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'Halos & Horns' Triumphs By Duane Gordon June 3, 2002 Dollymania The "Halos" part of the title is right on target, as Dolly's upcoming CD is 57-and-a-half minutes of pure heaven! The 14 cuts run from somber ballads to uptempo foot-stompers, with emotion and spirituality thrown in for good measure. The most moving cuts are the soul-jarring "Hello God" and "Raven Dove," both written on Sept. 12, putting to melody the sentiments of many Americans and our internal fight to digest last year's horrific attacks. "Sugar Hill" is a fun and lively tune, with an especially effective portion of the song's arrangement allowing Dolly's reverberating vocals to be backed just by a strong bass singer. "I'm Gone," another uptempo treat, is hilarious, with Dolly explaining to her now-ex that he is free to tell people that she was abducted by a UFO or went into witness protection, but whatever he tells others, he can be sure and say that she's gone. "These Old Bones" is an entertaining story-song featuring Dolly "channeling" her mother's voice in the tale of a bone-throwing mountain fortune teller with one of her classic plot twist endings. Her re-recording of "What A Heartache" is achingly beautiful, with instrumentation similar to her re-recording of "Down From Dover" from Little Sparrow, and "Not For Me" flows with bittersweet emotion. Her cover of Bread's "If" is simply gorgeous. But, by far, the highlight of the album is its finale, her six-and-a-half-minute treatment of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven," which starts out with acoustic guitars softly playing the rifts familiar to just about every ear in the world as Dolly's angelic soprano emotes the visions of its poetic verses. Dripping with solemn violins, the song builds and builds, adding drums and a background choir to a bluegrass revival. Getting this CD is akin to buying a stairway to heaven, as its sounds, both sweet and heart-wrenching, are as close as the afterlife that most of us will hear while on this world. I smell Grammy No. 8!
Look for articles in upcoming editions of The New York Times, USA Today, Country Music Magazine, Country Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Country Music Today, The Tennessean and The Atlanta Journal Constitution! Look for ads in upcoming editions of No Depression, Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Now, Oxford American, OUT, The Advocate, Acoustic Guitar, Rolling Stone, Texas Music, Mother Jones, Utne Reader and Interview!
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'Halos & Horns'  Dolly's third bluegrass release, Halos & Horns, is in stores now! Get your copy here!
Read Dolly's own track-by-track commentary on the album here! Read Sugar Hill Records' story by Bob Oermann about the CD here! Read Sugar Hill's press release about the tour here! Read the album's complete liner notes here! Visit Sugar Hill's page here. Listen to the full album on Netscape's Online Listening Party here
 Get the sheet music songbook today! Click here!

The Basics The Tour The Band Reviews And More
The Basics Release Date: July 9, 2002 Producer: Dolly Parton Label: Sugar Hill Records/Blue Eye Records Track Listing: (underlined tracks feature samples from Sugar Hill Records)
"Halos and Horns" (Dolly Parton) "Sugar Hill" (Dolly Parton) "Not for Me" (Dolly Parton) "Hello God" (Dolly Parton) "If" (David Gates) (originally recorded by Bread) "Shattered Image" (Dolly Parton) (originally recorded on All I Can Do) "These Old Bones" (Dolly Parton) "What a Heartache" (Dolly Parton) (originally recorded on Rhinestone and Eagle When She Flies) "I'm Gone" (Dolly Parton) "Raven Dove" (Dolly Parton) "Dagger Through the Heart" (Dolly Parton) * the first single (download full song here and see a video clip here!) "If Only" (Dolly Parton) "John Daniel" (Dolly Parton) "Stairway to Heaven" (Jimmy Page/Robert Plant) (originally recorded by Led Zeppelin)
The Band The Blue-niques
Gary Davis - Acoustic guitar, banjo Kent Wells - Acoustic guitar, electric guitar Robert Hale - Acoustic guitar Randy Kohrs - Dobro, wabash guitar, Weissenborn guitar Jimmy Mattingly - Fiddle, viola Brent Truitt - Mandolin Terry Eldredge - Acoustic bass Steve Turner - Drums, washboard, tambourine, bones Bob Carlin - Clawhammer banjo Darrell Webb - Mandolin David Sutton - Harmonica Richard Dennison - PianoHarmony Vocals: Beth Stevens, April Stevens, Darrell Webb, Richard Dennison, Randy Kohrs, Terry Eldredge, The Kingdom Heirs (Steven French, Arthur Rich, David Sutton, Eric Bennett), Vicki Hampton, Jennifer O'Brien, Robert Hale
News And Reviews Read the Dollymania review at left!
March 25: CMT on Wednesday announced the final four nominees in each category for the 2004 Flame Worthy Music Video Awards, and Dolly and Mindy Smith didn't make the cut. Dolly had received two preliminary nominations in a field of eight videos for Flame Worthy Female Video Of The Year for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns and for Flame Worthy Cameo Of The Year for her appearance in Smith's "Jolene" from Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, but neither made the final list. Earning nominations for the female honor are Martina McBride for "This One's For The Girls," Reba for "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain," Sara Evans for "Perfect" and Shania Twain for "Forever And For Always." Getting nominations in the cameo category are Jake the Dog in Dierks Bentley's "What Was I Thinkin'," Joe Don's rear end in Rascal Flatts' "I Melt," Motocross rider Kenny Bartram and BMX rider Kevin Robinson in Chris Cagle's "Chicks Dig It" and the cast of Brad Paisley's "Celebrity" (Jason Alexander, Jim Belushi, Little Jimmy Dickens, Trista Rehn and William Shatner). Likewise, Smith's "Jolene" had gotten a preliminary nod for Flame Worthy Breakthrough Video Of The Year, and its director, Trey Fanjoy, for Flame Worthy Video Director Of The Year, but neither was in nominations announced this week. Toby Keith headed up the nominations with four, followed by Kenney Chesney, Rascal Flatts and Alan Jackson with three each. Voting for the final nominees continues through April 18, and awards will be handed out live on CMT in the ceremony hosted by Dolly April 21.
Feb. 25: Dolly snagged two nods in the preliminary nominations for the 2004 CMT Flame Worthy Video Awards, and Mindy Smith's "Jolene" from the tribute project Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton also is up for some awards as well. Dolly will host and perform on the live awards telecast from Nashville on April 21. Dolly is one of eight preliminary nominees for Flame Worthy Female Video Of The Year for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns and is up for a new category, Flame Worthy Cameo Of The Year, for her appearance in Smith's "Jolene." On the female side, other preliminary nominees are Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Reba, Faith Hill, Patty Loveless and Shania Twain. For the cameo side, other hopefuls are the cast of Brad Paisley's "Celebrity," Marilu Henner, the cast of Chris Cagle's "Chicks Dig It," Jake the Dog for Dierks Bentley's "What Was I Thinkin'," Joe Don's rear end in "I Melt," Gena Lee Nolin and Bob Eubanks. "Jolene" puts Smith up for Flame Worthy Breakthrough Video Of The Year, and its director, Trey Fanjoy, is up for Flame Worthy Video Director Of The Year. Votes may be cast here through March 21 (you must register as a CMT.com user first, though). Final nominees, four in each category, will be announced March 24, with votes from that date through April 18 to choose the winners. CMT.com also features two awesome new "red hot" Dolly shots on the site to promote the awards -- one on the main page here and one on the Flameworthy news page here. They are also available in the site's Dolly photo gallery available here.
Feb. 9: The late June Carter Cash's "Keep On The Sunny Side" bested Dolly's "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns for the Best Female Country Vocal Performance Grammy at Sunday's awards show. Dolly, who has earned 41 career nominations and won seven Grammy Awards in the past, also faced Patty Loveless' "On Your Way Home," Martina McBride's "This One's For The Girls" and Shania Twain's "Forever And Always."
Dec. 5: Dolly earned her 41st Grammy nomination when the potential winners for next year's awards were announced on Thursday morning. Her single "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns will face off against the late June Carter Cash's "Keep On The Sunny Side," Patty Loveless' "On Your Way Home," Martina McBride's "This One's For The Girls" and Shania Twain's "Forever And Always" for Best Female Country Vocal Performance when awards are handed out in Los Angeles on Feb. 8. It is her 18th nomination in a category which she has previously won three times. She has received a total of seven Grammy Awards, most recently in this same category when "Shine" from Little Sparrow earned her the trophy in 2002.
Sept. 19: Dolly's Halos & Horns falls back off the bluegrass albums chart after logging in a 56th chart week last week at No. 14, Billboard announced Thursday in the Sept. 27 charts. It had previously peaked at No. 2 bluegrass, No. 4 country.
Sept. 12: Dolly's Halos & Horns re-enters the bluegrass albums tally for a 56th chart week, coming in at No. 14 in the Sept. 20 numbers, Billboard announced Thursday.
Dolly's video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns falls out of CMT's weekly Top 20 Countdown, the network announced Thursday night. The video, which was No. 19 last week, spent 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 7.
Sept. 10: The International Country Gospel Music Association recently announced the winners of its annual awards program, the 47th Annual Gold Cross Awards, and Dolly took home Single Of The Year for "Hello God" from Halos & Horns. Congratulations! Thanks, Tony!
Sept. 5: Dolly's video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns falls seven notches on CMT's weekly Top 20 Countdown, the network announced Thursday night. The video drops to No. 19 in its 11th week. It had peaked at No. 7.
Aug. 22: Dolly's Halos & Horns falls back off the 15-position bluegrass albums chart Aug. 30 after coming in at No. 15 the previous week, Billboard announced Thursday. It had peaked at No. 2 and spent 55 weeks on the chart.
Dolly's video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns continues its march toward the top of CMT's weekly Top 20 Countdown, moving up two spots to No. 7 in its ninth week, the network announced Thursday night.
Aug. 15: Dolly's Halos & Horns loses two spots to come in at No. 15 on the bluegrass albums chart in its 55th week for the Aug. 23 tally, Billboard announced Thursday.
Dolly's psychedelic video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns shoots into the Top 10 on CMT's weekly Top 20 Countdown, moving up two spots to No. 9 in its eighth week, the network announced Thursday night.
Aug. 9: Dolly's psychedelic video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns continues to inch toward the Top 10 on CMT's weekly Top 20 Countdown, moving up one more notch to No. 11 this week, the network announced Thursday night.
Aug. 8: Dolly's Halos & Horns moves up two to No. 13 on the bluegrass albums chart in its 54th week for the Aug. 16 numbers, Billboard announced Thursday.
