www.dollymania.net                News                          March 2016

March 30:
Chicago, Maine Concerts Added To Tour
Although Dolly's official music website's tour page still lists no tour dates, venues announced two more concerts for her Pure & Simple Tour, bringing the total confirmed dates to five. The new shows are June 18 at Darling's Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor, Maine, and Aug. 7 at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Ill., outside of Chicago. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. Chicago area show, $115-$150 at the pavilion or $38-$43 on the lawn, go on sale at 5 a.m. April 26 here (tickets should be available now for request by annual donors to the festival prior to sale to the public). Seats for the Maine engagement, $25.75 and $89.75, go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ticketmaster but have pre-sales starting at 10 a.m. Thursday for members of the Waterfront Insider Club and 9 a.m. Friday for Machias Savings Bank and a local radio station. Some reports also noted her participating in this year's Glastonbury Festival in England, which she headlined in 2014, but those were quickly corrected to remove her from the lineup.

Hall Of Fame Welcomes Monument's Foster
The Country Music Hall of Fame on Tuesday announced its 2016 inductees: two performers with whom Dolly has duetted, Charlie Daniels and Randy Travis, as well as the man who gave Dolly her first big break – former Monument Records head Fred Foster. Foster signed Dolly to his label and his song publishing firm, Combine, in 1965, first promoting her as a bubblegum pop singer on several singles through 1966 and then letting her record country music in 1967 with her first full-length album, Hello I'm Dolly.

U.S. Chart Updates
Don Henley's Cass County, which features Dolly on "When I Stop Dreaming," dips eight spots to No. 40 on the country albums chart in its 26th chart week, the April 9 Billboard charts released Tuesday showed.

Dolly As 'Voice' Mentor Next Season?
Gossip site Hollywood Life reported Tuesday that upcoming The Voice coach Miley Cyrus wants godmother Dolly to serve as her team's mentor next season. Read more here.

Dollywood Celebrates Festival Of Nations
WSPA this week offered another Dolly interview from her appearance last week at Dollywood. Check it out here. Also, the park released the below publicity photo by Curtis Hilbun of Dolly with Germany's Zebra Steizentheater group to represent the Festival of Nations through April 18. In an accompanying press release, Dolly said: "Festival of Nations truly is a special time of year at my Dollywood. I've been lucky enough to experience the great entertainment and cultures of countries all over the world. I'm so proud to bring these amazing performers to Dollywood so they can share their tremendous talents with all our guests." More Dollymania.net coverage from the appearance is still to come.


March 28:
First Dollywood Photos
Check out the first few Dollymania.net pictures from last week's Dolly appearances at Dollywood in that section of the site here. Much more to come!

'The Middle' Talks Dollywood
On ABC's The Middle last week, two of the characters announced they had secured summer jobs at Dollywood: one as a performer in the park's Country Crossroads Show and the other as a hostess at Aunt Granny's Restaurant, so the show's writers did some homework.


March 26:
Massachusetts Show Announced For June
An additional show on Dolly's Pure & Simple Tour was revealed on Friday: June 17 to open the 2016-2017 Tanglewood complex's season at the western Massachusetts venue's Koussevitzky Music Shed. Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert, ranging $32 to $149, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, April 4, on the venue's website here. This is the third confirmed date for the 60+-city tour, following the previous day's announcement of her Nov. 15 engagement in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and the previous week's announcement of her Aug. 2 show in Columbus, Ohio. (It has been reported here that an additional performance had been posted on the concert calendar by a D.C. area radio station then removed – June 8 at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va., but that one has yet to be confirmed or officially announced.) A great deal of regional media carried the announcement, including Albany, N.Y.'s CBS station here (since the venue is just across the state line from Albany) and The Boston Globe here.

