Dolly Parton Reveals The Challenges She Faced When Recording Her ‘ROCKSTAR’ Album
“I really tested my voice,” she confessed.
Photo Courtesy of Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is living up to her Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame induction with the release of her first-ever rock album, aptly titled, ROCKSTAR.
Out now, the project features a whopping 30 tracks, including 9 originals and 21 iconic rock covers. Adding to the excitement surrounding the project, Parton invited a slew of rock legends to sing with her on the album.
Inside The Album Release Event
In celebration of the star-studded release, Parton hosted a ROCKSTAR album release event in partnership with American Greetings on Thursday evening (Nov. 16) just outside of Nashville where she discussed the making of the project in a room full of friends, family, special guests, and members of the music community (including newly crowned CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson!).
Admits It Was A “Challenge”
After discussing her ROCKSTAR fashion and her upcoming halftime show performance during the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving day game, Parton shared insight into the making of the album and admitted that it was “kind of a challenge” for her.
“I didn’t really know if I could do it great,” the humble East Tennessee native confessed. “That’s why I did 30 songs, because I was doing it on a demo scale. And so I thought, well, we’ll just do all these songs and then we’ll pick the ones that are the best out of it.”
Much to her surprise, “they all kept turning out good” and the track list continued to grow. While in the studio with her longtime collaborator, Kent Wells, Parton pushed herself to hit notes she had never hit before.
“I thought, ‘Well, I’m a country singer, but now I’m going to do rock.’ And as I mentioned before, I wanted to do it well, but I kept hearing things and I thought, ‘I wonder if I can hit that note?’
She ‘Tested’ Her Voice
In the end, Parton says she decided to just “go for it.”
“I would actually would go for things that I normally had not or would not… I really got into singing these songs and I really tested my voice and I would hold notes longer than I normally would to see how long my breath would hold out.”
She believes channeling her inner ROCKSTAR is what truly helped her shine on this project.
“And then I’d sing higher than I normally had on ‘Freebird’ or on ‘Purple Rain.’ When I got to sing those songs, I thought, ‘Wow.’ I just felt the spirit of the people that wrote them and I thought, ‘Well, help me out here!’ And I just went for it,” she explained. “So yeah, it was good. I got to challenge myself and I thought I measured up pretty good on a lot of them, so I hope you’ll feel the same.”
ROCKSTAR is available as a Four LP set, a two CD set (including Home Shopping Network, University of Tennessee and Dallas Cowboys CD exclusives), a double cassette (exclusive to TalkShopLive), digital download and available on all streaming services.
ROCKSTAR TRACK LIST
1. Rockstar (special guest Richie Sambora)
2. World on Fire
3. Every Breath You Take (feat. Sting)
4. Open Arms (feat. Steve Perry)
5. Magic Man(Carl Version) (feat. Ann Wilson with special guest Howard Leese)
6. Long As I Can See The Light (feat. John Fogerty)
7. Either Or (feat. Kid Rock)
8. I Want You Back (feat. Steven Tyler with special guest Warren Haynes)
9. What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You (feat. Stevie Nicks with special guest Waddy Wachtel)
10. Purple Rain
11. Baby, I Love Your Way (feat. Peter Frampton)
12. I Hate Myself For Loving You (feat. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)
13. Night Moves (feat. Chris Stapleton)
14. Wrecking Ball (feat. Miley Cyrus)
15. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (feat. P!nk & Brandi Carlile)
16. Keep On Loving You (feat. Kevin Cronin)
17. Heart Of Glass (feat. Debbie Harry)
18. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (feat. Elton John)
19. Tried To Rock And Roll Me (feat. Melissa Etheridge)
20. Stairway To Heaven (feat. Lizzo & Sasha Flute)
21. We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You
22. Bygones (feat. Rob Halford with special guests Nikki Sixx & John 5)
23. My Blue Tears (feat. Simon Le Bon)
24. What’s Up? (feat. Linda Perry)
25. You’re No Good (feat. Emmylou Harris & Sheryl Crow)
26. Heartbreaker (feat. Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo)
27. Bittersweet (feat. Michael McDonald)
28. I Dreamed About Elvis (feat. Ronnie McDowell with special guest The Jordanaires)
29. Let It Be (feat. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr with special guests Peter Frampton & Mick Fleetwood)
30. Free Bird (feat. Lynyrd Skynyrd with special guests Artimus Pyle and The Artimus Pyle Band)
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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