Aug. 1: Dolly's Halos & Horns returns to the bluegrass albums chart in the Aug. 9 tally, coming in at No. 15 on the 15-position list, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD, which peaked at No. 4 country and No. 2 bluegrass, is in its 53rd week on the bluegrass side.
Dolly's video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns moves up one more spot this week to No. 12 on the CMT Top 20 Video Countdown, the network announced Thursday night. The video is in its sixth week on the chart. (Remember to help get Dolly played more! Request the video on CMT's MWL here and Great American Country's countdown here!)
July 26: Dolly's video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns moves up one more spot this week to No. 13 on the CMT Top 20 Video Countdown, the network announced Thursday night. The video is in its fifth week on the chart. (Remember to help get Dolly played more! Request the video on CMT's MWL here and Great American Country's countdown here!)
July 25: After a full year on the bluegrass albums chart, Dolly's Halos & Horns falls off that 15-position tally in the Aug. 2 numbers, down from No. 14 the previous week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD had spent 52 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 2.
July 23: On the August European Christian Country Chart from The Netherlands, Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns jumps up 27 spots to No. 3 in just its second month on their chart. Unfortunately, her Dottie Rambo duet on "Stand By The River" falls off the 100-position chart, down from No. 20 last month. That song had peaked at No. 12 and spent a total of six months on the foreign chart.
July 22: Billboard on Monday finally updated the bluegrass albums chart, and Dolly's Halos & Horns falls one spot on the July 26 tally to No. 14 in its 52nd chart week. The CD, which has spent a full year on the chart, peaked at No. 2.
July 19: Dolly's video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns moves up two more spots this week to No. 14 on the CMT Top 20 Video Countdown, the network announced Thursday night. The video is in its fourth week on the chart. (Remember to help get Dolly played more! Request the video on CMT's MWL here and Great American Country's countdown here!)
July 11: Dolly's Halos & Horns gains one on the bluegrass albums chart to reach No. 13 in its 51st chart week, Billboard announced Thursday in the July 19 charts.
The video for Dolly's "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns moves up one more spot to No. 16 in its third week on the CMT Top 20 Countdown, the network announced Thursday night.
July 5: Dolly's video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns moved up two spots to No. 17 Thursday night in its second week on CMT's top 20 countdown.
July 4: Dolly's Halos & Horns remains steady on the bluegrass albums chart at No. 14 in its 50th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday in the July 12 charts.
June 30: Dolly's "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns debuted last week on CMT's Top 20 Countdown at No. 19, and it's still one of the network's five Hot Shot videos for the week! Thanks, Justin! Remember to request Dolly's video on CMT's MWL here and Great American Country's weekly countdown here.
Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns is at No. 63 on the God's Country top 75 international Christian country music chart for July. The song peaked at No. 12 in April.
June 27: Dolly's Halos & Horns gains one notch on the bluegrass albums chart to No. 14 in its 49th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday in the July 5 charts.
June 23: Dolly's Halos & Horns falls three spots on the bluegrass albums chart to No. 15 in its 48th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday in the June 28 charts.
June 13: Dolly's Halos & Horns inches up one spot on the bluegrass albums chart to No. 12 in its 47th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday.
June 7: Great American Country (GAC) on Friday evening premiered Dolly's "I'm Gone" video from Halos & Horns. Their schedule shows the video to repeat on the cable network this weekend at 12:30 a.m., 7 a.m., 3 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Saturday; 8:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday; and 12:30 p.m. Monday (all times Eastern). And CMT's broadcast schedule for the video over the weekend is 1:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. Saturday and 2:30 a.m. Monday (plus repeats of Dolly's MWL Star episode which premiered the video earlier this week at 9 p.m. Saturday, midnight Sunday, 8 p.m. Monday and 11:30 p.m. next Friday). Remember to cast your votes daily for Dolly's video on CMT's MWL here and GAC's weekly countdown here! In addition, Phil over at Voice Of An Angel has posted an online version of the video that you may download.
Sugar Hill Records on Friday added a page touting the new Super Audio CDs the label is releasing on Tuesday. Dolly's Halos & Horns will be issued as a stereo SACD hybrid and Little Sparrow will come out as a multi-channel and stereo SACD hybrid. "Hybrid" means the discs also contain the regular CD version that may be heard on any CD player in addition to the enhanced audio which may be played back on an SACD player. Multi-channel recordings have even more sound features. Reserve your copy by clicking on the album titles above, and read more from the label here.
June 6: Dolly's Halos & Horns inches down one spot on the June 14 bluegrass albums chart to No. 13 in its 46th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday.
June 2: "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns drops five on the PowerSource bluegrass singles chart to No. 21 for June, while "Hello God" from the album falls 21 places on the Christian country singles chart to No. 36. "Hello God" had previously peaked at No. 2.
May 30: Dolly's Halos & Horns inches up one spot on the June 6 bluegrass albums chart to No. 12 in its 45th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday.
May 23: Dolly's Halos & Horns loses four spots on the May 31 bluegrass albums chart to reach No. 13 in its 44th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday.
May 20: Sugar Hill Records tells me that Dolly is scheduled to tape her appearance on CMT's Most Wanted Live Star show next week (scroll down to May 19 news for details). Although no premiere date has been announced yet, the show will include the new video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns when it is broadcast. The video was directed by Sophie Mueller, whose previous credits include work for No Doubt, Pink, Annie Lennox and Nickel Creek (whom I saw, by the way, perform at Jubilee Jam in Jackson, Miss., over the weekend, and they were awesome!) In addition, the label confirms that the release date for Dolly's tribute CD, Just Because I'm A Woman: Celebrating The Songs Of Dolly Parton, has been pushed back from its original Sept. 9 tentative release date, which Dollymania was the first to report back in April. The star-studded CD is now expected to drop in October.
May 16: Dolly's Halos & Horns remains steady at No. 9 on the May 24 bluegrass albums chart in its 43rd chart week, Billboard announced Thursday.
May 9: Dolly's Halos & Horns inches down one to No. 9 on the May 17 bluegrass albums chart in its 42nd chart week, Billboard announced Thursday.
May 6: Dolly's songs are losing some steam on the PowerSource official monthly charts for May. In the Christian country chart, "Hello God" from Halos & Horns drops 13 places to No. 15, down from April's peak at No. 2. On the same chart, her duet of "Stand By The River" with Dottie Rambo falls 28 spots to No. 62, down from No. 34 last month. The single reached No. 1 in December. On the magazine's Southern Gospel chart, "Stand By The River" inches down eight notches to No. 58 and falls off the 35-position bluegrass singles chart, down from No. 33 the previous month. Also on the bluegrass chart, two other songs from Halos are falling. "I'm Gone" is down three to No. 16, while the CD's title track drops five to No. 26. The songs peaked at No. 10 and No. 15, respectively, in March.
May 5: "Hello God" from Dolly's Halos & Horns falls off the 20-position PowerSource unofficial weekly Christian country singles countdown, down from No. 20 in its 15th chart week. The song had previously spent three weeks at No. 1. Also, the song loses 19 places on the God's Country international country gospel chart for May, reaching No. 31. It had peaked at No. 12 in April.
May 2: Dolly's Halos & Horns remains steady at No. 8 on the May 10 bluegrass albums chart in its 41st chart week, Billboard announced Thursday.
April 26: "Hello God" from Dolly's Halos & Horns loses five more spots on the weekly Christian country countdown from Power Source to come in at No. 20, it was announced Friday. It previously spent three weeks at No. 1 on the chart.
April 25: Dolly's Halos & Horns loses two spots to come in at No. 8 on the May 3 bluegrass albums chart in its 40th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday.
April 21: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns slips another five spots on the PowerSource weekly Christian country countdown, it was announced Friday, coming in at No. 15. It had spent three weeks at No. 1. The song also falls of the Indie World Country chart, down from No. 16. It had spent one week at No. 1 on that chart.
April 18: Dolly's Halos & Horns gains two spots to come in at No. 6 on the April 26 bluegrass albums chart in its 39th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. Its gain, however, was not enough for it to re-appear on the 75-position country albums tally, where it had peaked at No. 4 but dropped off after 38 weeks last week.
April 14: "Hello God" from Halos & Horns continues its slide down the charts. On the weekly unofficial PowerSource Christian country singles countdown, it drops three spots to No. 10, it was announced Friday. It had previously spent three weeks at No. 1 on their chart. On the Indie World Country independent label country singles chart, the single drops 15 spots to No. 16, down from No. 1 last week, it was announced Friday.
April 11: Dolly's Halos & Horns falls off the 75-position country albums chart in the April 19 tally, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD, which had peaked at No. 4 country, No. 58 pop, No. 2 bluegrass, No. 3 independent labels and No. 11 Internet sales in July, spent 38 weeks on the country chart. The CD drops two spaces to No. 8 on the bluegrass albums chart in its 38th week there.
A representative of Sugar Hill Records tells me that the label is no longer releasing sales information on Dolly's albums, but an outside source said last week that Halos & Horns had passed The Grass Is Blue and Little Sparrow in sales recently. If true, that would mean it's sold at least 205,000, which is where Sparrow stood as of the last sales update published here a little more than two months ago. At that time, Halos was past 153,000, and Grass was at 186,000. Launch had a great story on Wednesday about Dollywood's Festival of Nations, adding that she was filming a video for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns in Los Angeles this week. (Sugar Hill Records tells me the video shoot is scheduled for this weekend, but no release date has been set yet.) Read the full story here.
April 9: Dolly's gospel recordings are continuing to do well, according to new charts that have come out. The PowerSource official April monthly countdowns shows "Hello God" from Halos & Horns gaining two to come in at No. 2 for the month on the Christian country chart, while her former No. 1 duet with Dottie Rambo, "Stand By The River," loses 10 spots to reach No. 34. "Stand By The River" drops 13 places to No. 50 on the month's Southern Gospel chart and 10 notches to No. 33 on the bluegrass singles chart. Dolly's other entries on the bluegrass chart are starting to slip as well. "I'm Gone" is down three to No. 13, while "Halos And Horns" falls six to No. 21. I'm also told that the Singing News chart for May, which was just released, sees "Stand By The River" moving up seven spots to No. 54, while it debuts at No. 86 on the Southern Gospel chart of U.S. Gospel News for April. Thanks, Robert for the last two!
April 7: Halos & Horns falls 11 spots to No. 75 on the April 12 country albums chart in its 38th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. Since the country chart only contains 75 positions, the album will likely end its run on the chart in coming weeks. The CD drops one space to No. 6 on the bluegrass albums chart.