More From Dollywood Appearances
Coverage of Dolly's Tennessee appearances this week continued on Friday. Knox Focus recapped her stop at DreamMore Resort to announce writing the forward for photographer Benjamin Walls' new book here. Good Day Atlanta offered an interview here, The Kingsport Times News summarized her press conference at Dollywood here and The Chattanooga Times Free Press focused on the details about her upcoming "Jolene" movie here, including that producers hope to get West Wing and 9 To 5: The Musical star Allison Janney to play the wronged wife in the project.

U.K. Chart Updates
Dolly's The Tour Collection re-enters the top 20 British country compilation albums this week at No. 20, Friday's charts revealed. On the same tally, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) gains one to No. 12, and her Original Album Series, Vol. 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony) re-enters the top 20 at No. 17, while Ronstadt's own Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) rises three to No. 14.

Country Weekly Puts Dolly On This Week's Cover
Dolly is once again the cover girl on NASH Country Weekly magazine, gracing the front of the April 4 issue on newsstands now. The publication says the story, "I don't ever want to stop," is a conversation with Dolly that proves lively, thoughtful and packed with colorful one-liners as she shares her thoughts on the new tour and album, 50 years of marriage to the perfect man and her dream co-writers.


March 25:
Dolly Makes First 31st Season Dollywood Appearance

Dolly

Posted by Duane Gordon on Thursday, March 24, 2016

Dolly made her first official appearance of the 31st Dollywood season at the Pigeon Forge, Tenn., theme park Thursday with a press conference in front of the yet-to-open Lightning Rod coaster – complete with a live performance of her 1959 single "Puppy Love" to recognize the area's 1950s theme – as well as a brief walk-on at the Festival of Nations headliner Mother Africa in DP's Celebrity Theatre and a parade tour of the park grounds, which rain forced her to leave about halfway through. Check out Dollymania.net videos on your webmaster's Facebook page in the media players above and below or here for her morning press conference, here for her Mother Africa appearance and here for her park tour. Among the items discussed in the press conference: her Pure & Simple Tour and album (including announcement she will play Pigeon Forge's LeConte Center Nov. 15 as a charity concert to benefit her Imagination Library children's literacy project; tickets will go on sale to the general public July 1 but will be available earlier than that on a yet-to-be-announced date to Dollywood season passholders), the storyline for her upcoming NBC adaptation of the song "Jolene" (Jolene will be having an affair with a state governor, she believes in Mississippi), her reaction to passing 75 million books in her Imagination Library, joking about considering running for president, her love for her home state, and her upcoming duet with Katy Perry next week. The Festival of Nations continues through April 18 and is followed by Barbeque & Bluegrass May 13-22, Great American Summer June 11-Aug. 7 with the new Perondi dog show and magic show with Brad Ross, National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration Sept. 30-Oct. 29 and Smoky Mountain Christmas Nov. 5-Jan. 4 with the premiere of It's A Wonderful Life. Check out coverage from Local 8 here and here, WCYB here, WBIR here and here, WJHL here, WATE here and The Knoxville News-Sentinel here. Check back over the next several days for more Dollymania.net coverage!

Posted by Duane Gordon on Thursday, March 24, 2016

Posted by Duane Gordon on Thursday, March 24, 2016

Lightning Rod Coaster Still Delayed
Although Dolly lauded the upcoming opening of the park's new Lightning Rod roller coaster, which will be the world's fastest wooden coaster and the first launched wooden coaster, and the records it will set, there was no update given on when the new attraction, delayed since last week, will be available for visitors to ride. The coaster's builder on Thursday issued an official statement about the situation:
Rocky Mountain Construction co-owner Fred Grubb has released the following statement on the recently announced delay to the opening of Lightning Rod at Dollywood Theme Park in Pigeon Forge, TN: "We take the highest level of pride in every attraction we create. RMC is equally disappointed that Lightning Rod will not be opening as originally planned. We have been working with the launch system subcontractor on-site to bring it up to speed and working as intended. As is often the case with prototype attractions and especially with launched coasters, delays are an ever-present possibility. During the course of testing, we determined that the third-party launch system would not be able to perform at the level required for proper operation. While we strive to meet all of our deadlines, we cannot and will not sacrifice safety or ride quality in the name of saving time. RMC never has nor ever will open any new attraction until it has passed our rigorous standards. At this time, we cannot speculate as to when the attraction will open to the general public. That date is ultimately decided upon by the customer, therefore all questions regarding an opening should be directed to Dollywood. On behalf of all the employees at Rocky Mountain Construction, I want to personally thank the management team at Dollywood, the fans of the park as well as our fans for their patience and understanding as we work to bring you Lightning Rod."

