Fifty years ago Monday, Porter & Dolly hold a press conference announcing the "restructuring" of their organization; although it is said that Porter will continue to produce Dolly's records and that they will record duets, he only produces one additional solo album of hers, and their final duet album isn't released for five years. Fifty-four years ago Tuesday, Porter & Dolly record "Lost Forever in Your Kiss" for their Together Always album; released as a single more than six months later, it reaches No. 9. Fifty-three years ago Tuesday, Porter & Dolly's Together Always debuts on the country album charts; it would go to No. 3 to be their most successful duet album on the country charts. Forty-seven years ago Tuesday, Heartbreaker enters its fourth of nine weeks at No. 1 on the country album charts; it reaches No. 27 pop. That same day, the single "Heartbreaker" makes it to No. 1 country charts (Dolly's ninth), a position it holds for three weeks; it would reach No. 37 pop, No. 12 adult contemporary. Fifty-eight years ago Wednesday, Porter & Dolly record their first duet, "The Last Thing On My Mind," for their debut duet album; released as their first single two months later, it peaks at No. 7; their first full duet album, Just Between You and Me, comes out three months after the song is recorded. Thirty-one years ago Wednesday, the AIDS benefit album Red, Hot & Country, which includes a new version of George Jones' "You Gotta Be My Baby" by Dolly, debuts on the album charts; it reaches No. 30 country, No. 183 pop. Sixty years ago Thursday, Dolly's first national chart single, “Happy, Happy Birthday Baby,” produced by Ray Stevens, debuts on the pop charts; it peaks at No. 108 and comes two years before her first country chart single. Twenty-one years ago Thursday, Dolly's concert CD Live And Well debuts on the albums charts; it reaches No. 22 country, No. 161 pop and No. 12 indie, while the companion DVD makes it to No. 36 music video. Fifty-seven years ago Sunday, “Jeanie's Afraid of the Dark” with Porter debuts on the country charts; the B-side of their No. 5 hit “We'll Get Ahead Someday,” it makes it to No. 51. Thirty-six years ago Sunday, Steel Magnolias, Dolly's fourth feature film, is released; by the end of its run it becomes her third major film success by grossing more than $84 million. Thirty-two years ago Sunday, Slow Dancing with the Moon, Dolly's most recent U.S. platinum album, reaches that status with more than 1 million copies sold (Dolly's sixth) eight months after its release. Twenty-nine years ago Sunday, “Just When I Needed You Most,” Dolly's 102nd country chart single, debuts; it peaks at No. 62.
Upcoming television appearances
(All times Eastern unless noted)
The RCA Sessions (1968-1976), 22-song digital collection of rare Porter & Dolly songs first released on the 2014 complete recordings boxed set, April 5
Love & Music 1973 Porter & Dolly album, digital release, March 29
We Found It 1973 Porter & Dolly album, digital release, Feb. 1
Vegas Residency Postponed A Year For the third time in the past few weeks, Dolly last week revealed a health issue prevented her from making a public appearance, but this time it appears to be more serious and will postpone her sold out Las Vegas residency to a year from now, nine months later than originally scheduled. In a message to fans on social media, Dolly revealed her continuing health issues will require surgeries to correct, preventing her from adequate rehearsal for the December string of shows at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace. Her statement read: “I want the fans and public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts. As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it's not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon! In all seriousness, given this, I am not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see, and the show that you deserve to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you. While I'll still be able to work on all of my projects from here in Nashville, I just need a little time to get show ready, as they say. And don't worry about me quittin' the business because God hasn't said anything about stopping yet. But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you. I love you and thank you for understanding.” The six shows Dec. 4-13 will now run Sept. 17-26, 2026. Tickets will be honored for the new dates, and refunds will be available for those who can't make it. No information was given about the nature of the medical issues or surgeries, but she had previously cancelled Imagination Library appearances last month citing an inner ear infection that prevented her from flying to New Mexico and Montana on Aug. 27, and then earlier this month she said a kidney stone that had led to an infection prevented her from driving from Nashville to Dollywood to announce the park's 2026 addition on Sept. 17. She historically has been very private about her health, rarely sharing information about health issues, which makes these three announcements concerning to fans who are praying for her recovery.
Dolly Helps Wiggles Get Nomination Kids entertainers The Wiggles received a nomination last week from the ARIA Awards in Australis for Best Children's Album for their country outing Wiggle Up, Giddy Up, which contains two Dolly covers and two additional Dolly collaborations. Winners will be announced Nov. 19.
'Butterfly' Falls From The Charts After one week at No. 1 on the country digital song sales chart and one week at No. 6 on the all-genre digital songs chart, Dolly and the Zac Brown Band's "Butterfly" falls off both tallies in the Sept. 27 Billboard numbers released last Tuesday. In other charts:
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 7 pop albums, Malone No. 2 Australian country albums, and Beyonce No. 16 country.
Stateside, Carpenter comes in at No. 14 pop albums, Malone No. 53 pop albums and No. 8 country albums, and Beyonce falls off the top 50 country albums chart.