Dolly's "Hello God" Halos & Horns moved up one notch to capture the No. 1 spot for the week on the Indie World Country independent label country singles chart, it was announced Friday. When the PowerSource weekly Christian country singles chart came out the same day, the song had dropped three spots to No. 7. It had held the No. 1 spot for three weeks earlier this year on their chart.
April 1: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns drops three spots to No. 4 on this week's PowerSource weekly Christian country singles countdown after its third week at No. 1, it was announced Monday.
March 31: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns increased two more notches on the Indie World Country independent label country singles chart to reach No. 2 for the week, it was announced Friday.
March 28: Dolly's Halos & Horns falls two spots to No. 64 on the April 5 country albums chart in its 37th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD remains steady at No. 5 on the bluegrass albums chart.
March 26: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns re-captured the No. 1 spot for a third week when PowerSource announced its weekly Christian country countdown for last weekend. The song had spent the last two weeks in the top 5 after two previous weeks at No. 1. It jumped four spots on the chart to return to No. 1. The song also increased one notch on the Indie World Country independent label country singles chart to No. 4 for the week.
March 21: Dolly's Halos & Horns falls seven spots to No. 62 on the March 29 country albums chart in its 36th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD loses one notch to No. 5 on the bluegrass albums chart.
March 17: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns has mixed chart news this week. It drops one on the Power Source weekly Christian country countdown to come in at No. 5 (it had previously been No. 1 for two weeks in a row on this chart), but on the Indie World Country independent labels country singles chart, it shoots up 17 notches to No. 5.
March 14: Dolly's Halos & Horns falls six spots to No. 55 on the March 22 country albums chart in its 35th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD remains steady at No. 4 on the bluegrass albums chart for its 34th week but drops back off the independent label albums chart, down from No. 40 last week.
The Green Man Review: Roots And Branches Of Music And Literature this week handed out its "Greenies" Awards online, and critic Stephen Hunt chose Dolly for Best CD in the North American Traditions category for Halos & Horns, noting that the publication's music production editor David Kidney called it "a beautiful album to listen to." Read the full list of honorees here.
March 12: Unfortunately, Dolly didn't get enough votes for "Dagger Through The Heart" to make it into the final five nominees of the CMT Flameworthy Video Awards for Flameworthy Female Video Of The Year, it was announced Tuesday. The video had been one of the 10 finalists for the award, for which she was nominated last year for "Shine." This year's five nominees are: Terri Clark, "I Just Wanna Be Mad;" Martina McBride, "Concrete Angel;" Faith Hill, "Cry;" Shania Twain, "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" and Rebecca Lynn Howard, "Forgive." You may cast your vote for your favorites here.
March 10: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns is seeing some chart movement this weekend. After two weeks at No. 1 on the PowerSource unofficial weekly Christian country countdown it falls this week three spots to No. 4, while her duet of "Stand By The River" with Dottie Rambo falls out of the top 20, down from No. 20. On the Indie World Country chart, "Hello God" moves up two spots to No. 22. And on the God's Country International Music Chart for February, "Hello God" gains six places to reach No. 12, while "Stand By The River" drops 11 to No. 88.
March 7: Dolly's Halos & Horns jumps up seven spots to come in at No. 49 on the March 15 country albums chart in its 34th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD inches up two to No. 4 on the bluegrass albums chart for its 33rd week and re-enters the independent label albums chart at No. 40 for a 28th week.
March 3: The official monthly charts for March by Power Source magazine are out now, and Dolly has some impressive showings. The Christian country singles chart finds "Hello God" from Halos & Horns moving up five to No. 4 while "Stand By The River" with Dottie Rambo drops six to No. 24. The charts are based on airplay from a couple of weeks before, and given that "Hello God" has been No. 1 on their weekly chart for two weeks in a row, it now stands a good shot at becoming Dolly's second official gospel No. 1 on the magazine's April chart ("Stand By The River" was her first No. 1 in December). On their bluegrass singles chart, "I'm Gone" jumps up 13 notches to No. 10, while "Halos And Horns" moves up 12 spaces to No. 15 and "Stand By The River" falls five to No. 23. On their Southern gospel chart, "Stand By The River" falls eight spots to No. 29.
March 1: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns retains the No. 1 spot for a second week in a row in the unofficial weekly Christian country music countdown by PowerSource magazine. On the same chart, "Stand By The River," her duet with gospel legend Dottie Rambo and a former No. 1 on the chart itself, slips one spot to No. 20. In addition, "Hello God" comes in at No. 24 this week on the Indie World Country independent label country singles chart.
Feb. 28: Dolly's Halos & Horns gains three spots to come in at No. 56 on the March 8 country albums chart in its 33rd chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD remains steady at No. 6 on the bluegrass albums chart.
Feb. 24: Faith Hill's pop-leaning "Cry" beat out Dolly's traditional country "Dagger Through The Heart" for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at Sunday night's Grammys in pre-show awards, and the Dixie Chicks' Home beat her Halos & Horns for Best Country Album, the only country honor handed out during the awards' live telecast. The Chicks are now tied with Dolly for the fourth-most Grammy wins for female country performers at seven awards. Alison Krauss is first with 13, followed by Dolly's Trio pal Emmylou Harris with 11. The other one-third of the Trio, Linda Ronstadt, who won three of her 10 awards in the country field, is third. Rounding out the totals are fifth-place record holders Mary Chapin-Carpenter, the Judds, Anne Murray and Olivia Newton-John with five each and Shania Twain at sixth with four awards. Other country acts taking home trophies included Nickel Creek, Best Contemporary Folk Album, This Side; Riders In The Sky, Best Musical Album For Children, Monsters Inc.: Scream Factory Favorites; Kevin Reagan, Best Recording Package, for the Dixie Chicks' Home; Johnny Cash, Best Male Country Vocal Performance, "Give My Love To Rose;" The Dixie Chicks, Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, "Long Time Gone;" Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack, Best Country Collaboration With Vocals, "Mendocino County Line;" the Dixie Chicks, Best Country Instrumental Performance, "Lil' Jack Slade;" Alan Jackson, Best Country Song, "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning);" Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Best Bluegrass Album, Lost In The Lonesome Pines.
The Miami Herald on Sunday predicted wins for the Dixie Chicks for Best Country Album and Martina McBride for Best Female Country Vocal Performance but noted that Dolly's CD would be "deserving" of the country album prize as it is the best album of her career and that her "Dagger Through The Heart" should've won the female country award because it was "far and away" the best performance of the five nominees. Also, Newsweek on Sunday said Dolly should've won Best Country Album but that the Dixie Chicks or Alan Jackson would likely win because of their massive sales.
Feb. 22: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns moves up one spot to become this weekend's No. 1 song on the PowerSource unofficial weekly Christian country singles chart, it was announced Friday. Her duet with Dottie Rambo, "Stand By The River," itself No. 1 for two weeks a couple of months ago, drops three to No. 19. We'll have to wait a little longer to see where the song charts on the magazine's official monthly countdown, where "Stand By The River" in December became Dolly's first official No. 1 gospel single.
The handful of additional Grammy predictions I've seen are still not expecting Dolly to win, but here are a few comments from some of them. One critic in Connecticut's Norwich Bulletin said about Best Country Album: "Dixie Chicks will probably win. I think Dolly Parton should win though. It's a great record." The Louisville Courier-Journal puts Dolly's odds in the category at 10-1, even with those of Willie Nelson but better than Joe Nichols' 15-1 (The Chicks are 4-1 and Alan Jackson 3-2.) And the Salt Lake Tribune, which says the Chicks should and will win, noted: "Parton's excellent bluegrass album is at a disadvantage because of its independent label release." Look for updates here Sunday night immediately after the winners in Dolly's categories are announced. She's up for Best Country Album for Halos & Horns and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the album's single "Dagger Through The Heart."
Feb. 21: Dolly's Halos & Horns slips two spots to No. 59 on the March 1 country albums chart in its 32nd chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD remains steady at No. 6 on the bluegrass albums chart.
Feb. 17: Dolly's "Hello God" remained steady at No. 2 on the weekend's PowerSource Christian country singles countdown, while "Stand By The River," her duet with Dottie Rambo lost one notch to No. 16. Also, on the monthly Country Gospel Connection radio airplay chart for February, "Hello God" is No. 9, while "Stand By The River" is No. 10.
Feb. 14: Dolly's Halos & Horns gains four spots to come in at No. 57 on the Feb. 22 country albums chart in its 31st chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD also gains one to reach No. 6 on the bluegrass albums chart.
The Associated Press on Thursday issued a few predictions for the Grammy Awards, which now are a little more than a week away, and their critics think the Dixie Chicks' Home will win over Dolly's Halos & Horns for Best Country Album. Read the story here.
Feb. 13: Dolly's video for "Dagger Through The Heart" is a preliminary nominee for CMT's second annual Flameworthy Video Awards, the network announced Wednesday. Her video for "Shine" was nominated last year but lost to Martina McBride's "Blessed." Each fan who registers with CMT.com may vote once for their favorites in the preliminary voting through March 9. Each category will be trimmed from the 10 initial nominees to five finalists, who will be announced on March 11, at which time fans may vote again through April 5. Winners will be announced April 7. Dolly, nominated for Flameworthy Female Video of the Year, faces Jessica Andrews' "There's More to Me Than You," Rebecca Lynn Howard's "Forgive," Deana Carter's "There's No Limit," Martina McBride's "Concrete Angel," Terri Clark's "I Just Wanna be Mad," Jennifer Hanson's "Beautiful Goodbye," Shania Twain's "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!," Faith Hill's "Cry" and Lee Ann Womack's "Something Worth Leaving Behind." Click here to vote for Dolly!
Feb. 10: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns shot up another five spots on the weekend's PowerSource unofficial weekly countdown show, coming in at No. 2. Her duet with Dottie Rambo, "Stand By The River," lost one notch to No. 15.
Feb. 7: Dolly's Halos & Horns loses three spots to come in at No. 61 on the Feb. 15 country albums chart in its 30th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD remains steady at No. 7 on the bluegrass albums chart.
