. 16, Live From London falls four to No. 18, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables re-enters the top 20 at No. 20, and Ultimate Dolly Parton and Essential Dolly Parton both fall out of the top 20, down from No. 9 and No. 13, respectively. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 13 U.K. pop. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 17 British country albums and No. 11 Americana albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 3 British country albums.
Stateside, Carpenter is No. 20 U.S. pop albums, while Malone's F 1 Trillion is No. 11 country and No. 89 pop.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 11 pop albums, Malone No. 5 Australian country albums and No. 48 pop, and Beyonce at No. 23 country.
Feb. 10: Nashville Symphony Proclaims Dolly Summer The Nashville Symphony Orchestra last week announced this will be the Summer of Dolly in Music City with a seven-week engagement of her Threads: My Songs In Symphony will run at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center June 16 through July 31. Tickets are available here. The engagement coincides with this summer's opening of her new SongTeller Hotel in downtown Nashville which includes her new Life of Many Colors Museum and the continuing exhibit "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker" at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Dolly Joining Musicans Hall Of Fame It was announced last week that multi-instrumentalist Dolly is among the inductees in this year's Musicians Hall of Fame. No official word on whether she will attend the concert and induction ceremony at Belmont University's Fisher Center in Nashville at 7:30 p.m. April 28, but in case she does, tickets go on sale to the public for $65-$225 at 11 a.m. Tuesday here. Other inductees this year are Dann Huff, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, John Boylan, Keith Urban, Leland Sklar, Michael McDonald and Nicky Hopkins (posthumously). Presenters and performers are to be announced.
'Light' Gets Second Week On Sales Charts Dolly's new recording of "Light Of A Clear Blue Morning" to raise funds for pediatric cancer research at Vanderbilt with vocals from Queen Latifah, Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, and Miley Cyrus earned a second week on the Feb. 7 Billboard charts released last week. The track slips five from the top of the Country Digital Songs Sales chart to No. 6 and from the second position on the overall Digital Song Sales chart to No. 22. It falls off the Country Airplay chart after one week at No. 41. It still didn't get enough streams to appear on any streaming charts or the overall Hot Country Songs or all-genre Hot 100 charts, both of which rely heavily on streaming credits to chart. Across the pond, her 1977 original version of the song gains five spots to No. 93 British download singles chart in its third week and re-enters the British singles sales chart at No. 100.
Elsewhere on the U.K. charts, "Islands In The Stream" with Kenny Rogers falls back off the top 100 downloads, down from No. 99. Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 falls back off the top download albums chart, down from No. 24, while her Rockstar: Deluxe falls back off the same tally, down from No. 78. On the British country compilation albums chart, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 remains at No. 1, Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection stays at No. 2, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet, slidfes four to No. 20, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe inches up one to No. 11, Emmylou Harris' first installment in Original Album Series drops five to No. 15, and Ultimate Dolly Parton dips one to No. 9, Essential Dolly Parton loses two to No. 13, and Live From London rises four to No. 14. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 17 U.K. pop. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 17 British country albums and No. 11 Americana albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 7 British country albums.
Stateside, Carpenter is No. 23 U.S. pop albums, while Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 14 country and No. 109 pop.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 8 pop albums, Malone No. 4 Australian country albums and No. 42 pop, and Beyonce at No. 24 country.
'Trio' Coming Out On Special Acoustic Releases High-end audiophile boutique Acoustic Sounds is celebrating its 40th anniversary with limited edition releases of 40 albums on Hybrid Stereo SACD and LPs and they have announced the inclusion of 1987's Trio by Dolly, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris. The album is remastered to DSD from the original master tapes and will be released both on a Hybrid Stereo SACD and a 180-gram double LP at higher-fidelity 45 rpm speed instead of standard 33. The release date has yet to be announced, but the title is up for pre-order on their website for the vinyl here and CD here.
Imagination Library Study Finds Major Impacts Dolly's Imagination Library early childhood literacy program has significant positive impacts on participating children, according to the largest-ever study of the program worldwide. More than 86,000 caregivers in the program in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and Ireland were surveyed by United Way Australia and compared to responses from almost 38,000 caregivers in those countries whose children were not enrolled in the program. The study found that across all countries evaluated, Dolly's Library produces stronger early literacy outcomes and richer reading experiences at home—helping close early literacy gaps by strengthening foundational skills, increasing the frequency of children being read to, and boosting children's interest and engagement during shared book reading. It also shows the program builds positive family reading habits and traditions, with caregivers more likely to interact in meaningful ways (like talking about pictures and encouraging children to hold the book), reinforcing a warm, consistent home literacy environment that supports children's learning and long-term success.