First created as "Duane's Dolly Pages" in 1996, and becoming Dollymania in 1998, this is the oldest continually operating Internet site dedicated to Dolly Parton and the ONLY regularly-updated resource about her available anywhere in the world!
Past news
Sept. 23: Reba Interview With Dolly Streams Thursday
Dolly on Monday announced TalkShopLive will on Thursday stream an interview Reba taped with her about a month ago to promote her upcoming book Star Of The Show: My Life On Stage. The interview will air here and in the media player above at 8 p.m. Eastern Thursday.
Dolly Misses New Ride Announcement Last Week
For the second time in a month, Dolly's health kept her from a scheduled public appearance. Last time it was an ear inflection preventing flying and this time it was kidney stones and an infection from them that prevented driving from Nashville to Dollywood to announce the park's 2026 ride addition, NightFlight Exhibition, a first of its kind in the world attraction combining flight, a coaster, whitewater rapids boating, and lake sailing in an indoor dark ride themed around bioluminescence.
Dolly welcomed the crowd Wednesday via a pre-taped video explaining her absence before park officials discussed the ride. Watch the announcement here or in the media player above, and learn more about the ride here.
"I'm just so proud that Dollywood has grown so much in its first 40 years that we're able to add a ride like NightFlight Expedition," Dolly said. "I have no doubt it's going to be a huge part of Dollywood's next 40 years. We're always trying to take the natural beauty of the Smokies and make it part of everything we're doing in the park, and they've definitely been able to do it with this ride. A lot of people ask me about my favorite season in the Smokies, but no one ever asks me what my favorite time of day is. Our new ride sends you out into the mountains at night, which is the time that I think they really come to life! Obviously, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for the synchronous lightning bugs, but I also love to just sit and listen to the owls calling or the frogs croaking, and I love to see the stars sparkling like rhinestones up in the big old sky. It's pure mountain magic."
The more than $50 million attraction in Wildwood Grove takes an amphibious ride vehicle through vivid multimedia projections, dynamic onboard and offboard audio, as well as special lighting effects, to immerse guests in an extraordinary Smoky Mountain adventure classified as an indoor family hybrid coaster and whitewater river raft ride. The five-and-a-half-minute adventure begins with a nighttime flight over the Smokies, followed by a whitewater rafting excursion through more than 500,000 gallons of surging water, a mountain ridge roller coaster ride, and a boat cruise across a mysterious shimmering lake. With a 39-inch height requirement, the ride operates in a temperature-controlled 44,000 square-foot building so it can operate independently of the park's weather. It is expected to open in spring 2026.
Check out additional coverage from Amusement Todayhere and The Knoxville News-Sentinelhere.
In addition, the park last week began taking presale orders for season pass renewals, announcing new pass purchasers will be able to buy in a presale starting Oct. 13 if they register in advance. Changes to passes include:
The Summer Fun Pass, introduced this season as an East Tennessee resident Volunteer Pass, will now be available nationwide for $125 to visit the park from mid-April to mid-September.
Silver pass, $160 in the presale, will still have the final three weeks of the season blacked out for ages 10 and up (no blackouts for ages 9 and under) but will no longer come with any free Bring a Friend tickets. Instead, passholders will be able to purchase up to three BAFs for $50 each with no blackout dates ($35 each for up to two additional at Splash if two-park pass). However, silver passholders will now receive a 10 percent discount on food and merch in the park. Previously, the silver discount was only applicable to lodging and you had to buy gold or diamond for food and merch discounts.
Gold pass, $235 in the presale, will still include one free BAF for the theme park (and a second free BAF for the water park if you buy the two-park version of the pass) plus the ability to buy up to three additional BAFs for $45 each ($30 each for up to two additional at Splash if two-park pass). They continue to offer 15 percent off lodging, food, and merch plus an all-season free refill mug, first hour timesaver access, and free parking.
Diamond Pass, $355 in the presale, remains two-park only and includes two free BAFs for the theme park and two free BAFs for the water park, plus ability to purchase up to three additional theme park BAFs for $40 each ($25 each for up to two additional at Splash). The pass's 20 percent lodging, food, and merch discount continues as well as the first hour timesaver access, free parking, cold/hot/frozen free refill tumbler, and free monthly cinnamon bread.
In addition, all presale purchases and renewals will receive a certificate for early rides on NightFlight. The military discount remains available for all pass types, and the free Imagination Season Pass will be available for children born in 2021 or 2022. Finally, as this season is the final season for the Platinum Passes distributed at the 20th anniversary, park officials confirm those lucky folks will have to purchase passes for 2026.
'Butterfly' Debuts No. 1 Country Digital Singles
Dolly and the Zac Brown Band's "Butterfly" sold 3,300 downloads in its first week of release, allowing it to debut at No. 1 country digital song sales and No. 6 all-genre digital song sales, but the track didn't have enough streams to break the top 100 pop singles or top 50 country singles tallies on the Sept. 20 Billboard charts released Tuesday. In other charts:
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection inches up one to No. 6, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet holds slips eight to No. 14, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 and Linda Ronstadt's entry in the series, both of which contain several Dolly appearances, fall back out of the top 20 down from No. 17 and No. 19, respectively. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 11 U.K. pop, No. 30 Scottish albums, No. 30 album sales, No. 28 physical album sales, and No. 10 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 11 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, re-enters the top 20 country albums at No. 19 and rests at No. 5 Ameriana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 7 pop albums, Malone No. 2 Australian country albums and No. 36 pop, and Beyonce No. 17 country.