It's been a while now since I've given you an update on Dolly's sales figures, and I've started getting e-mails from fans who want to keep up with the numbers. So, thanks to the folks at Sugar Hill Records, here they are: Since its release in July, Halos & Horns has sold 153,000 copies, up about 28,000 since the last update here two months ago, meaning in that time it has averaged about 3,100 copies sold per week. Little Sparrow is at 205,000 units, or 4,000 more since the last update. And The Grass Is Blue stands at 186,000, or about 4,000 more since the last update. Also, I'm told that while final details are still being worked out on the tribute album to Dolly which will be issued by Sugar Hill, the label is planning a fall 2003 release date. As was reported here previously, Dolly has agreed to participate in matching singers with her songs and may even perform on a few tracks on the disc. Shania Twain has asked to sing "Coat Of Many Colors," according to published reports, and other artists the label has said have expressed interest in participating include Alison Krauss, Sinead O'Conner, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann and the Dixie Chicks. Thanks, Rob!
Feb. 3: A source close to Dolly's career who wishes to remain anonymous tells Dollymania that Dolly has dissolved her band the Blueniques at the present time to "pursue some other things right now." The source adds that she does plan to reunite with the band at a later date and that Randy Kohrs, who led the group and sang a solo at the start of each of her concerts during her tour this summer, is expected to join the Dixie Chicks' band. The news suggests that a new Dolly tour, which she said would likely come if her 2002 concerts were successful, may be on hold until at least late 2003 or early 2004. Thanks!
Dolly is all over the February issue of PowerSource magazine, in the mail now to Christian Country Music Association members. Dolly and gospel legend Dottie Rambo have a three-page article and the cover photo for their duet "Stand By The River," the magazine's No. 1 song for December, making it Dolly's first official gospel No. 1. In the February chart, Dolly's "Hello God" moves up 29 spots to No. 9, while "Stand By The River" falls 12 to No. 18. Dolly is also all over the magazine's bluegrass chart with "Stand By The River" at No. 18 (down from No. 15), "I'm Gone" debuting at No. 23 and "Halos And Horns" debuting at No. 27. Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns gains one notch this weekend to No. 7 on the PowerSource Christian country countdown. Dolly's duet with Dottie Rambo, "Stand By The River," remained steady at No. 14 again this week. Also the God's Country International Music Chart, Dolly moves up one this week as the No. 7 most played gospel artist overseas, and "Stand By The River" falls 34 spots to No. 77 on their countdown, while "Hello God" jumps up 43 spots to No. 18!
Jan. 31: Dolly's Halos & Horns remains steady at No. 58 on the Feb. 8 country albums chart in its 29th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD also remains steady at No. 7 on the bluegrass albums chart.
Jan. 27: Gospel station WFLQ is still seeing Dolly. Her "Hello God" remains steady at No. 9 in last week's countdown, while her "Stand By The River" with Dottie Rambo also remains steady at No. 19.
Jan. 25: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns moves up five spots this week on the PowerSource Christian country music countdown to No. 8, while her duet with Dottie Rambo, "Stand By The River," remains steady at No. 14, it was announced Friday. I was also alerted to the God's Country International Music Chart, where Dolly is shown as the No. 8 most played gospel artist overseas, and "Stand By The River" is No. 43 on their countdown, while "Hello God" is No. 61.
Jan. 24: Dolly's Halos & Horns inches down four spots to reach No. 58 on the Feb. 1 country albums chart in its 28th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD remains steady at No. 7 on the bluegrass albums chart but falls off the independent label albums chart, down from last week's No. 38.
Jan. 22: Sanctuary Records, the European distributor of Dolly's Sugar Hill recordings, released its 2002 earnings on Sunday, and, as happened the past two years, dramatic increases were attributed largely to Dolly, this year being the release of her Halos & Horns. The company saw pre-tax profits rise 25 percent to 14.2 million pounds and annual sales jump 44 percent to 118.1 million pounds, compared to an industry average increase of just 3 percent. Dolly's CD debuted at No. 1 on the country albums chart in Great Britain and held the top spot for 10 weeks this year, also peaking at No. 37 pop. Its success also propelled her other two releases on Sanctuary, The Grass Is Blue and Little Sparrow, into the country top 10 again, with Sparrow logging a total of more than a year and a half in the top 20. Read the story on Ananova here.
Jan. 20: Although I haven't seen the magazine yet, my pal Chris over at Dolly Parton Central reported on his news page Sunday that Dolly is all over the place in the Country Music magazine annual critics poll of the best music of 2002 in the February/March issue on newsstands now. He reported that Dolly ranked No. 5 for Artist Of The Year, No. 2 for Female Vocalist Of The Year (her friend and frequent back-up singer Alison Krauss was No. 1), her album Halos & Horns No. 9 for Album Of the Year and her summer 2002 concert tour No. 3 for Live Act Of The Year. Visit Chris' site here.
Jan. 18: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns debuts this weekend on the PowerSource weekly top 20 Christian country chart at No. 13, it was announced Friday. Dolly's duet with Dottie Rambo, "Stand By The River," remains steady at No. 14. As was previously reported here, the magazine's official chart, which is tabulated monthly, debuted "Hello God" at No. 38 for January while "Stand By The River," No. 1 for December, fell to No. 6 for the month.
Jan 17: Dolly's Halos & Horns inches down one spot to reach No. 54 on the Jan. 25 country albums chart in its 27th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD loses one notch to No. 7 on the bluegrass albums chart but gains eight places on the independent label albums chart to come in at No. 38.
Jan. 14: Gospel station WFLQ released its top 20 chart on Monday, and Dolly's got two spots! "Hello God" moves up one spot for the week to No. 9, while "Stand By The River" with Dottie Rambo falls 15 spots to No. 19. Also, I'm told that the Solid Gospel program has been airing "River" in heavy rotation. Everyone e-mail their requests for it to the show here!
Jan. 13: Halos & Horns has made another best of year list. The Los Angeles weekly publication Entertainment Today offered its critics' reviews of 2002 in Friday's issue, and Paul Andersen chose Halos as the seventh-best recording of the year. Others on his list included Brandy, Norah Jones, Mary J. Blige, Coldplay and Queens Of The Stone Age. Read the full story here.
One entry got left out of the PowerSource January chart update posted here Thursday night: Dolly's "Hello God" debuts on the monthly Christian country music chart at No. 38.
Jan. 10: Dolly's Halos & Horns inches down four spots to come in at No. 53 on the Jan. 18 country albums chart in its 26th chart week, Billboard announced Thursday. The CD loses one spot to No. 6 on the bluegrass albums chart and 19 on the independent label albums chart to reach No. 46. However, I would expect a slight spike in in its position when the Jan. 25 numbers come out next week reflecting purchases of the disc following its Grammy nominations (the charts issued today are for last week's sales).
Jan. 9: News of Dolly's two Grammy nominations could be found Wednesday in just about every newspaper around, and Dolly herself, of course, was thrilled at the honors. "It's always wonderful and a great compliment to be nominated for any Grammy award, but Halos & Horns is very special and dear to my heart, so it made it twice as special. 'Dagger Through The Heart' is one of my favorite songs on the whole album, so I was thrilled about that as well," she told Launch.com. Even CMT has Dolly pulling some strong numbers in an online poll for who should win Best Country Album (vote here). As of last count I saw Wednesday evening, Alan Jackson was leading with 43 percent, compared to Dolly at a close second with 41 percent. The Dixie Chicks had 8 percent, Joe Nichols 7 percent and Willie Nelson 1 percent. The nominations for Best Country Album fopr Halos and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Dagger Through The Heart" marked Dolly's 39th and 40th respective career nominations. She has won the Grammy seven times, including one in each of the last three years for each of her three most recent albums prior to Halos.
Jan. 7: UPDATE: Two Grammy Nominations Dolly earned two Grammy nominations in Tuesday morning's announcement of this year's honorees to bring her career total to 40. "Dagger Through The Heart" is up for Best Female Country Vocal Performance against Faith Hill's "Cry," Martina McBride's "Blessed," Lucinda Williams' "Lately" and Lee Ann Womack's "Something Worth Leaving Behind." Halos & Horns is nominated for Best Country Album against The Dixie Chicks' Home, Alan Jackson's Drive, Willie Nelson's The Great Divide and Joe Nichols Man With A Memory. Winners will be announced Feb. 23. In her career, Dolly has won seven Grammy Awards.
Jan. 6: Dolly's Halos & Horns this week falls out of the top 40 of the Jan. 5 British independent labels albums chart, it was announced Sunday. The CD drops from its previous standing of No. 37 in the Dec. 22 chart (no chart was published last week due to the holidays).
Jan. 4: Dolly's Halos & Horns gains two spots to come in at No. 49 on the Jan. 11 country albums chart in its 25th chart week, Billboard announced Friday. The CD moves up one to No. 5 on the bluegrass albums chart but loses 11 on the independent label albums chart to reach No. 27.
Jan. 3: Although the CD was released almost six months ago, The Hartford Courant on Thursday offered its review of Dolly's Halos & Horns, with Susan Campbell praising the album and noting: "It's nice when an internationally known crossover superstar crosses back home - in this case, home to roots music, bluegrass" and saying that she possesses "a voice that knows no boundaries." She adds that her favorite cut on the entire album is "These Old Bones," explaining, "It's nasal, it's country, it's home-fried good." Read the full review here.
Dec. 31: Dolly and Willie Nelson's respective tours in 2002 were named the 11th biggest story of the year in country music by CMT's Noisemakers year in review, which premiered over the weekend. You may access video of the story (including live footage of Dolly in concert this summer) here.
Dolly's Halos & Horns falls out of the top five of the bluegrass albums chart as compiled by Bluegrass Unlimited, it was announced in the magazine's January chart on Monday. The CD had peaked for at No. 4 for November and December.
Dec. 28: Dolly's Halos & Horns inches down one spot to No. 51 on the Jan. 4 country albums chart in its 24th chart week, Billboard announced Friday. The CD remains steady on both the independent label albums chart and bluegrass albums chart at No. 16 and No. 6, respectively. And in the magazine's year-end charts, Halos comes in at No. 63 country and No. 23 for independent label albums.
Chet Flippo, CMT editorial director, put Dolly's CD at No. 8 on his countdown of the best albums of the year Friday, saying: "She has been one of country music's most saving graces for more than three decades. These songs are as fresh and vibrant as anything she recorded 30 years ago." The Dixie Chicks' Home was No. 1, and he gave Pinmonkey, which includes Dolly harmonies, an honorable mention. Read his full list here. And the St. Louis Riverfront Times, Dolly's concert there was chosen as one of the 10 "Best Live Rock Shows In St. Louis," which were listed in alphabetical order by Matt Harnish here (and Dolly was the only act included I had ever heard of). About the show, he wrote: "Of course it was kinda corny, but Dolly's fans wouldn't have had it any other way. Backed by a crack bluegrass band, Ms. Parton put on a fantastic show that clearly demonstrated a love for her music and her fans that couldn't have been faked." The New York Daily News on Thursday named Dolly's Halos & Horns the best country album of 2002. Actually, the reviewer placed it in a five-way tie with Tift Merritt's Bramble Rose, Caitlin Cary's While You Weren't Looking, Patty Griffin's 1000 Kisses and Kasey Chambers' Barricades & Brickbats. Read the full list of all of this year's best here.