Feb. 3: 'Light' Collaboration Debuts At No. 1 Digital Country Singles Dolly's new recording of "Light Of A Clear Blue Morning" to raise funds for pediatric cancer research at Vanderbilt with vocals from Queen Latifah, Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, and Miley Cyrus debuted last week on the Jan. 31 Billboard charts with 8,000 downloads sold in its first week and 2.5 million audience impressions from radio airplay. The track debuts at No. 1 Country Digital Song Sales (Dolly's third No. 1 on that tally which began in 2010), No. 2 all-genre Digital Song Sales, and No. 41 Country Airplay (her 28th entry on the airplay list since it was introduced in 1990). It gives her a 55-year span of No. 1 songs between "Joshua" on Hot Country Songs in 1971 and this track on Country Digital Song Sales. Read more from the magazine here. The song didn't garner enough streams in its first week to allow it to debut on the overall Hot Country Songs chart or Hot 100 all-genre songs chart because both are dependent mostly on streams rather than downloads or airplay. Across the pond, her 1977 original version of the song tumbles from No. 10 on British single sales chart and British download singles chart, falling off the sales chart and dropping to No. 98 downloads.
Elsewhere on the U.K. charts, "Islands In The Stream" with Kenny Rogers re-enters the top 100 downloads at No. 99. Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 rises 45 places on the top download albums chart to No. 24, while her Rockstar: Deluxe re-enters at No. 78. On the British country compilation albums chart, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 remains at No. 1, Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection rises five to No. 2, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet, gains one to No. 16, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe inches up one to No. 12, and Emmylou Harris' first installment in Original Album Series increases one to No. 10 while her second installment falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 15, as both feature several Dolly appearances, and Ultimate Dolly Parton, Essential Dolly Parton and Live From London re-enter the top 20 at No. 8, No. 11, and No. 18, respectively thanks to attention to her 80th birthday. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 19 U.K. pop. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 13 British country albums and No. 10 Americana albums.
Stateside, Carpenter is No. 20 U.S. pop albums, while Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 13 country and No. 102 pop.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 9 pop albums, Malone No. 4 Australian country albums and No. 42 pop, and Beyonce at No. 28 country.
Producer: Dolly Appears Over Her Health Problems Longtime Dolly co-producer and band leader Kent Wells told Parade last week that she is doing "great" and appears to be back in good health following a health scare that caused the cancellation of several fall appearances. He explained she was in his studio the previous week recording, adding "And she seems great. She's singing great, she looks fantastic and seems perfectly fine." Read more here.
New Museum Lead Staff Hired Dolly's upcoming Life of Many Colors Museum inside her Songteller Hotel in Nashville last week named its new lead staff. Dolly Parton Archives Director Rebecca Seaver, Dolly's niece, will serve as Executive Director, Jen Molyneux will be Events and Group Sales Manager, and Shannon Carpenter Marketing Operations Coordinator. Read more from Country Insiderhere.
Dolly U Continues At Belmont The next five courses in Belmont University's "Dolly U" course of study have launched for the spring semester. Learn more from Music Rowhere.
'Morning' Makes U.K. Chart With the attention brought by release of the new multi-artist version of Doly's "Light Of A Clear Blue Morning," the original 1977 track debuts this week at No. 10 on both the British single sales chart and British download singles chart. However, the song didn't have enough streams to push it into the top 100 pop chart across the pond. Elsewhere on the U.K. charts,
Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 re-enters the top download albums chart at No. 69 while holding its No. 1 spot on the British country compilation albums list as her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection rises three to No. 7, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet, re-enters the top 20 at No. 17, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe climbs five to No. 13, and Emmylou Harris' first installment in Original Album Series re-enters the top 20 at No. 11 while the second installment holds steady at No. 15, as both feature several Dolly appearances. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 20 U.K. pop. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, falls out of the top 20 country albums, down from No. 20. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 13 British country albums and No. 11 Americana albums.
On the Jan. 24 U.S. charts, Carpenter is No. 16 U.S. pop albums, while Malone is No. 11 country and No. 98 pop.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 8 pop albums, Malone No. 4 Australian country albums and No. 35 pop, and Beyonce at No. 25 country.
Jan. 20: Happy, Happy 80th Birthday, Dolly!