Stateside, Carpenter comes in at No. 11 pop albums, Malone No. 54 pop albums and No. 8 country albums, and Beyonce No. 50 country albums.
Christmas Goods Land At Dollar General Dolly's latest line of holiday-themed home goods is arriving nationwide at Dollar General stores, License Global reports here.
'Still Working'; Headed To West Hollywood The city of West Hollywood is screening the documentary Still Working 9 To 5 Oct. 11 as part of a triple-feature on women's empowerment to kick off LA Tech Week. Accompanying it will be Lilly and Show Her The Money. Get tickets here.
Dolly Track In TikTok Trend Dolly at Chet Atkins have made the top 10 trends on TikTok, according to Paradehere. Their 1976 duet of "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" has become the sound clip for a viral trend of showing you and your childhood best friend doing something together as kids and then something together today.
Sept. 16: Musical Run Attracts Nearly 80,000 The out-of-town premiere of Dolly: A True Original Musical, which ran for six weeks and 49 performances at Nashville's Belmont University, attracted more than 77,900 attendees to its theater. For context, if the Broadway transfer can attract similar audiences in New York next year, it would be the No. 1 or No. 2 show on the Great White Way. In a statement, Dolly said: "As we continue to workshop our musical for Broadway, I am excited to know that the Belmont University Dolly U partnership will continue, with students playing a part in the next step of our journey, just as they did for our Nashville premiere." Read more on Yahoo courtesy The Tennesseanhere.
Standby Line For Wednesday's Appearance Dollywood's announced last week that select Diamond passholders were invited to attend Dolly's Wednesday media appearance to announce the new ride addition for 2026 but added that a standby line will be available for Diamond passholders who were not invited to wait for seating at the announcement for any no-shows.
Ohio Library Added To Birth Certificates Ohio has added registration for their statewide affiliate of Dolly's early childhood literacy charity imagination Library directly to the state's birth certificate paperwork, allowing parents to register at birth by checking a box on the form. First Lady Fran DeWine made the announcement last week at a luncheon headlined by Zac Brown, who was celebrating his own Dolly connection having just released their duet "Butterfly" together. Read more from Spectrum Newshere.
U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 slips one to No. 2 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains six to No. 7, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables falls off the top 20, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet holds steady at No. 6, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 re-enters the top 20 at No. 17 and Linda Ronstadt's entry in the series falls two to No. 19, both of which contain several Dolly appearances. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 11 U.K. pop, No. 28 Scottish albums, No. 28 album sales, No. 28 physical album sales, and No. 9 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 9 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, falls out of the top 20 country albums, down from No. 13, and rests at No. 4 Ameriana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 9 pop albums, Malone No. 2 Australian country albums and No. 42 pop, Beyonce No. 18 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection falls out of the top 40 country, down from No. 28.
Stateside, Carpenter comes in at No. 7 pop albums, Malone No. 58 pop albums and No. 9 country albums, and Beyonce No. 48 country albums.
Sept. 9: 'Butterfly' With Zac Brown Released
Dolly and the Zac Brown Band on Friday released their new collaborative single, "Butterfly," complete with a music video. Check it out on YouTube here or in the media player above, and download the duet here.
Dolly Visits Park Next Week, Earns Hall Of Fame Induction Dolly will be on park next Wednesday to announce Dollywood's largest-ever attraction, a yet-to-be-revealed ride coming for 2026. The media invitation to the announcement stated: "the company's newest attraction which soars into the park in 2026. Park officials will plunge media into the heart of the excitement about the largest single attraction investment in the history of Dollywood. Media attendees can climb their way through thrilling information designed to help them as they navigate the most exciting ways to share the news of this unparalleled new project. The announcement represents the next step in the $500 million expansion plan first unveiled in 2021." Invitations began to be sent this week to select Diamond Passholders to attend the announcement. It is unknown at this time whether Dolly will do her weather-permitting park tour or not. In related news, the theme park industry association, IAAPA, announced last week that Dolly will be inducted into its Hall of Fame as part of its 2025 class. Tickets to the ceremony Nov. 17 in Orlando are available starting at $399 each here. It hasn't been announced whether Dolly will be in attendance. Learn more from Theme Park Insiderhere.
Dollywood Wins Three Golden Tickets, Slips To No. 2 U.S. Park It took Harry Potter, How To Train Your Dragon, and Super Nintendo World, but a new theme park has dethroned Dollywood as the Best Theme Park in America after taking home the award for five consecutive years from the Golden Ticket Awards, known informally as the theme park world's Oscars. Dolly's park brought home three first place honors and several finalist spots this year.