Dec. 26: Dolly's wonderful Halos & Horns continues to make several end-of-the-year lists as one of the best albums of 2002. Billboard country chart director Wade Jennsen put it at No. 4 in the genre, noting: "That a major hit hasn't emerged from this album proves that many country radio programmers are profoundly asleep." (Read his full list here.) Also in Billboard, one of the celebrity lists included the CD, with Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls naming it the best release of all types of music in 2002. (Read her list here.) And Wednesday's Dallas Morning News saw Dolly all over Mario Tarradell's tally of the year's best country releases. Halos was No. 3, with him opining: "She's still the queen. Ms. Parton retains the bluegrass spirit of her last two albums as she returns to the traditional country sound that shaped her artistry. A remarkable record that proves this Tennessee mountain girl will always be hillbilly royalty." Pam Tillis' It's All Relative, which includes Dolly vocals, came in at No. 5, and Pinmonkey, which also includes Dolly vocals, was No. 9. He also chose Pinmonkey as the year's breakout artist. He ranked The Flatlanders' Now Again No. 1. And Dolly's Aug. 3 stop in Dallas was his choice for the third-best live performance of the year in the area, saying : "She doesn't sweat; she produces mountain dew, Ms. Parton told the sold-out crowd at the Granada. It was warm, yes, but mainly because of that heady heat that comes from players and singers in perfect sync, delivering one sweet note after the other." He chose a May 4 show by Alison Krauss for No. 1. Read his full lists here.
Dec. 24: More news on Dolly's possible live CD, DVD/video concert or television special from her shows earlier this month at Dollywood. The park confirms that the shows were taped for both audio and video but that no decisions have been made on what to do with them. She mentioned to the crowd a likelihood of a live album being released from the recording, but as Dolly herself had the shows recorded, it will be up to her to decide whether to release a video or DVD through her own label, seek another label to release them and/or seek a television network to air a special from the taping. As Dollywood Director of Publicity Pete Owens said to Dollymania: "It's better to have taped it and to figure that out later than to have wished you had!" Thanks, Pete!
Dolly makes two appearances on CMT.com's 10 best recordings of the year. Pinmokey's self-titled CD, featuring Dolly's gorgeous harmonies on a cover of her ballad "Falling Out Of Love With Me," comes in at No. 2, with reviewers noting: "Special recognition goes to this new band for resurrecting the long-forgotten" song. They add: "The whole album shines with youthful energy, but good ol' heartbreak never hurt anybody." And Dolly's own Halos & Horns ranks at No. 8, with the site saying: "Dolly's personality may be larger than life, but shattered love songs like 'Not for Me,' 'What a Heartbreak' and 'If Only' resonate with everyone. It's not all misery, though. 'These Old Bones' cracks me up every time." The Dixie Chicks' Home takes the No. 1 spot. Read the full list here.
Dec. 23: Here's another best of the year list: Sunday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette contained a round-up of several of its staff members' tallies, and one included Dolly! Andrew Morgan, under the title "I liked 'em when they came out, and I'm still playin' 'em," put Halos & Horns fourth out of 12, saying: "A legend, an American music treasure. 'Dagger Through the Heart' is a great hurtin' song; audacious cover of 'Stairway to Heaven.'" Read the paper's full lists here. Also, The Tennessean on Saturday released its best of 2002 list of CDs, and while Dolly's didn't make the top 10, one recording featuring her did make it: Pam Tillis' It's All Relative. Read their list here.
Halos & Horns remains steady for yet another week at No. 37 on the British independent label albums chart, released Sunday.
Dec. 21: I had mentioned at the start of the week that you'd be in for a treat with an "extra special" report coming from a "special place," and here it is! My Dolly pals Harrell Gabehart and Patric Parkey a few months back won a charity auction to spend last weekend in Dolly's apartment on the grounds of Dollywood and meet Miss Dolly herself! The loving fans that they are, they offered to share their experience with everyone else out there by providing Dollymania exclusive access to their full journal of the weekend's events and photos of Dolly's apartment and her benefit concerts for the Dollywood Foundation. So sit back, prepare to be envious, and click here to read their journal and access the photos for your own virtual tour of Dolly's apartment and concert! Thanks, guys!
An update to the story here yesterday on Dolly's BBC documentary to air Jan. 6: Apparently, the documentary is expected use the footage from her London concert, but the full concert itself will not air on television as a separate special. The tour's U.K. promoter confirmed to Dollymania that only one BBC camera was present at the show to record part of Dolly's performance "for illustrative purposes" only, meaning that while clips will likely air in the documentary, there was no recording of the entire concert. Thanks, Paul! And in another BBC note, I thought I had reported this, but an alert reader reminded me today that I hadn't. The BBC Radio 2 network will air a holiday music program hosted by Dolly on Christmas Day, according to its web site. Dolly will play some of her own holiday and non-holiday recordings, like including "Winter Wonderland," "Hello God" and "Travelin' Prayer," as well as seasonal songs by her friends such as Dwight Yoakum, The Texas Tornadoes, Wynonna, Garth Brooks, Take Six, Ricky Skaggs, James Taylor, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Trisha Yearwood, The Mavericks and Travis Tritt. The 55-minute show, titled Holly Dolly, is set to air at 3:05 p.m. British Winter Standard Time on Christmas Day. Read more about it here. Thanks, Keith! And still on the BBC, their web site has updated its Dec. 15 independent label albums chart, although there was no explanation why last Sunday's chart wasn't posted until Friday, but Dolly's Halos & Horns remains at No. 37 for the week.
Dec. 20: Pushed by continued gift-giving sales for the holiday, Dolly's Halos & Horns inches up one spot on both the country and independent label albums charts for its 23rd chart week to come in at No. 50 and No. 16, respectively, on the Dec. 28 numbers Billboard released on Thursday. The CD, which had peaked at No. 4 country this summer, remains steady at No. 6 on the bluegrass albums chart.
I've come across a couple other Best Of The Year lists featuring Dolly. Listeners to BBC Radio 2 chose Halos & Horns as one of the top 12 country releases of the year here, and Venus Zine, an American magazine covering "groundbreaking" women in the art world, selected it as the second-best album of the year in any genre here.
Dec. 19: Well, the year-end top music lists are starting to appear, and as expected, Dolly is getting some recognition for her amazing CD Halos & Horns. The Chicago Tribune on Sunday ranked it the seventh-best country release of 2002, with critic Chrissie Dickinson saying it proves "this lady still has the power to reduce the entire house to tears. A genuine country legend, Dolly's charisma, heartbreaking Appalachian soprano and songwriting skill rightly earned her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Although she has followed the pop muse at various times in her career, Parton returns again to her mountain roots for this collection." Read the full list here. Thanks, Bryan! And Thursday's issue of Nashville Scene features two Dolly mentions on its staff's lists. Bill Friskics-Warren places "Hello God" from the disc and Chuck D's "Twisted Sense of God" at No. 5 on his list of the most important musical efforts of the year, calling them "pop's two most passionate, incisive theological meditations on 9/11." He adds: "Parton's is the more searching, enlisting an Appalachian chamber quartet and gospel choir to call on heaven with her . . . Neither lets anyone off the hook, citing not just humanity's pervasive bad faith, but also the need for heaven and earth to forge peace and justice together here and now." Also, Bruce Dobie puts the CMA Awards as his seventh pick for the most important local events in Nashville, citing spectacular performances by Faith Hill, Dolly (saying with "Hello God" she "rang the rafters with an African American choir"), Rascal Flatts and Rebecca Lynn Howard. Read both lists here.
Although she didn't make the Rolling Stone best-of-the-year list, Dolly did get included in its annual year in review section. Under July, Dolly's releasing her cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" on Halos & Horns made their list of the most newsworthy musical developments of the year. A photo of Dolly performing at Today in New York that month is shown alongside her mention. Thanks, Mark!
Dec. 13: Dolly's Halos & Horns inches up one spot on both the country and bluegrass albums chart in its 22nd chart week to come in at No. 51 and No. 6, respectively, on the Dec. 21 tally, Billboard announced Thursday. It also moves up five places on the independent label albums chart to reach No. 17.
Dec. 9: Dolly's Halos & Horns moves up two to No. 37 on the British independent label albums chart this week, it was announced Sunday. The CD had peaked at No. 11 indie and No. 37 pop overseas earlier this year, plus held onto the No. 1 country album spot in Britain for 10 weeks.
Although I don't believe CMT is playing it, the cable music network Great American Country (GAC) has begun airing a music video of Dolly's current single, "Hello God," taken from her performance of the song on the CMA Awards. Click here to vote for it in GAC's weekly countdown and here to do a "write in" vote for it on CMT's MWL.
Dec. 7: Grammy voters are casting their initial ballots for next year's ceremonies, and Dolly has three entries in the preliminary list from which the nominees are chosen. According to a friend who has seen the ballot, Sugar Hill submitted Halos & Horns for consideration as Best Country Album and the album's single "Dagger Through The Heart" for Best Female Country Vocal Performance (the category which she won last year for "Shine"). In addition, Sony Music has submitted her appearance with Pam Tillis on "Violet And A Rose" from Pam's It's All Relative for Best Country Vocal Collaboration. Voters still have a little while to get their ballots in, and the top choices will make up the final nominations, which will be announced on Jan. 7. The awards will be handed out on Feb. 23. Here's hoping that Dolly gets nominated and wins all three categories, although I would have submitted her version of "Stairway To Heaven" for single and "Hello God" to one of the sacred music categories. Thanks!
Dec. 6: Dolly's Halos & Horns loses four spots to come in at No. 52 in its 21st week on the Dec. 14 country albums chart, Billboard announced Thursday; the album had peaked this summer at No. 4. It switches places with Patty Loveless' Bluegrass & White Snow: A Mountain Christmas, featuring Dolly guest vocals, to come in at No. 7 on the bluegrass albums chart, while Patty inches up to No. 5. Dolly also drops four places to No. 22 on the independent label albums chart.