'Hannah Montana' 10th Anniversary Observed
Thursday was also the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Disney television series Hannah Montana starring Dolly's goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, who recognized the date with a posting on instagram which included a shout-out to Dolly's guest appearances on the program. Read about it from Brit here. Also, show actor Cody Linley told Teen Vogue here that when he and Dolly were on the same episode, she taught him to play "Blackbird" on the guitar.


March 24:
Dolly Visits Dollywood This Week
Dolly was at her DreamMore Resort on Wednesday to view the installation of artwork by local artist Benjamin Walls, whose upcoming photography book to benefit the Friends of the Smoky Mountains will feature a forward by Dolly. She also gave several one-on-one interviews to local media talking about her upcoming tour, album, Dollywood and more. She is scheduled to appear at the park on Thursday, during which a couple of the reports indicated she will make several major announcements (according to one story it will include when her tour will stop in Pigeon Forge). Be sure to check back here for complete coverage. Stories from Wednesday included WATE here, The Knoxville News-Sentinel here, WJHL here, Local 8 here and here, WCYB here and WBIR here.

Story Suggests About 45 U.S. Concerts For Tour
Steve Martin, Dolly's booking agent at APA, gave an interview this week with Poll Star Pro here in which he revealed Dolly's Pure & Simple Tour started as plans to perform "15 or so" shows across Canada. That means if they stick with about 60 total cities and about 15 of those in Canada, that there would be about 45 U.S. cities included, which just beats out the 41 U.S. cities included in her 2008 Backwoods Barbie Tour to maintain this new one as her biggest American tour in a quarter-century.

Tennessee Welcome Centers Get Life-Sized Dollys
Dolly is coming to a Tennessee highway Welcome Center near you! The Tennessee Department of Tourism on Wednesday announced several improvements to the 14 highway centers including installation of a life-sized replica of Dolly as a photo-op location at each facility. Read more from Local 8 here.


March 22:
ACMs Welcome Dolly, Katy Perry Collaboration


Pop superstar Katy Perry recently revealed in an interview that she wanted Dolly to duet with her when she headlined last year's Super Bowl Halftime Show but the network and NFL didn't let her do it, but on Monday she tweeted "MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED! I shall remember though that I am but one sequin on this living legend's costume!" The reason behind the tweet: it was announced that she and Dolly will duet at the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards at Las Vegas' MGM Grand on April 3 live on CBS. It was also announced that Dolly will be presented this year's Tex Ritter Award for NBC's Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors. The award, Dolly's 11th career ACM, is presented to a film or made-for-television-movie featuring country music and was won in 1982 by The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas starring Dolly (although that win didn't count toward her total since she was just an actor in the project rather than creator and producer of this film). Dolly told Entertainment Tonight in an exclusive interview excerpted here that Perry will present the honor and join her for a duet of the song "Coat Of Many Colors," possibly mashed up with "Jolene." Her official website, DollyParton.com, posted two videos here (and viewable in the media players above and below) reacting to the news.

Hear 'Trio' Preview Track


Rhino Records last week posted to YouTube a track from the bonus CD in the boxed set The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe coming out Sept. 9: the previously unreleased Dolly lead vocals version of "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind." Take a listen here or in the media player above.