Universal Epic Universe, the third Universal Orlando theme park to open, took the awards by storm in just its first three months of operation, debuting at No. 2 for Best Theme Park worldwide behind only Europa Park in Germany, making it by default the Best Theme Park in the U.S. Dollywood had held that No. 2 position, first in the U.S., four out of the past five years and took the No. 1 worldwide position from Europa Park two years ago.
Dollywood won Best Kids Area for Wildwood Grove for the sixth year, Best Family Coaster for Big Bear Mountain for the third year, and Best Guest Experience for the sixth year, an award that combines friendliness, cleanliness, operations, and value.
"We've really had a lot of fun this year celebrating our 40th season," Dolly said in a statement, "and it just keeps getting bigger. We've already won some great awards this year, and now our friends at Amusement Today have honored us with a few more. I'm humbled that so many wonderful people from all around the world who have visited us feel like our park is one of the best anywhere. I had big dreams 40 years ago about what Dollywood could become, but even I sometimes have a hard time believing it has become everything that it is now. And you know, when we share our next big idea very soon, I think it's going to have everyone's dreams soaring!"
"Play On" placed second for Best New Show, the park placed third for Most Beautiful Park, Thunderhead was ranked as the fifth best wooden coaster in the world (down from No. 4), Splash Country maintained its fifth place spot for Best Water Park, and Lightning Rod fell out of the top 25 steel coasters worldwide, down from No. 22.
The park's annual Harvest Festival kicks off Friday with the new Candy Corn Country in Country Fair and the return of the Great Pumpkin LumiNights.
'Little Golden Book' Getting Ultimate Fan Treatment Random House has announced that it is re-issuing its Dolly "Little Golden Book" biography (which your webmaster helped create) in an expanded fan edition with a new cover, 22 bonus pages, and a page of stickers. My Little Golden Book About Dolly Parton: Ultimate Fan Edition will hit stores Jan. 6.
Sept. 2: 'Broken Angels' Duet Released With The Grascals
"Broken Angels," the new collaboration co-written and recorded by Dolly and Grascals front man Jamie Johnson and inspired by a mutual friend struggling with addiction and recovery, was released Friday. Download yours from Amazon here or stream for free on YouTube here or in the media player above.
Ear Infection Cancels Appearances Dolly was forced to cancel two planned Imagination Library appearances last week to celebrate statewide expansions in Montana and New Mexico. Via video, she apologized for missing the events, explained an inner ear infection prevented her from flying, and said she would reschedule them. Watch her videos in coverage from Montana Right Nowhere and The Sante Fe New Mexicanhere.
Dolly In New Hag Documentary Dolly and Willie Nelson are interviewed in but don't perform in a new covers-heavy, three-hour long documentary by Ethan Hawke about the legendary Merle Haggard. Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival, Highway 99: A Double Album features mostly other singers interpreting Haggard's songs as it tells his life story.
Broadway-Bound 'Dolly' Ends Nashville Test Dolly: A True Original Musical ended its Nashville try-out on Saturday. It is likely the show will undergo more fine-tuning before it premieres sometime in 2026 in New York.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 holds on to the top spot at No. 1 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection slips six to to No. 13, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe falls out of the top 20, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables inches down two to No. 12, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet holds steady at No. 6, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 2 rises four to No. 11 and Linda Ronstadt's entry in the series re-enters the top 20 at No. 17, both of which contain several Dolly appearances. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 13 U.K. pop, No. 17 Scottish albums, No. 21 album sales, No. 20 physical album sales, and No. 8 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 15 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, is No. 13 British country albums and No. 5 Ameriana albums.
Stateside, Carpenter comes in at No. 11 pop albums, Malone No. 42 pop albums and No. 9 country albums, and Beyonce No. 41 country albums.
Aug. 26: New Grascals Duet Coming Friday Dolly's former backing band The Grascals have a new collaboration with her coming out on Friday, the band revealed Monday. "Broken Angels," a new single written by Dolly and Grascals vocalist Jamie Johnson, will debut as a duet on Friday. Reserve your copy in advance through your favorite streaming service here.
Montana Getting Library Visit Wednesday Dolly will make a brief appearance in person in Montana at 1:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. Eastern) Wednesday to celebrate the statewide expansion of her Imagination Library early childhood literacy program with invited guests at a private event to be live streamed on NonStopLocal here, it was announced Monday.
Carpenter To Channel Dolly On VMAs Sabrina Carpenter, with whom Dolly collaborated on a reissue of her hit single "Please, Please, Please," has revealed when she sings a medley of hits on September's MTV Video Music Awards she will do so in a performance inspired by Dolly in the film 9 To 5. No word on whether Dolly will join her.
Aug. 19: Ted Miller Retiring, Jeff Conyers To Replace Dolly this week announced a major leadership transition on her team. Ted Miller, who has served as Dolly's business advisor for her East Tennessee ventures as president of Dolly Parton Productions since the mid-to-late-1980s, will retire at the end of this year and his role will be assumed by Dollywood Foundation President Jeff Conyers. In addition to retaining his role leading Dolly's Imagination Library program in the U.S. and abroad as well as her other philanthropic efforts, he will also serve as her liaison for her business ventures with Herschend Family Entertainment including Dollywood Parks and Resorts and WCI/ZMC (through which she owns and operates their various dinner theaters). Read more from The Mountain Presshere.