The first published review I've seen anywhere for Dolly's final show of her European tour, last Friday night in Dublin, Ireland, was posted Monday on Show Biz Ireland, complete with a couple of great photos! The brief review called the show "thigh slapping" but mistook Dolly's teleprompters (which are to remind her of the lyrics) as cues for the audience to see the words and sing along. It also noted that the front row featured six women wearing shirts which spelled out "Hello Dolly." Read the full review, and see the pics, here. Thanks, Thea!
Dec. 4: Dolly's most recent CD is now available in songbook format, I'm told. While I haven't seen it myself, I'm told that the sheet music for the full CD Halos & Horns has been issued by Warner Brothers Publications (ISBN 0-7579-0947-7). Thanks, Sam!
Dec. 3: It's been several weeks since Dolly's album sales figures were updated here, and I've started getting e-mails asking about them, so here they are. As of this week, Halos & Horns has just passed the level of 125,000 copies sold in the U.S., up 34,000 from your last update or an average of about 3,100 copies per week. Little Sparrow stands at 201,000 units, up 22,000 from the last update or an average of about 2,000 copies per week. And The Grass Is Blue is at 182,000 CDs, up 3,000 from last update or an average of about 300 per week. Of course, these are SoundScan figures, which I understand do not include every sales outlet, and they also don't include CDs which have been shipped to stores but have yet to sell. Thanks, Rob! Bluegrass Unlimited on Monday issued its December bluegrass albums chart, and Dolly's Halos & Horns retains its peak No. 4 position in its fourth chart month.
Dec. 2: Dolly's Halos & Horns loses two spots to come in at No. 39 on this week's independent label albums chart in Britain. The CD had peaked at No. 11 indie and No. 37 pop overseas, plus held onto the No. 1 country album spot in Britain for 10 weeks.
Nov. 29: I was beginning to wonder if any Dollymania readers attended Dolly's concerts Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Glasgow, Scotland, but on Thursday I received messages from several fans who were there offering their recaps of the show and stories from Wednesday's local papers. I'm told that she didn't perform her amazing cover of "Stairway To Heaven" (although a couple of newspaper accounts said she did -- so maybe she did it at one show but not the other), but she did offer a new song about Scotland titled "Family Reunion" which told the story of the 17th and 18th century Scottish immigrants who settled the Appalachian Mountains where Dolly was raised, with one fan calling it "of the most haunting songs I've heard Dolly sing." The set list also included some new joke songs she's never recorded, including one about a woman bought sexy lingerie to turn her husband on, but instead he wanted to wear them -- and he looked better in them than she did! She closed with "I Will Always Love You." Although I'm told that the crowd was a little less enthusiastic than the wild audiences in London, she still had them eating out of the palm of her hand (which one fan noted is quite an achievement because Glasgow audiences are notorious for being "hard to please"). She was decked out in the pastel pink and green tight-fitting dress with a flower detail print and field of rhinestones she wore on The Grand Ole Opry. The Herald said "she could sing the words from a cuppa soup packet and make the contents sound as wholesome and downhome as her mom's cookin'. It's not just an evening with Dolly, either; it's a lifetime condensed into an hour-and-
three-quarters of reminiscing, joshing and singalonga Dolly hits." (Unfortunately, I couldn't find it posted on the paper's website.) Brief but raving reviews also appeared in the Scottish Daily Record here and the Glasgow Evening Times here (with a photo!). While we're discussing her European tour, London's The Observer recently posted a review of her concerts there last week which originally appeared in the paper's Sunday print edition calling her "a vision of joy." Read it here. And one final note: According to published reports, concert-goers experienced massive traffic delays on their way to Dolly's Wednesday night show, as discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb caused the main road to the concert venue to be closed. Thanks, Mark, Kirsteen and David! Dolly's sold-out European tour closes Friday in Dublin, Ireland.
The 20th chart week for Dolly's Halos & Horns sees it lose 13 spots to No. 48 on the Dec. 7 country albums chart, Billboard announced Thursday; the album had peaked this summer at No. 4. However, it remains steady for another week at No. 5 on the bluegrass albums chart and drops five places to No. 18 on the independent label albums chart.
Nov. 26: Dolly's Saturday night concert in Belfast, Northern Ireland, got a rave review in Monday's Belfast Telegraph, quoting much of her stage banter and noting she performed a newly-penned song called "We Irish." Read it here. Also, UTV offered a recap from her appearance on Friday's Gerry Kelly Show, including her assertion that she plans to return to Northern Ireland next year for a tour with more dates in larger venues. Read it here. Dolly's sold-out European tour next rolls into Glasgow, Scotland, on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. (Anyone who can e-mail a recap and, if available, photos, please do so here. Thanks!)
Nov. 25: Dolly's European tour is having an impact on record sales overseas. Halos & Horns returns to the top 40 of Sunday's British independent albums chart at No. 37, up from No. 42.
Glasgow's Sunday Herald had a great interview with Dolly in advance of her shows there Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Read it here. And the Belfast Telegraph had a small preview in Saturday's paper complete with an interview with the newspaper's winner for tickets to her concert before her show that night. Read it here. Pat attended Dolly's Manchester, England, concert this month, at which her children presented Dolly with a pink rose and white teddy bear with a halo. If anyone has photos from the concert of Dolly holding these items or of the children handing them to her, their family would like to buy copies. E-mail them here.
Nov. 23: I'm told fans should not expect any major security changes which might impact their viewing of the remainder of Dolly's European concerts. Several fans wrote in to ask if they should be aware of any upgraded security measures for the remaining dates of her sold-out tour overseas following some fans who ran on stage and tried to hug Dolly at the end of her second London show. Paul Fenn of Asgard, the concert promoters who put the tour together, tells Dollymania: "It wasn't that big a deal. Probably half a dozen slightly inebriated fans ran onto the stage at the very end of the very last song - our security did exactly as they were meant to do which was in two parts; a) protect Dolly by taking her off the stage, and b) remove the interlopers from the stage. The security was unobtrusive but alert - and will remain exactly the same for the rest of the tour - no changes are planned. " Thanks, Paul! Dolly's tour continues in Northern Ireland Saturday night with a show in Belfast, followed by Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, wrapping up in Dublin, Ireland, on Nov. 29.
Nov. 22: Another update on Dolly's London show and the filmmakers there: The ones interviewing fans were not connected with the BBC concert special set to air in January. Instead they were the same American crew which has been interviewing fans stateside for a documentary reportedly titled For The Love Of Dolly. As has previously been reported here, they were at the Dollywood season opening this year and other spots where Dolly was present to talk with fans. No word yet on when they plan to wrap up shooting or have the film released. Also, my pal Thea sent in some great shots of Dolly from the London stage. You may view them here! Thanks, Thea!
Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns falls off the Nov. 30 country singles chart after one week at No. 60, Billboard announced Thursday. (Everyone call your local stations to request it and let's see if we can get it back on the chart! Chris at Dolly Parton Central has a list of radio station request lines here, and there's a list of some on Dollymania here.) The CD itself loses five spots on the country albums chart to come in at No. 35 in its 19th chart week. It remains steady on the bluegrass albums chart at No. 5 and drops five on the independent label albums chart to No. 13. However, it falls back off the pop albums chart after last week's re-entry to No. 199 for a 10th chart week.
Nov. 21: Several other fans have sent in some descriptions of Dolly's London appearances from earlier this week. Mika complained that the over-eager fans who jumped on stage almost "spoiled" the show (she said they appeared to be drunk). Thea said Dolly was "marvelous!" And Stuart and Stephen write in with the biggest news of all: the BBC has scheduled Dolly's concert to be aired as a television special on Jan. 6! They and others who wrote in said they were interviewed by a film crew (it is unclear if this was in connection with the BBC special or if this is a separate documentary project) asking why people love Dolly and why she has become so popular again in the U.K. They described the audience as "extremely diverse" and the atmosphere as "unbelievably electric." Dolly was described as appearing "quite moved" at the audience's reaction to her and was "really on form" with all of her jokes, especially when she confused some of the lyrics on "The Grass Is Blue" and began laughing. As with all Dolly concerts, the audience was very happy and no one wanted it to end. Their only criticism was that they thought she should have included more of her older material, since she hasn't played live in the U.K. for two decades, so many in the audience expected she would sing more of her hits from that 20-year period. They concluded with "Let's hope it's not another 20 years before Dolly returns back to the UK where her popularity has almost reached cult status." Also, Andrew, who sent in the first reports here on Dolly's European concerts, sent in a couple of photos he took at the shows in London. Although they're a bit blurry, you can tell it's Dolly! See them here and here.Thanks to everyone who sent in their news! Dolly's sold-out European tour continues Saturday night in Belfast, Tuesday and Wednesday in Glasgow and Nov. 29 in Dublin.
Nov. 20: Dollymania is pleased to bring you the first news of Dolly's second London appearance this week, and although my contact overseas said it was great, he noted that she performed even better at Monday night's show. But there were a few problems on Tuesday. Although several in the audience were "really rowdy," they remained "friendly" with those around them. There was one group, however, of several young women in their late teens or early 20s described as "disruptive." About seven of these ladies jumped on stage as Dolly finished an encore of "Stairway To Heaven." I'm told Dolly and her security guards appeared to be taken by surprise. When one of the girls grabbed Dolly on stage to hug her, security quickly appeared and whisked Dolly off the stage. I'm told, though, that the evening's highlights were a "fantastic" vocal performance on "I Will Always Love You" and an "amazing" live version of "Stairway To Heaven." At Monday night's show, Dolly was reported to have been extremely exuberant, talking and joking with the audience much more than she did in Manchester last week, and the crowd was "electric." She dropped "Down From Dover" from the set list, replacing it with "After The Goldrush," but stunned the crowd with her surprise encore of "Stairway To Heaven," described as a performance that "just blew me away" by my contact at the show. The first published review of the show appeared in Tuesday's London Evening Standard, which would have been on newsstands there late, late Monday night U.S. time, but it was not posted on their website as of Tuesday night. The London Telegraph posted a review of Monday's show Tuesday evening, and while the reviewer loved her songs (even calling her version of "Stairway To Heaven" an "improvement on the original"), he didn't care for her "scripted" banter. Read the review here. (And look for some possible photos here in the next few days!) Thanks, Andrew!
Nov. 19: London's The Guardian on Monday offered its review of Dolly's Friday concert in Manchester, England, also giving it four out of five stars. The reviewer said she proved she "is a bigger icon than ever to country fans, pop fans, gay men, bra manufacturers and Dolly-ed up teenage girls who clearly find this 'Dumb Blonde,' as her 1967 hit had it, more fun than Madonna." Her power over the audience was called "effortless," and the reviewer said she "delivers her songs like stories told across the garden fence." Read the full review here. Her European tour continues Monday and Tuesday nights in London, Saturday in Belfast, Nov. 26 and 27 in Glasgow and Nov. 29 in Dublin.