On Monday, the lady herself turned 80 years old, and the world celebrated its most beloved celebrity. USA Today collected well wishes from fellow country artists here including Keith Urban playing a recording of him singing "Applejack" at age 10 and sounding almost exactly like Dolly. The Tennessean shared a longer version of the video on YouTube here or in the media player above. As was previously announced, and has been her habit in past years, she for the fourth time did not attend the Grand Ole Opry birthday tribute to her Saturday night, but she did accept a Coat of Many Colors cake from an Arkansas baker here and a bagpipe serenade sent from Bono and U2 here. The Governor of Tennessee declared Monday Dolly Parton Day in honor of her milestone birthday, and People shared an exclusive interview about the occasion here. Cracker Barrel restaurants used the opportunity to announce its new Dolly section of its stores featuring her home goods. And multiple career retrospectives aired including from WBIR here, NBC's Todayhere and Extrahere.
New 'Light Of A Clear Blue Morning' Released
Dolly on Friday released a new recording of her 1977 song of liberation from her decade under Porter Wagoner's thumb, "Light Of A Clear Blue Morning," as a celebration of her 80th birthday and as a fundraiser for pediatric cancer research at the Monroe Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Joining her on the song to inspire Americans to hope for a better tomorrow were Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, Reba, Christ Church Choir, and David Foster on piano (who also played the recognizable piano parts on her 1970s singles "Here You Come Again" and "Heartbreaker" in addition to producing her Christmas album with Kenny Rogers). Watch the video of them recording in studios here or in the media player above, and download the track from Amazon here.
Opry's Dolly Mic Stand Up For Auction The Grand Ole Opry is auctioning off a custom-designed 100th anniversary microphone stand honoring Dolly and used on the program. Check it out from Juliens Auctions here.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 holds its No. 1 spot on the British country compilation albums list, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection slides three to No. 10, as Dolly's Live from London and Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet, both fall back out of the top 20, down from No. 15 and No. 16, respectively, while the second Emmylou Harris installment in Original Album Series, featuring several Dolly appearances, and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe both re-enter the top 20 at No. 15 and No. 18, respectively. , Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 13 U.K. pop. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is at No. 20 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 13 British country albums and No. 10 Americana albums.
On the Jan. 17 U.S. charts, Carpenter is No. 14 U.S. pop albums, while Malone is No. 10 country and No. 86 pop.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 8 pop albums, Malone No. 4 Australian country albums and No. 33 pop, and Beyonce at No. 24 country.
Jan. 13: Dolly Narrates Tennessee Short Film
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.
The Alamo Drafthouse Theaters will celebrate Dolly's 80th birthday with a three-night weekend of Dolly cinema. Jan. 16 will see screenings of 9 To 5. Jan. 17 will see screenings of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas and a party showing of Steel Magnolias, as well as a screening of Steel Magnolias Jan. 18. To celebrate, she taped an audience message for the chain to discourage texting and talking during the show, which you may watch here on YouTube or in the media player above.
'Holly Dolly Christmas' Goes Silver In U.K. Just a few weeks after receiving gold status in the U.S. on its fifth anniversary, A Holly Dolly Christmas was certified silver in the U.K. on Dec. 12 for more than 60,000 units sold.
'Threads' Names 2026 Tour Cities Dolly's Threads: My Songs In Symphony has announced its 2026 tour dates. The reinvention of Dolly's catalog for symphony orchestra with guest vocalists will visit the following cities:
January 3-4, 2026: Colorado Symphony – Denver, CO
January 17-18, 2026: St. Louis Symphony - St. Louis, MO
January 23-25, 2026: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra – Cincinnati, OH
January 31, 2026: Louisville Orchestra – Louisville, KY
February 14-15, 2026: Oregon Symphony – Portland, OR
March 19-21, 2026: Nashville Symphony – Nashville, TN
March 20-21, 2026: Grand Rapids Symphony – Grand Rapids, MI
March 28, 2026: Phoenix Symphony – Phoenix, AZ
April 7-11, 2026: Naples Philharmonic – Naples, FL
May 1, 2026: Eugene Symphony – Eugene, OR
May 15-17, 2026: Kansas City Symphony – Kansas City, MO
August 1, 2026: Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra - Chautauqua, NY
Dolly And Zac Brown In 'Interview' Dolly and Zac Brown interviewed each other for Interview magazine here. The pair duetted on the track "Butterfly" for Brown's new album, Love & Fear .
Dolly And Sabrina Makes Google List Dolly and Sabrina Carpenter's duet "Please, Please, Please" landed them among Google's Top Global Breakout Searches, the search engine revealed last week. Read more here!
Kimberly Schlapman Honors Dollywood Dolly helped out with a surprise for three sisters who have worked at Dollywood for 40 years each for Kimberly Schlapman's project here.
Dollywood Earns Regional Emmy Nomination Dollywood has been nominated for a Midsouth Regional Emmy Award for Best Documentary – Historical for its 40th anniversary documentary The Dollywood Dream. Named nominees are Scott Durand and Pete Owens, Executive Producers; and Devin Olson, Director/Producer. Winners will be announced in February.