'Live From London' Coming To Vinyl Dolly announced last week that her concert album Live from London, recorded live at the O2 Arena in 2008, will be released on vinyl for the first time Oct. 10. The double-album will be available in standard black here, cotton candy vinyl in the U.K., and blue skies vinyl from Dolly's official online store. This could be the first of other vinul reissues to come, as Dollymania.net learned from insiders associated with Vinyl Me Please that Dolly's team chose to end their partnership with the boutique retailer after its first year of Dolly vinyl releases in the Vinyl Me Parton series because they wanted to start releasing her albums on vinyl themselves in the future rather than the limited editions through the collector site.
Dolly Musical Interferes With Cancer Appearance Dolly has continued making occasional appearances at the Nashville tryout of her Broadway-bound bio-musical Dolly: A True Original Musical as the show is tweaked by her and the creative team before its Great White Way transition next year. Unfortunately, the requirements working with the show forced her to cancel last Friday's planned live appearance at the multi-network fundraiser Stand Up To Cancer, organizers said. A new interview also came out of the show's promotions last week thanks to Woman's Worldhere.
Down Under, Carpenter falls two to No. 9 pop albums, Malone loses one to No. 8 Australian country albums, Beyonce falls out of the country top 40 albums, down from No. 39, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection dips three to No. 29 country.
Stateside, Carpenter comes in at No. 10 pop albums, Malone No. 36 pop albums and No. 5 country albums, and Beyonce No. 146 pop albums and No. 28 country albums.
Aug. 12: Dolly's Musical Officially Opens In Nashville
After three weeks of preview performances (when critics aren't supposed to write reviews so actors and technicians may work out bugs in the show), the Nashville tryout of Dolly: A True Original Musical officially "opened" with a red carpet Friday night. Reviews were mostly positive, with those from Knox News, American Songwriter, Cowboys & Indians and Music City Review summarized by Broadway Worldhere. Coverage from the show's official social media is available here and video of her post-show toast to the crowd from fan Sergio Garcia here. Other coverage includes Country Nowhere, Music Mahemhere, NewsChannel5 here, WAND here and Todayhere.
Dolly Speaks Of Reba, Kelly Grief Dolly told Entertainment Tonight her advice to Reba and Kelly Clarkson on the loss of their loved one, Brandon Blackstock, from her recent experience losing her husband, Carl, here
U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection rises two to No. 8, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe gains five to No. 13, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables slips three to No. 14, Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet climbs 13 to No. 7, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 re-enters the top 20 at No. 20 and Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 14. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, regains two to No. 8 U.K. pop, 13 to No. 19 Scottish albums, seven to No. 20 album sales, and six to No. 20 physical album sales, holding steady at No. 7 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, loses two to No. 15 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, gains one to No. 9 British country albums and dips one to No. 3 Ameriana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter regains two to No. 7 pop albums, Malone inches up one to No. 7 Australian country albums, Beyonce rises one at No. 39 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains two to No. 26 country.
Stateside, the Aug. 9 lists show Carpenter loses one to No. 16 pop albums and four to No. 25 sales, gaining two to No. 13 Canadian albums and one to No. 13 streaming. Malone falls one to No. 34 pop albums and nine to No. 33 Canadian albums, holding steady at No. 30 streaming albums and No. 6 country albums. Beyonce regains two to No. 107 pop albums, holding steady at No. 22 country albums and No. 10 Americana albums.
Aug. 5: Dolly Buys Another Florida Attraction Just a few weeks after opening her latest Pirates Voyage dinner theater, the chain's third location and first in Florida, Dolly has expanded her Panama City Beach holdings by purchasing the SkyWheel attraction in the city, which features an observation wheel, 18-hole mini-golf course, and ropes course. Coverage of the acquisition of the Pier Park facility includes this story from WJHG here.
'Whorehouse' BluRay Ordering Page Added Amazon has added an order page for the 2K BluRay special edition restoration of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas coming out Sept. 23 which was reported here two weeks ago. Reserve your copy here.
In Memoriam: Jeannie Seely Grand Ole Opry legend Jeannie Seely died last week at age 85. In a tribute on social media, Dolly responded: "I have known Jeannie Seely since we were early on in Nashville. She was one of my dearest friends. I think she was one of the greater singers in Nashville and she had a wonderful sense of humor. We had many wonderful laughs together, cried over certain things together and she will be missed." Seely moved to Nashville in 1966 where she joined Dolly as a Monument Records artist and briefly toured with Porter Wagoner as his girl singer after Norma Jean, being replaced by Dolly in 1967. She covered Dolly's "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" on her debut album and "Just Because I'm A Woman" on her fourth album.
Dolly Snags Five Spots On 'Opry' Top 100 If you haven't seen the full list of the Opry's 100 greatest country songs of all time, Dolly is tied with Willie Nelson and George Straight as the performer with the most appearances on the tally with five songs each. Dolly's are "I Will Always Love You," "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," "9 to 5" and "Islands In The Stream" See all 100 here.