Nov. 18: The Times of London on Saturday offered its review of Dolly's opening night concert of her first European tour in two decades, giving it four out of five stars. The article about her Friday night show in Manchester, England, started out saying: "Somewhere between the big boobs and blonde wig that have come to define Dolly Parton lies one of music's business brains. Parton was the first female successfully to blend country and pop, two decades before Sheryl Crow and Shania Twain. She became a brand before anyone knew what brands were and now, at the age of 56, she has staged a comeback as slick as Santana's." Her outfit was described as "an all-in-one trouser suit that not even Liz Hurley would dare to wear . . . powder blue, skin-tight and almost see-through, studded with rhinestones and slashed to her chest at the top and below each knee, where it turned into cascades of ruffles." As soon as she entered the stage, she received a standing ovation. The reviewer said "Train Train" and "The Grass Is Blue" set the night's mood, and "Shine" and "Little Sparrow" proved "she's as powerful a singer as she is a songwriter." Read the full review here. Also, Manchester Online has posted a review here (with a small photo, too!), calling it a concert in which the "emotional and melodic primary colours" of the music of her youth "looms large." And Andrew, who provided the recap published here Friday night, wrote in again to add that the audience was a bit older than at her U.S. shows and wasn't very enthusiastic for the first few songs, apparently rattling Dolly enough that she messed up the ending of "My Tennessee Mountain Home," finishing before her band did, but she joked about the mistake on stage. However, by about mid-way through her set, the audience was just as captivated and excited as those stateside were. Also, when she introduced the sped-up version of "Two Doors Down," she got a little tongue-tied, providing another laugh for the crowd before she sang it perfectly. He noted that these "off-guard moments" made the show "very endearing." Thanks, Andrew! The sold-out tour continues with London concerts on Monday and Tuesday nights, Belfast on Saturday, Glasgow Nov. 26 and 27 and Dublin on Nov. 29.
Nov. 16: Dollymania is pleased to be the first to provide details on Dolly's first concert in her European tour! I'm told that Dolly was as amazing as ever in the show Friday night in Manchester, England. Her set list was pretty much the same as her U.S. shows this summer, except for the surprising addition of "Down From Dover" between "Marry Me" and "Halos And Horns." Thanks, Andrew! And Manchester Online posted an article prior to the show in which she talks about her music (she wants to do pop as well as country, noting that she'd feel "isolated and lacking accomplishment if I just did this acoustic music for the rest of my life" and also wants to have another dance hit), her large gay fan base, drag queens and plastic surgery. Read it here. Tickets as of Friday for all of her shows overseas were selling between $150 and $500 each on ebay. The sold-out tour continues with dates in London Monday and Tuesday nights; Belfast, Northern Ireland, next Saturday; Glasgow, Scotland, Nov. 26 and 27; and Dublin, Ireland, on Nov. 29.
Nov. 15: Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns debuts on the Nov. 23 country singles chart, Billboard announced Thursday! The Sept. 11th-inspired song which she performed on the CMA Awards comes in at No. 60 on the 60-position chart and marks Dolly's first return to the singles chart for a new song in four years, when "Honky Tonk Songs" topped out at No. 74 -- before the magazine cut the 15 bottom positions from the chart -- and her first chart appearance since 1984's "Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride" went to No. 70 in a Christmas 1998-1999 re-issue. It is her highest chart appearance since the Vince Gill duet on "I Will Always Love You" went to No. 15 in 1995. It marks her 102nd song to chart on the country side and 107th single to reach any of the Billboard charts. (So everyone needs to keep calling their local radio stations to get it aired more so it can climb up the charts!) The CD itself doesn't jump as high as I expected it would due to post-CMA sales, but its 21-point leap to No. 31 on the country albums chart in its 18th chart week was due to the largest sales increase of the week out of all country CDs, earning it the "Pacesetter" distinction on the chart. Over on the independent albums chart, its 31-notch increase to No. 8 was the largest of all indie label albums, giving it the "Greatest Gainer" honor for that chart. The album remained steady at No. 5 on the bluegrass chart, and as was reported here Wednesday night, re-enters the pop albums chart at No. 199 for a 10th chart week there.
Dolly has arrived in Europe for her seven-date, five-city tour of England, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland, which kicks off Friday night in Manchester, England. ITV News posted a story Thursday afternoon about an address she made that morning to a government-sponsored skills fair in town convened to discuss the importance of education. Known across America for her blossoming literacy program, she told those gathered at SkillCity: "Many of my relatives had little or no education. My own father was unable to read or write. I have always wondered what he could have been had he been able to, since he was one of the smartest people I have ever known. Isn't it more embarrassing not knowing how to read and write than it is to be learning in this day and age? You're never too old to learn. Get on with it - you can do it!" Read the full story here. (And anyone attending the show is asked to please send reports and photos, if available, here. Thanks!)
Nov. 14: The anticipated sales increases associated with performing before a national television audience at an awards show is coming for Dolly's Halos & Horns when Billboard releases its Nov. 23 charts on Thursday, the first one to reflect post-CMA Awards purchases. Rolling Stone.com reported Wednesday night that the album returns to the magazine's 200-CD pop albums chart at No. 199, marking its 10th week on that chart. The CD has been missing from the pop side of the charts for nine weeks; it peaked at No. 58 pop and No. 4 country. Based on its pop position, it should jump up on the country albums chart to somewhere between No. 20 and No. 25, compared to No. 52 in the Nov. 16 list for its 17th chart week.
Nov. 12: Sugar Hill Records has posted a Windows Media download of Dolly's new single, "Hello God," online. You may click here to access the song (although overseas readers may be unable to download it). Thanks, Rob!
Nov. 8: Dolly's Halos & Horns drops five spots to No. 52 in its 17th chart week in the Nov. 16 Billboard country albums chart. The CD remains steady at No. 5 on the bluegrass albums chart but drops one on the independent label albums chart to No. 39.
Nov. 6: While I was on vacation, I stopped into Virgin Megastore, which we unfortunately don't have in our area, and I learned that they are promoting Halos & Horns on their Virgin Recommends CD Volume 8, which you get free when purchasing any CD on the "recommended" list. The promotional CD, which is manufactured by Virgin and MTV, is mostly fringe rock and pop acts, such as Ash, The Flaming Lips, Lamya and Interpol. However, the final track on the 16-cut disc is "I'm Gone," accompanied with the text: "Tennessee songbird Dolly Parton may reign as country music royalty, yet on her most recent album she proves to be so much more. Simply listen to new songs, including an emotional version of 'Stairway To Heaven,' and you'll know that she now sings from a wise, reverent place that is beyond this world."
Unfortunately, the CD falls out of the top 40 Americana Radio Chart released Tuesday, down from No. 30 for the previous week.
Nov. 5: In the Nov. 9 Billboard chart released Thursday, Dolly's Halos & Horns slips five spots to No. 47 for its 16th chart week. The CD remains steady at No. 5 on the bluegrass albums chart but falls off of the independent label albums chart, down from No. 26 the previous week.
The new Bluegrass Unlimited bluegrass albums chart for November places Dolly's Halos & Horns at No. 4 for its third chart month, up from No. 6 in October. The magazine's November issue will also feature a review of the disc, although its text is not available on their website.
Oct. 30: Dolly's Halos & Horns lost five more places on the Americana Radio Chart released Thursday, down to No. 30 with 238 recorded "spins" of its songs.
Oct. 28: Dolly's Halos & Horns fell out of the British pop albums top 75 chart again this week, it was announced Sunday, dropping from No. 75 in its seventh week on the chart. (However, it is likely still in the top 3 on the country albums chart, but that one is no longer publicly available to my knowledge.) The CD also falls out of the top 40 of the British independent albums chart, down from No. 40. It spent about 10 weeks at No. 1 on the country side of the chart overseas.
Oct. 25: Dolly's Halos & Horns loses four more spaces on the Nov. 2 Billboard country albums chart released Thursday, coming in at No. 42 in its 15th chart week. The album remains steady on both the independent albums chart and bluegrass albums chart, at No. 26 and No. 5, respectively.
On the Americana chart released Wednesday, the CD fell five spaces to No. 25, with cuts receiving 238 spins on radio, down from 259 the previous week.
Oct. 22: Got a reminder today that the BBC still posts the British independent album and singles charts (although they just list the top 40 instead of the full 75), and Dolly's Halos & Horns is No. 40 on this week indie albums list, down from its re-entry into the chart at No. 30 last week. On the singles chart, "If" falls out of the indie top 40 this week, down from its re-entry at No. 15 last week. Thanks, Michelle!
Oct. 21: Dolly's "If" from Halos & Horns falls off the 75-position British pop singles chart after just one week at No. 73, it was announced Sunday. As was reported here last week the, single was just Dolly's sixth appearance on the chart across the pond. The CD itself drops a dozen spots on the pop albums chart to come in at No. 75 for its seventh week (which would make its ninth or 10th week at No. 1 on the country albums chart, if it were still published).
Oct. 18: Congratulations to Calvin Bailey III of Middletown, N.Y., who takes home the Grand Prize in the Dollymania/Sugar Hill Records Contest! He'll receive an autographed copy of Dolly's Halos & Horns, a promo CD of the radio show to promote the album, an album flat and promotional photo of her from Sugar Hill Records. The three lucky first place winners (each of whom will receive the radio show CD, album flat and promo photo) are Brenda Willis of Cherryville, N.C., Jeff Lewis of Ringgold, Ga., and Mike Gleason of Georgetown, Ohio. Congratulations to all of you! And thanks to the hundreds of readers (from 40 states!) who entered the contest (and the dozens from outside the U.S. who had tried to enter but couldn't; sorry -- the record label restricted entries to U.S. residents only). To those who didn't win, check back soon. I plan to hold another contest in a few weeks, likely with a Dolly item or two of which I have an extra copy. And thanks again to Sugar Hill Records for making the contest possible!
Dolly's Halos & Horns continues a slow descent on the Billboard charts released Thursday. In its 14th chart week, the CD loses four spots on the Oct. 26 country albums chart to come in at No. 34 and eight places on the independent albums chart to register at No. 26, but it remains steady at No. 5 on the bluegrass albums chart.