Dollywood Opens For The Season
Dollywood opened for its 31st season over the weekend -- without Dolly, whose "grand opening" appearance will be on Thursday of this week – and while the new Lightning Rod coaster wasn't open, the completely re-themed 1950s Jukebox Junction area, including the expanded Red's Diner (complete with new phone and computer charging stations outside) debuted. Check out coverage from WBIR here and WATE here.

Dolly Reveals Three More 'Pure & Simple' Tracks
The Huffington Post last week posted – and then for some reason deleted – a story here interviewing Dolly about several things including revealing three more songs from her upcoming Pure & Simple album: "Kiss It And Make It All Better" as a duet with one of her band members and new covers of her songs "Tomorrow Is Forever" and "Say Forever You'll Be Mine" (apparently the version that appeared in Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors). The tracks are in addition to previously-announced "Pure & Simple," "I'm 16" and "Mama." Thanks, Tony!

Sally, Shirley Talk Dolly
Steel Magnolia actors Sally Field and Shirley MacLaine last week were asked to play word association with the names of some of the film's co-stars, saying nice things about Dolly. Check out coverage from Entertainment Weekly here and Today here.

U.K. Chart Updates
Dolly's The Tour Collection falls off the top 20 British country compilation albums this week, down from No. 16, Friday's charts showed. On the same tally, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) rises four to No. 13, and her Original Album Series, Vol. 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony) falls off the top 20, down from No. 19, while Ronstadt's own Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) loses two to No. 17.


March 18:
First Confirmed Pure & Simple Date: Ohio
The Ohio State Fair on Friday morning announced its 2016 line-up, including Dolly on Aug. 2, the first confirmed date on her June-December tour called Pure & Simple. Ticketmaster soon added a page here indicating tickets go on sale April 2 for the Celeste Center show at the Ohio Expo Center. Stories made The Columbus Dispatch here and TV 10 here. Tickets are expected to run $40, $55 and $75.


March 17:
June D.C. Area Concert Posted, Deleted
The first possible date to become known for Dolly's Pure & Simple Tour has come to Dollymania.net's attention. DC radio station Hot 99.5 FM had posted to its concert calendar a June 8 performance at Vienna, Va.'s Wolf Trap venue but quickly took the information down. Thus far, the date is unconfirmed. Dolly last played Wolf Trap on her 2011 Better Day World Tour. Thanks, Chuck!

Lightning Rod Delay Coverage
Coverage of Tuesday's announcement from Dollywood delaying the opening of the new Lightning Rod roller coaster to a yet-to-be-determined date and moving of Dolly's season opening appearance to next week started making the media on Wednesday including a piece from Behind The Thrills here and Sevier News Messenger here.

Tennessee Library Receives Huge Gift
Dolly's Imagination Library in her home state is celebrating a big gift: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee announced a $1 million gift for the early childhood literacy project, WDEF reports here.

Dolly Duet Back On Chart
Don Henley's Cass County, which features Dolly on "When I Stop Dreaming," loses two places to No. 31 on the country albums chart in its 32nd chart week, the March 26 Billboard charts released Tuesday showed. Also, Dolly's Brad Paisley duet "When I Get Where I'm Going" re-enters the top 50 Christian digital songs tally at No. 50 for a 19th chart week.

More Trio Box Set Coverage
The Associated Press released its full story (exerpted in the Wall Street Journal video linked from here yesterday) offering more discussion from Dolly on the upcoming Trio boxed set coming out Sept. 9. She reveals while Linda Ronstadt's illness will prevent the Trio from performing at any appearances to promote the collection she might be able to join her and Emmylou Harris for speaking appearances. Watch the clip here or in the media player below. Don't forget to pre-order the 3-CD The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe (MP3 version available here), 1-CD My Dear Companion: Selections From The Trio Collection, vinyl release of Trio II and vinyl two-LP set of bonus tracks from the boxed set as Farther Along.