Dolly Participating In Wynette Tribute Georgette Jones announced last week a tribute to her mother Tammy Wynette will be held at the Ryman Auditorium March 30 and taped for PBS Great Performances. She said Dolly will give an introduction and performances include Wynona, War & Treaty, Ann Wilson, Lucina Williams, Gretchen Wilson, Mandy Barnett, Macy Gray and more.
U.S., U.K., and Aussie Chart Updates After just one week this year on the 50-position Billboard Holiday Albums Chart, A Holly Dolly Christmas drops back off, down from No. 50 in its 53rd week since release. Elsewhere on the U.S. charts, Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, is No. 21 U.S. pop albums, while Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 18 country and No. 143 pop.
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 slips one this week on the British country compilation album chart to No. 3, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection holds steady at No. 5, Dolly's Live from London holds steady at No. 15, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 slips five to No. 16 and Linda Ronstadt's entry in the series falls three to No. 20 (both contain several Dolly appearances). Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition finds itself at No. 12 U.K. pop. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion sees its new expanded "Long Bed" version land at No. 15 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 12 British country albums and No. 14 Americana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 8 pop albums, Malone No. 3 Australian country albums and No. 47 pop, and Beyonce at No. 17 country.
Dec. 9: New 'Billy The Kid' Book, Song Drop
Dolly's next children's book, Dolly Parton's Billy the Kid Dances His Heart Out, hit shelves last week and with it Dolly released a new single, "Bella," from her goddog Billy the Kid's perspective about a girl dog he has fallen for in the book. Listen on YouTube here or in the media player above. The song is available for streaming from Amazon Unlimited Music here but isn't available for purchase from Amazon. (It is available for purchase from iTunes.)
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Dolly Makes Licensing Hall Of Fame Dolly was announced last week as a member of the newest class of inductees into the Licensing Hall of Fame and celebrated with an interview about her licensing products with industry publication License Globalhere.
More Holiday Dolly On The Tube Streaming channel Circle Country has announced "A Very Dolly Christmas." On Christmas Day, the channel will alternate its programming all day between Dolly's 1996 holiday filmUnlikely Angel and a movie that reunited Dukes Of Hazard stars John Schneider and Tom Wopat, Christmas Comes to Willow Creek. Also, Canadian channel One TV has announced it will air Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors on Dec. 21.
U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates A Holly Dolly Christmas re-enters the 50-position U.S. Holiday Albums Chart at No. 50 in the Dec. 6 numbers released last week, notching a 53rd week on the tally. Elsewhere on the charts, . Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, is No. 20 U.S. pop albums, while Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 14 country and No. 102 pop.
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 remains steady this week on the British country compilation album chart at No. 3, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection rises two to No. 5, Dolly's Live from London slips two to No. 10, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 17, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 gains five to No. 15 and Linda Ronstadt's entry in the series falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 16 (both contain several Dolly appearances), and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe re-enters the top 20 at No. 16. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition finds itself at No. 11 U.K. pop. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion sees its new expanded "Long Bed" version land at No. 2 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 12 British country albums and No. 11 Americana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 7 pop albums, Malone No. 3 Australian country albums and No. 45 pop, and Beyonce at No. 18 country.
Dec. 2: Dolly Makes Theme Park Hall Of Fame
Dolly was officially inducted last month into the theme park industry's IAAPA Hall of Fame at their ceremony in Orlando. She accepted the honor via video, noting her doctors' orders to "take it easy for a while." Watch her acceptance speech here or in the media player above. Also last week, Dolly released a video message to social media wishing fans a Happy Thanksgiving.
'Star Of The Show' Makes Best Seller List Star Of The Show: My Life On Stage has given Dolly yet another New York Times Best Seller. The tome debuted last week in Hardcover Fiction, coming in at No. 9, and made the 15-book list for Combined Print and eBook Nonfiction, coming in at No. 11. However, by this week's tally it had fallen out of the top 15 on both lists.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 remains steady this week on the British country compilation album chart at No. 3, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection also holds on at No. 7, Dolly's Live from London rises four to No. 8, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet slips three to No. 17, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 holds steady at No. 20 and Linda Ronstadt's entry in the series gains two to No. 16, both of which contain several Dolly appearances. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 18 U.K. pop. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 17 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 16 British country albums and No. 12 Americana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 8 pop albums, Malone No. 3 Australian country albums and No. 47 pop, and Beyonce at No. 25 country.,
Stateside, Carpenter comes in at No. 14 pop albums and Malone No. 100 pop albums and No. 12 country albums.
For the archive of monthly news stories, click here.
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