Dolly Wines Bar Opens In Nashville Dolly has opened a small wine bar in Music City to promote her two Dolly Wines available in the U.S. The Dolly Wines Bar is located inside the Assembly Food Hall at 5055 Broadway Place in downtown Nashville. Check it out in a story from Music Universehere.
'Christmas Carol' Adds More Dates Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol last week added a few more dates to its first national tour to the ones reported here a week ago. The additions are:
Nov. 15, Owensboro, KY Riverpark Center
Nov. 22, Enterprise, AL Baker Center for the Arts
Dec. 18, Hamlet, NC Cole Auditorium
Dec. 22-23, Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
Dollywood Named Among Best Women Employers Dollywood Parks and Resorts was named last week by Forbes magazine on the list of America's Best Employers for Women, the only theme park company included. Check out the full list here.
U.K., Aussie, U.S. Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection loses four to No. 10, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe drops eight to No. 18, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables moves up three to No. 11, Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series and Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet re-enter the top 20 at No. 14 and No. 20, respectively, while Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 19. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, inches down one to No. 10 U.K. pop, loses three to No. 32 Scottish albums, falls one to No. 27 album sales, moves down two to No. 26 physical album sales, and rises two to No. 7 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, loses one to No. 13 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, holds steady at No. 10 British country albums and rises five to No. 2 Ameriana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter loses two to No. 9 pop albums, Malone holds steady at No. 8 Australian country albums, Beyonce remains at No. 40 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains one to No. 28 country.
Stateside, the Aug. 2 tallies show Carpenter loses three to No. 15 pop albums, seven to No. 21 sales, four to No. 15 Canadian albums, and three to No. 14 streaming. Malone holds steady at No. 33 pop albums, falls four to No. 24 Canadian albums, and dips two to No. 30 streaming albums, losing one to No. 6 country albums. Beyonce tumbles 51 places to No. 109 pop albums, 12 to No. 22 country albums, and five to No. 10 Americana albums.
July 29: Dolly Featured On 'Opry 100' CD The Grand Ole Opry on Monday announced a new CD of previously unreleased live Opry performances of selections from their 100 greatest songs of country music to celebrate the institution's 100th anniversary, including a performance by Dolly of her signature classic. This version of "I Will Always Love You" was performed for the man about whom it was written, Porter Wagoner, at his 50th Opry celebration just a few months prior to his 2007 death and features harmonies from Patty Loveless and Marty Stuart. The collection, featuring a mix of legends and newcomers, hits stores Nov. 7. Reserve your copy here. The full track listing is:
Your Cheatin' Heart by Ashley McBryde, 2024
El Paso by Marty Robbins, 1981, and Marty Stuart, 2024
Crazy by Patsy Cline, 1963
Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash, 1967
Coal Miner's Daughter by Loretta Lynn, 1985
Kiss An Angel Good Mornin' by Darius Rucker, 2021
I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton featuring Patty Loveless and Marty Stuart, 2007
The Gambler by Don Schlitz featuring Vince Gill, 2025
Devil Went Down To Georgia by Charlie Daniels Band, 2014
Elvira by The Oak Ridge Boys, 1981
Tennessee Whiskey by Luke Combs, 2016
He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones, 1993, and Alan Jackson, 2013
I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool by Kelsea Ballerini, 2015
Forever and Ever, Amen by Randy Travis, 2011
Don't Close Your Eyes by Keith Whitley, 1988
Fancy by Reba McEntire, 2017
Chattahoochee by Alan Jackson, 2005
Go Rest High On That Mountain by Vince Gill featuring Patty Loveless, 2015
Jesus Take The Wheel by Carrie Underwood, 2018
Mama Don't Keep/Will The Circle Be Unbroken by Old Crow Medicine Show, Don Flemons, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, 2020
'Christmas Carol' Casting Call, Dates Announced Want to perform in the national tour of Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol Producers are taking open self-taped auditions from non-union actors now through Aug. 10 with September callbacks, October rehearsals, and the tour Nov. 16-Dec. 28. Links to the audition information are available from Playbillhere. In addition, more tour dates have become known. You may recall eight initial dates were first reported here back in May. We now know of 18 more performances. The list as of now is:
Nov. 18 Paducah, KY Carson Center for the Performing Arts
Nov. 19 Lafayette, LA Heymann Center
Nov. 20 Cleveland, MS Bologna PAC
Nov. 23 Oxford, AL Oxford PAC
Nov. 25, Roanoke, VA Berglung Center
Nov. 26 Spartanburg, SC Memorial Auditorium
Nov. 29 Maryville, TN Clayton Center for the Arts
Nov. 30 Morgantown, NC Comma Performing Arts Center
Dec. 2, Saginaw, MI Dow Event Center
Dec. 3, Charleston, WV Clay Center
Dec. 4 Findlay, OH Donnell Theater
Dec. 6 Bloomington, IN Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
Dec. 7, Davenport, IA Adler Theatre
Dec. 8 Ft. Wayne, IN Embassy Theater
Dec. 10, Conway, AR Reynolds Perfornace Hall
Dec. 11, Overland Park, KS Midwest Trust Center
Dec. 12 and 13 Cedar Falls, IA Gallagher-Bluedorn Perfomring Ars Center
Dec. 14 Rockford, IL Coronado Theater
Dec. 15, Ames, IA, Stephens Auditorium
Dec. 17 Greensboro, NC Tanger Center
Dec. 20 and 21, The Villages, FL Sharon PAC
Dec. 26, 27, 28 Lexington, KY Lexington Opera House
Zac Brown Talks Dolly Collaboration Zac Brown was on NBC's Today last week and spoke about getting Dolly to duet with him on his forthcoming album Love & Fear. Check out the interview here.