Oct. 16Dolly is all over the new issue of Power Source magazine. The Quick Takes column includes a photo of Dolly with the title "On The Big Screen," detailing her Mae West television movie soon to be filmed, her appearance as an angel in the upcoming Disney animated film My Peoples, "Marry Me" being included on the Sweet Home Alabama soundtrack and her duet with Dottie Rambo on "Stand By The River." An article titled "Selah Says Hello Dolly!" mentions her new recording of her "Once Upon A Christmas" for the Christian band's Oct. 29 release Rose Of Bethlehem, and the "Road To Success" section contains a publicity shot of Dolly and Dottie with brief bios of the two and quotes from major DJs in large markets saying their single is in heavy rotation. The story notes: "The
similarities in Dolly's and Dottie's writing style and their heartfelt vocals have often linked these two, but this is truly music history as these two legends in American music combine their talents to create a song, which will surely go down in Christian Country Music history." Also, the magazine's Top 50 bluegrass chart debuts two Dolly cuts: "Stand By The River" at No. 21 and Dolly's "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns at No. 18.
BBC Scotland has posted a separate link to Dolly's recent interview on the Tom Morton Show, which I'm told will remain online as long as there's an interest in hearing it. (Previously, it had been available on the network's "Listen Again" page, where programs are deleted after one week -- meaning Dolly's interview had been removed as of Monday.) Visit the show's page here to listen to the interview! Thanks, Kirsteen! Halos & Horns drops a bit on the Americana Radio Chart released Tuesday, down eight spots to No. 12 with 259 radio spins recorded.
Oct. 14: Dolly's cover of Bread's song "If" from her CD Halos & Horns debuts this week on the British pop charts, it was announced Sunday. The song comes in at No. 73 on the 75-position chart, her first time on the singles chart there in eight years. Although she's always been very popular across the Atlantic, she hasn't had much chart success there with singles. Her only previous songs on the U.K. chart were "Jolene" (No. 7, 1976), "9 to 5" (No. 47, 1981), "Islands In The Stream" (No. 7, 1983), "Here You Come Again" (No. 75, 1984) and "The Day I Fall In Love" with James Ingram (No. 64, 1994). The album Halos & Horns also returns to the top 75 pop albums chart for a sixth week, coming in at No. 63.
Oct. 11: Dolly's Halos & Horns takes a dip for its 13th chart week on the Oct. 19 albums tallies released Thursday by Billboard. The CD falls eight spots on the country chart to No. 34; it had peaked at No. 4. Over on the bluegrass charts, it drops two places to No. 5, and it's down two on the independent label albums chart to No. 18.
The BBC has posted video of Dolly's interview on the network's Thursday evening news program online. You may watch the nearly three-minute clip here.
Oct. 10: Hot Country Singles Chart sponsored by Hill Topper Music Group and Glory Train Records of indie singles based on repeated airplay puts Dolly and Dottie Rambo at No. 1 for the Sept. 14-Oct. 4 chart period for their new duet "Stand By The River." Dolly also comes in at No. 28 for "Dagger Through The Heart" (plus sister Stella's current single is No. 61, and her band leader Randy Kohrs' single "Little By Little" is No. 62)!
on newsstands now is the October/November issue of Country Music Magazine as a special 30th anniversary edition of the publication with Dolly featured throughout, including a new review of Halos & Horns, which the magazine gives three and a half stars noting that it and her two other Sugar Hill releases rank up there with her early albums (which the reviewer says are "among the greatest country music ever made") and saying that the album "finds the Blue Ridge Mountain Girl still planted on an artistic peak." And speaking of Halos, the album jumped up seven spots on this week's Americana Music Chart to No. 12, with its songs registering 322 spins on radio across the country. Darlene at CCMA confirmed Wednesday that Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos will be sent to Christian radio around the first week of November as part of a promotional compilation disc by HMG Music in Nashville which will also contain her duet with Dottie Rambo. Thanks, Darlene! Dolly performed her new European single, "If," on the British television show GMTV on Wednesday wearing a pale blue dress with gold details and her shoulder-length feathery wig. The show posted a few notes on Dolly and a couple of quotes from her interview on its website here. She also appeared Tuesday night on The Frank Skinner Show in a pink dress with gold flowers. Her appearance on that show featured discussions of Dollywood, the international success of "I Will Always Love You," and a performance of "Hey Good Lookin'" with Ian Thorpe and The Appleton Sisters. Thanks, Suzi! And Voice Of An Angel has reported that remaining stops include appearances on Gloria Hunniford Open House and BBC-1's 6 p.m. newscast on Thursday, a second GMTV performance on Friday and The Des O'Conner Show on Monday, during which she'll tape several song performances to be broadcast throughout next week. Thanks, Brian, for reminding me of these listings!
Oct. 8: Although her appearance hasn't been officially announced or publicly confirmed by awards officials, Dolly said on a radio program in Scotland Monday that she will, in fact, perform her Sept. 11th tribute song, "Hello God," on the Nov. 6 CMA Awards broadcast. She also said that the song will be the second U.S. single from Halos & Horns. This is the first time Dolly has indicated that she is scheduled to sing on the program. Prior to this week, she's been saying that she "hopes" it will be a single and that she "hopes" to sing on the awards show, but this week she said that she "will." The awards program will be broadcast live on CBS. Dolly's comments came during The Tom Morton Show on BBC Scotland Monday. Other topics of conversation included the popularity of roots music, her songwriting and the new album. An interesting comment concerned her cover of "Stairway To Heaven" from the new CD. She said some people like it, some don't, and still others don't like it the first time they hear it but become more fond of it after a few listens, including her husband. She said she didn't let him hear it before it was finished, and when he took a listen for the first time she could tell he wasn't very fond of it but didn't want to hurt her feelings, telling her only: "Well it's different. I'll give you that." You may listen to the entire nearly 25-minute interview through the end of the week by visiting BBC Scotland's Listen Again page here. Scroll down to "Tom Morton" and click on "Mon." Dolly's portion starts about 18 minutes into the program.
Oct. 7: Dolly's publicity tour is on a roll overseas, kicking off with a CD signing in Belfast on Friday (see a photo and read a brief in The Irish Independent here, but you must first register for their site). Other notes: * The Belfast Telegraph had a story about Dolly and her Scots-Irish heritage, taken from a full interview Dolly had with the newspaper to be printed in its Monday night edition. Read an abbreviated version of the interview here. Among items noted in it: Dolly plans a tour of larger venues in the U.K. next year. * She appeared on the BBC2 radio network's Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday in a very flirtatious interview, talking about her tour, the album and more, including the fact that there's a BBC film crew following her for a documentary during this trip. Visit the show's site here, where you may access Saturday's broadcast (Dolly appears about two and a half hours into the program, so you'll need to hit "skip 5 min" several times to get there if you don't want to hear the entire three-hour show.) Thanks, Andrew! * A fan overseas has discovered a couple of additional Dolly appearances in the U.K. while she's there. According to TV listings, she says, Dolly is scheduled for The Frank Skinner Show at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday and GMTV for 6 a.m. Wednesday. Thanks, Suzi! * And, as was first reported here more than a month ago, her cover of Bread's "If" hits radio stations and stores as a single on Monday.
Oct. 4: Thanks to a sales spike following Dolly's appearance on NPR's Morning Edition last week (hear the entire interview here), Halos & Horns is designated the "Greatest Gainer" on both the country albums chart and independent label albums chart for the Oct. 12 Billboard edition released Thursday, meaning of all CDs on either chart, Dolly had the largest increase in sales figures for the week. She jumps up six spots on the country chart to No. 26, six spots on the indie chart to No. 16 and one spot on the bluegrass chart to No. 3. The album is in its 12th chart week.
Oct. 3: Want a copy of Halos & Horns autographed by Miss Dolly? Want professional prints of promotional photos from the album? Want a CD of the album's radio special? And more? Dollymania in cooperation with Sugar Hill Records is offering a great prize pack to one lucky fan who enters a contest here, with three great first-prize winners to receive materials as well! Click here for full details and information on how to enter! Entries will only be accepted for the next two weeks, so send yours in today!
Dolly's Halos & Horns slips five more spots on the weekly Americana chart released Tuesday, down to No. 19. Its songs logged 270 spins for the week, down from 305 in the previous week. U.K. record dealer HMV has announced that Dolly will sign copies of the CD in person at its Grafton Street store in Dublin from 12:15 p.m. until 1:15 p.m. on Friday and at its Oxford Circus location at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Sept. 30: The Miami Herald on Sunday included Dolly's Halos & Horns in a list of 11 recommended CDs of "traditional" country music in stores now along with the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and the Dixie Chicks' Home, among others. Halos and Home were the only two in the group to get the paper's highest review level, four stars. About Dolly's album, reviewer Howard Cohen noted: "Not many artists can craft the best album of their career 35 years after making their debut. Dolly did. 'These Old Bones,' an amusing and touching story about a misunderstood mountain psychic, is of a piece with her earliest story songs like 'Coat of Many Colors.' Parton's transformation of Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' from overplayed classic rock staple to Southern gospel marvel is a stroke of genius." Dolly also appears on two of the remaining 10 CDs listed. Read the full list here.
Sept. 27: Dolly's Halos & Horns loses three more spots on the Oct. 5 Billboard country albums chart released Thursday, coming in at No. 32 for its 11th chart week. The album had peaked at No. 4. It is down four on the independent label albums chart, down to No. 22. It remains steady on the bluegrass albums chart at No. 4.
Sept. 26: The second part of Dolly's Morning Edition interview provided NPR listeners a good overview of the new CD, Halos & Horns, with clips played of the new version of "Shattered Image" as well as "These Old Bones," "Sugar Hill" and "Stairway To Heaven." She talked about how "Shattered" was an old song but that she felt it was appropriate given that she's still always in the tabloids and how some of the worst stories they publish about her hurt. She also offered some of the stories she felt were the "craziest" they've published about her. On "These Old Bones," she talked about how she first did the old lady's voice as a joke and it then hit her that it would be great to record it that way. She also discussed briefly the fact that she's no longer played on most radio stations but that a handful are starting to play cuts from her three most recent albums. Listen to Wednesday's 7-minute, 8-second segment from NPR's website here (and Tuesday's installment here). NPR has also posted the entire half-hour interview here (since the aired versions have song clips, that amounts to more than 20 minutes of extra material). Among the "bonus" material: discussion on other songs from the new CD, that she plans to direct the video for "These Old Bones" herself, more on the tabloid stories, her movies, her other bluegrass-style covers, more on her childhood, "Jolene," her business interests, the Mae West movie, touring and more. And of course they have a story based on the interview here< | |