March 16:
Park: Dolly's Opening Weekend Appearance Rescheduled
Dolly will not be present this weekend for the season opening of Dollywood, the park revealed on Tuesday. Instead, her appearance to officially open the 31st season has moved to next Thursday, March 24, with "various park appearances and a special parade (weather permitting)." In addition, the park announced the opening of its new roller coaster, the fastest wooden coaster in the world, has also been delayed: "Lightning Rod will not be open for Grand Opening weekend.  Lightning Rod is an innovative ride featuring new technology never used on a wooden coaster.  The ride manufacturer asked for additional time to commission the ride.  Progress is being made daily.  Please check dollywood.com for future updates." A new date for the coaster opening has not been announced.

Trio Set Coming On MP3, Dolly Talks Unreleased Tracks
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday continued coverage of the announcement of the upcoming Trio boxed set with a video report including Dolly talking briefly about the group's unreleased tracks. Check it out here. In addition, it has been confirmed that the set will, in fact, be released for download as an MP3 album on Sept. 9 in addition to the CD and vinyl versions. That will be available from Amazon here. For those who want physical CDs or vinyl albums, don't forget to pre-order the 3-CD The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe, 1-CD My Dear Companion: Selections From The Trio Collection, vinyl release of Trio II and vinyl two-LP set of bonus tracks from the boxed set as Farther Along.

'Dolly' Trio, Family Episodes To Air Next Week
Five months after the network showed two episodes of Dolly's 1976-77 season variety show, Get TV next week will show two more installments. Episode 4 with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris airs at midnight and 9 p.m. Eastern Monday, March 21, followed by Episode 24 with her family at 12:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. the same night. Both episodes repeat March 25 and 27.


March 15:
Trio Boxed Set Gets Noticed By Mainstream Press
A week after the press release was posted here announcing the rescheduled Sept. 9 release date for the Trio boxed set, publicists issued it to a wide audience on Monday, resulting in mentions from Rolling Stone here and Jezebel here. Don't forget to order your copies of the 3-CD The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe, 1-CD My Dear Companion: Selections From The Trio Collection, vinyl release of Trio II and vinyl two-LP set of bonus tracks from the boxed set as Farther Along.

'Coat' Bully Wins Young Actor Prize
Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors on NBC has won another honor. Forrest Deal, the actor who played bully Rudy Sanders in the movie, took home Best Young Actor in a TV Movie, Miniseries, Special or Pilot at the 37th Annual Young Artist Awards, Backstage reported here. Don't forget the movie's DVD comes out May 3 here!

Dolly Chats With The CBC
One more interview from Dolly's media blitz last week made its way out over the weekend: a sit-down with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation here.


March 12:
U.K. Charts Released For The Week
Dolly's The Tour Collection slips one on the top 20 British country compilation albums this week to No. 16, Friday's charts revealed. On the same tally, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) gains three to No. 17, and her Original Album Series, Vol. 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony) loses one to No. 19, while Ronstadt's own Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) inches down one to No. 15.

Another Dolly Interview Posted
One more Dolly interview from her media blitz arrived Friday: Fox News here, which like a few others make the mistake of calling her upcoming tour her first in North America in 25 years instead of her largest in North America in 25 years, since she has had six full-fledged U.S. tours in the past 14 years.

NBC Pitches 'Coat' For 2016 Emmy Awards
It already won the top television prize of the year at the MovieGuide Awards, and NBC is hoping Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors will take home the Emmy. Deadline reports it was one of the programs the network promoted at a West Hollywood lunch this week for Emmy voters to kick off the award season campaigning. Read more here.

Amazon Adds Page For Trio One-CD Album
Although it's not taking orders for it yet, Amazon on Friday added a page for the Sept. 9 release of My Dear Companion: Selections From The Trio Collection, the one-CD version of the boxed set featuring Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. As was first reported here, that same day sees the release of the three-CD The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe, vinyl release of Trio II and vinyl two-LP set of bonus tracks from the boxed set as Farther Along, all of which are available for pre-order.