U.S., U.K., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 holds steady at No. 2 on the British country compilation album chart, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection remains at No. 6, and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe slips two to No. 10, while Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables and Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Vol. 1 both re-enter the top 20 at No. 14 and No. 19, respectively. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, gains two to No. 9 U.K. pop, loses four to No. 29 Scottish albums, up three to No. 26 album sales, up three to No. 24 physical album sales, off the top 100, down from No. 91, and down two to No. 9 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, dips four to No. 12 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, loses three to No. 10 British country albums and five to No. 7 Ameriana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter loses one to No. 7 pop albums, Malone dips one to No. 8 Australian country albums, Beyonce falls five to No. 40 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection descends five to No. 29 country.
Stateside, the July 26 numbers show Carpenter loses seven to No. 12 pop albums, 13 to No. 16 sales, three to No. 11 Canadian albums, and three to No. 11 streaming. Malone dips nine to No. 33 pop albums, two to No. 20 Canadian albums, and eight to No. 28 streaming albums, gaining one to No. 5 country albums. Beyonce slips four to No. 58 pop albums, rises three to No. 10 country albums, and gains one to No. 5 Americana albums.
Bunny XO Video Added To YouTube Although she aired the interview on her official Dumb Blonde podcast back in December, Bunny XO posted the full video of her Dolly interview to her YouTube channel a week ago. Watch here or in the media player below.
July 22: Broadway Music Opens Nashville Tryout Dolly opened her new Broadway-bound bio-musical Friday night in Nashville at Belmont University to a sell-out crowd. She welcomed them to the premiere reminding them not to sing along because "this ain't no hootenanny!" She also made appearances at Saturday and Sunday night's performances as well. Check out coverage from Whiskey Riffhere and The New York Timeshere. Photo is courtesy Joshua Skidmore from Saturday night and is used with permission. Thanks!
Dolly's 'Little Golden Book' Gets Audiobook Companion An official audiobook of My Little Golden Book About Dolly Parton, which was fact-checked by Dollymania.net, will hit stores Tuesday as read by Amythyst Kiah. See what the narrator had to say about the project here and listen to the book from Audible here.
'Whorehouse' BluRay Details Released A few more details have emerged from Blu-Ray.com about a new special edition BluRay release of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas coming from Kino Lorber Sept. 23. It will feature a new 2K restoration from a 35MM interpositive plus new audio commentaries from Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Perri Cummings as well as Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry. Also included will be previously-released features a making-of featurette, outtakes, and the theatrical trailer. (Still no deleted scenes, no premiere TV special, and no commentaries from Dolly.)
Former Publicist In Memory Care Kim Fowler, who was Dolly's publicist at Sugar Hill Records when she was associated with the label from 1999 through 2006 and also responsible for early promotions when the band Nickel Creek hit it big on the label, has been diagnosed with dementia and is raising funds to support her memory care. During her tenure at the label, Fowler helped Dollymania become Dolly's "official unofficial" website at the time, directing other press to use it for their background information on Dolly rather than the label's own materials. She also allowed the site to announce a couple of Dolly's albums and a couple of her tours at the time in advance of other media. Read more about Fowler's life and career here and consider donating to her campaign here.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, after just one week in the top 100, "Tyrant" from Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album featuring a credited spoken word intro from Dolly falls off the U.K. pop single tally, down from No. 83. Elsewhere on the charts, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 falls back down from the top of the British country compilation album, losing one to No. 2, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains four to No. 6, and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe slips three to No. 8, while Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables and Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series both fall out of the top 20, down from No. 17 and No. 20, respectively. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, dips eight to No. 11 U.K. pop, 24 to No. 25 Scottish albums, 27 to No. 29 album sales, 25 to No. 27 physical album sales, 34 to No. 91 downloads, and three to No. 7 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, regains one to No. 8 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, inches up one to No. 7 British country albums and two to No. 2 Ameriana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter dips three to No. 6 pop albums, Malone loses one to No. 7 Australian country albums, Beyonce loses three to No. 35 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection advances one to No. 24 country.
Stateside, the July 19 numbers show Carpenter gains four to No. 5 pop albums, 16 to No. 3 sales, and one to No. 8 Canadian albums, holding steady at No. 8 streaming. Malone rises four to No. 24 pop albums, loses two to No. 18 Canadian albums, gains three to No. 20 streaming albums, and falls one to No. 6 country albums. Beyonce advances 35 to No. 54 pop albums, seven to No. 13 country albums, and three to No. 6 Americana albums.