March 10:
More Dolly Interviews From Media Blitz
The day after announcing her upcoming Pure & Simple double album and tour, Dolly did several interviews as part of an all-day media blitz to promote her upcoming projects, resulting in many stories and broadcasts. She explained to Entertainment Tonight that she didn't intend to do an album but wrote a song called "Pure & Simple" and then another and another, and before she realized it she had an entire album of love songs. Check it out here. Extra asked her about the current election, which she called "the best reality show on TV" here. Entertainment Tonight Canada provided a list of 12 ways she is "an original gangster" here and an interview posted to Facebook here. Rolling Stone recounted a story here of Kenny Rogers back in September calling her "the Donald Trump of country music" to which she joked that they "kind of have the same hair." Parade offered an interview here. The Insider posted an interview to Facebook here. And Robin Leach writes for The Las Vegas Sun here that rumor has it Dolly's tour will include a Sin City stop.

U.S. Chart Update
Don Henley's Cass County, which features Dolly on "When I Stop Dreaming," drops three spots to No. 29 on the country albums chart in its 31st chart week, the March 19 Billboard charts released Tuesday revealed.

Loretta Loves Dolly
Loretta Lynn was on Watch What Happens Live and was asked about several people she's worked with, including Dolly. See what she had to say here.


March 8:
Dolly Announces Summer CD, June-December Tour


Dolly on Monday announced she will take last year's "Pure & Simple" scaled-down concert on the road with what her publicist is calling her largest North American tour in more than a quarter-century. Although dates and cities have yet to be revealed, the tour is planned to cover "over 60 cities" throughout the U.S. and Canada. During the announcement, Dolly noted June through December dates will be coming in Los Angeles, New York City, Milwaukee, Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas, in addition to other U.S. areas and almost all major cities in Canada. Her last tour of this scale was her Eagle When She Flies Tour in 1991 and 1992. She took a break from touring for 10 years until a sold out club tour in 2002. For context, her North American tours over the past 25 years have been:
2002, Halos & Horns Tour, 17 North American dates, 15 cities (0 Canadian cities)
2004, Hello I'm Dolly Tour, 39 North American dates, 36 cities (1 Canadian cities)
2005, The Vintage Tour, 42 North American dates, 40 cities (4 Canadian cities)
2006-2007, An Evening with Dolly shows, 13 North American dates, 9 cities (2 Canadian cities)
2008, Backwoods Barbie World Tour, 47 North American dates, 44 cities (3 Canadian cities)
2011, Better Day World Tour, 20 North American dates, 19 cities (0 Canadian cities)
2014, Blue Smoke World Tour, 11 North American dates, 9 cities (0 Canadian cities)
2015, Pure & Simple Shows, 4 dates (6 shows), 2 cities (0 Canadian cities)

The tour will support a new two-CD album, Pure & Simple with Dolly's Biggest Hits, copying the massive success of 2014's coupling a greatest hits collection with the European version of her Blue Smoke album to sell about 400,000 copies in the U.K. and become just her third career album to pass the British platinum record threshold of 300,000 units sold. While a track listing has yet to be released, she noted the album has a song "Mama" that will be released as a digital single to coincide with the DVD release of Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors on May 3 and that it also contains a track called "I'm 16" about feeling eternally young.

In a wide-ranging press conference, Dolly explained she'll only do a few shows each month with breaks between different legs of the tour. She joked: "It's called 'Dolly Pure & Simple.' I don't know how pure I am but I know I'm pretty simple." She said the album will contain about 12 newly recorded songs she's written and she'll probably perform about three of those in concert. Then the other CD is "Dolly's biggest hits. I said 'hits'!" she joked again. She said she had not been planning to tour this year, but the timing seemed right between several other projects for her to do it since she may not have time next year due to the "possibility" of doing a TV series. She added NBC is currently working on adapting "Jolene" into a film to follow up Coat Of Many Colors but that Jolene is as "trashy" as the characters in Coat were wholesome, which she attributed to "I'm a girl of many colors." After that, she explained, they'll do "The Seeker," which is modeled after Highway To Heaven and Touched By An Angel and they'd like to make it into a series if the movie does well. She noted she may do a music special for the fourth production instead of a movie to complete her four-project development deal with the network. She also said they are considering adding a "Coat" sequel for next Christmas featuring more stories from her childhood.