July 15: Kardashian Interview Leads To Many False Stories
Dolly was interviewed last week for Kloe Kardashian's podcast and spoke about a wide variety of subjects including their collaboration on her jeans collection. One comment, however, was taken out of context and generated dozens of false stories that she had put her entire music career on hold, or in some versions just her songwriting on hold, due to her husband's passing. In reality, she mentioned Carl Dean's passing and explained she had several ideas of possible songs about him or inspired by the experience of losing him but that she has so many other important projects to work on at present she can't allow herself to experience the strong emotions that would come with writing those specific songs about Carl but is continuing to work on her other projects and writing songs on other subjects that come to her. "I can't do it right now 'cause I've got so many other things that I can't afford the luxury, you know, of getting that emotional right now," she explained about the songs focusing on Carl. "I'll write something else, though, if it comes." Watch the full interview here or in the media player above.
Dolly Joins Zac Brown Band On New CD The Zac Brown Band on Monday announced their next album, Love & Fear, hitting stores Dec. 6, will feature a new collaboration with Dolly titled "Butterfly." Others included on the album will be Snoop Dogg and Marcus King.
Sixx Speaks Of How Dolly Collab Came To Be "Home Sweet Home," Dolly's collaboration with rockers Motley Crue, debuted last week at No. 1 on the MediaBase Classic Rock Chart based on airplay at classic rock stations. And band member Nikki Sixx spoke with Forbeshere about how the duet came to be.
Capaldi Meets Dolly Dolly may have another collaboration coming soon. British singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi on Monday posted an image with Dolly to his Instagram here without explanation.
Kelly Does Dolly In Vegas Dolly had suggested Kelly Clarkson cover "I Will Always Love You" in her Vegas residency, and she obliged, Country Now reports here.
Haskell Murder Case Ends In Suicide The sad tale of Sam Haskell IV ended over the weekend with more tragedy as the son of Dolly's longtime production partner took his own life in a Los Angeles jail Saturday while awaiting trial for allegedly killing and dismembering his wife and murdering his in-laws while his children were at school. Dolly has been very close to his parents, Sam Haskell III and former Miss Mississippi Mary Haskell, for decades, considering them family. The grandparents are now raising their three grandsons, whom Dolly introduced to the crowds at Dollywood last year as her "California nephews." Sam III was Dolly's longtime television agent at the William Morris Agency before he left to manage the Miss America Pageant. The two have co-produced many projects together over the years, often starring Dolly with Mary Haskell and/or daughter Mary Lane Haskell in supporting roles, and share one Emmy Award win and several nominations together. More details are available from The New York Timeshere.
Beyonce Collaboration Hits U.K. Chart Across the pond, Dolly's spoken into to the track "Tyrant" off Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album snags her another top 100 U.K. pop single credit, as the track enters the chart at No. 83 Friday. Elsewhere on the charts, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 regains the pole position on the British country compilation album, rising one to No. 1, while her Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection inches up one to No. 10, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series Volume 1, featuring Dolly appearances, falls off the top 20, down from No. 14, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA -- Family, Faith & Fables gains one to No. 17, Linda Ronstadt's Original Album Series slips one to No. 20, and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe rises one to No. 5. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, holds steady at No. 3 U.K. pop, shooting up 27 spots to No. 1 Scottish albums, 23 to No. 2 album sales, and 18 to No. 2 physical album sales, re-entering the downloads chart at No. 57 and slipping two to No. 4 streaming albums. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, regains one to No. 9 country albums. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, inches up one to No. 8 British country albums and loses one to No. 4 Ameriana albums.
Down Under, Carpenter gains one to No. 3 pop albums, Malone stays steady at No. 6 Australian country albums, Beyonce rises two to No. 32 country, and Dolly's Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection advances one to No. 25 country.
Stateside, "Home Sweet Home" with Motley Crue falls off Hot Hard Rock Songs and Hard Rock Digital Sales charts in the July 5 Billboard numbers released last Tuesday, down from No. 21 and No. 4, respectively. Carpenter holds dips three to No. 9 pop albums, 10 to No. 19 sales, two to No. 8 streaming, and three to No. 9 Canadian albums. Malone drops seven to No. 28 pop albums, two to No. 16 Canadian albums, and two to No. 23 streaming albums, holding steady at No. 5 country albums. Beyonce skyrockets 56 to No. 89 pop albums, eight to No. 20 country albums, and three to No. 9 Americana albums.
For the archive of monthly news stories, click here.
"Dollymania: The Online Dolly Parton Newsmagazine. Your premier resource for Dolly Parton news and information." These pages are not affiliated with Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton Enterprises or Dollywood. Original text and images are copyrighted by Duane Gordon/www.dollymania.net or by their respective owners and published here with permission. These may not be reproduced without prior written consent.
Dolly opened her new Broadway-bound bio-musical Friday night in Nashville at Belmont University to a sell-out crowd. She welcomed them to the premiere reminding them not to sing along because "this ain't no hootenanny!" She also made appearances at Saturday and Sunday night's performances as well. Check out coverage from Whiskey Riff 