She was asked about her 50th wedding anniversary coming up with Carl Dean, her thoughts on the passing of Joey Feek, and working on the Broadway musical version of her life, for which she said she just received the final script but it wouldn't be ready for the stage for another 18 to 24 months. She also promoted Dollywood, noting they are investing $50 million this year between the new Lightning Rod coaster and purchasing and renovating her new Lumberjack Adventure dinner theatre. Nashville's NewsChannel5 posted the press conference to YouTube in two parts here and here or in the media players above and below. The official press release announcing the tour and CD is:
        Dolly Parton is set to bring her boundless energy to stages in over 60 cities as she embarks on her first major U.S. and Canadian tour in more than 25 years. For the last 20 years, Parton has only played select dates in the U.S., but her 2016 tour will cover cities across North America. As one of the hottest concert tickets of the summer, Parton's legion of fans are destined to sell out the shows quickly. Parton's set-list will include hit songs all while weaving in a few new songs from her double-disc album Pure & Simple with Dolly's Biggest Hits. She will also be playing songs that have not been heard live for decades.
         "We're so excited to get out there and see the fans again. I'm really looking forward to singing songs the fans have not heard in a while, as well as the hits, while debuting a few new ones off Pure & Simple," Parton said.
        Pure & Simple with Dolly's Biggest Hits 2-CD set will include all new material as well as a compilation of Parton's biggest hits. A track listing for Pure & Simple will be announced soon.
        The Country Music Hall of Famer is on one of the biggest hot streaks of her career after her hugely successful TV movie, "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors," attracted a network record of 15.8+ million viewers and was the most watched movie on network TV in more than 3 years. "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors," will be released on DVD May 3.
        Stay tuned for tour date announcements and album details.

Trio Set Coming Sept. 9 With Vinyl Companions
But that wasn't the only Dolly album formally announced on Monday. Rhino Records made the long-awaited official announcement of the three-disc Trio box set with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, which now has a Sept. 9 release date, complete with some vinyl surprises. As was previously reported here, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe features 1987's Trio and 1999's Trio II (which was actually recorded in 1994) and a 20-song third CD of alternate takes and previously unreleased tracks as well as a one-disc version sold separately and offering select tracks from all three discs. New information is that for the first time ever, Trio II will be released on vinyl (a 180 gram collectors' edition similar to the re-issue of the original Trio on 180 gram vinyl two years ago) and a separate two-LP set titled Farther Along, consisting of the 20 bonus tracks. All four new releases hit stores on the same day. Amazon.com on Monday began taking advance orders for The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe, Trio II and Farther Alongbut did not yet have an order page for the one-disc My Dear Companion: Selections From The Trio Collection. Although the track listing was originally reported here back in July when it first had an October 2015 release date, here it is again with the full press release:

LOS ANGELES (RHINO) – Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris have three careers unparalleled in music history. Together they have sold over 200 million albums worldwide and performed for decades in front of countless fans around the globe. It's no surprise that when their three voices united to release their debut collaboration, the results were remarkable. The threesome released two albums together, Trio (1987)and Trio II (1999), which have combined to sell more than five million copies worldwide and win three Grammy® Awards.
        Both of these classic albums have been newly remastered for a three-CD collection packed with rare and unreleased music. Produced by Harris, THE COMPLETE TRIO COLLECTION will be available on September 9 for a list price of $29.98.
        On the same date, a single-disc set will also be available entitled MY DEAR COMPANION: SELECTIONS FROM THE TRIO COLLECTION, featuring a mix of songs taken from the three-disc set, as will FARTHER ALONG, a double-LP set of all the bonus material from THE COMPLETE TRIO COLLECTION. Trio II will also be released on vinyl for the first time.
        Even though Parton, Ronstadt, and Harris began recording together in the 1970s, a full album proved elusive. When the stars aligned and the friends were finally able to record a full album, a powerhouse sound of country and Americana was born. The results were remarkable. Trioarrived in 1987; sold more than four million copies; won two Grammy Awards; and topped the country album chart for five consecutive weeks. Among the standout tracks are "To Know Him Is to Love Him," "Wildflowers," and "Farther Along."
        It would be more than a decade before the group released a follow-up, but when Trio II arrived in 1999 it did not disappoint. The album won a Grammy Award and peaked in the Top Five of the country album chart. It sold more than one million copies worldwide on the strength of tracks like "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" the Carter family's "Lover's Return" and a cover of Neil Young's "After The Gold Rush."
        The bonus disc is loaded with 20 songs, including alternate takes of album tracks like "I've Had Enough," "Making Plans" and "My Dear Companion." Also featured are 11 completely unreleased recordings from the trio spanning both album sessions including "Waltz Across Texas Tonight," "Pleasant As May," "Are You Tired of Me," and the gospel standard "Softly And Tenderly." Among the unreleased material is also an alternate version of "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" featuring Parton on lead vocals and a stunning acapella version of "Calling All My Children Home."

THE COMPLETE TRIO COLLECTION
Track Listing
Disc One – Trio I
1."The Pain of Loving You"
2."Making Plans"
3."To Know Him Is To Love Him"
4."Hobo's Meditation"
5."Wildflowers"
6."Telling Me Lies"
7."My Dear Companion"
8."Those Memories of You"
9."I've Had Enough"
10."Rosewood Casket"
11."Farther Along"
Disc Two – Trio II
1."Lover's Return"
2."High Sierra"
3."Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"
4."After the Gold Rush"
5."The Blue Train"
6."I Feel the Blues Movin' In"
7."You'll Never Be The Sun"
8."He Rode All The Way To Texas"
9."Feels Like Home"
10."When We're Gone, Long Gone"
Disc Three – Bonus Material
1."Wildflowers" (Alternate Take unreleased 1986)
2."Waltz Across Texas Tonight" (Unreleased 1994)
3."Lover's Return" (Alternate Mix – Unreleased)
4."Softly and Tenderly" (Unreleased 1994)
5."Pleasant As May" (Unreleased 1986)
6."My Dear Companion" (Alternate Take 1986)
7."My Blue Tears" (Unreleased 1998)
8."Making Plans" (Alternate Take 1986)
9."I've Had Enough" (Alternate Mix 1986)
10."Grey Funnel Line" (Unreleased 1986)
11. "You Don't Knock" (Unreleased 1986)
12."Where Will The Words Come From" (Unreleased 1985)
13. "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" (Dolly Lead – Alternate Take 1994)
14."Are You Tired of Me" (Unreleased 1986)
15."Even Cowgirls Get The Blues"
16. "Mr. Sandman"
17."Handful Of Dust" (Unreleased 1993)
18."Calling My Children Home" (Unreleased Acapella Version 1986)
19."White Snow" (Unreleased 1986)
20."Farther Along" (Alternate Mix 1986)

MY DEAR COMPANION: SELECTIONS FROM THE TRIO COLLECTION
Track Listing
1. "The Pain Of Loving You"
2. "My Dear Companion"
3. "To Know Him Is To Love Him"
4. "Telling Me Lies"
5. "Farther Along"
6. " Lover's Return"
7. "After The Gold Rush"
8. "The Blue Train"
9. "You'll Never Be The Sun"
10."When We're Gone, Long Gone"
11. "Waltz Across Texas Tonight" (Unreleased 1994)
12. "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" (Dolly Lead – Alternate Take 1994)
13. "Wildflowers" (Alternate Take 1986)
14. "Calling My Children Home" (Unreleased Acapella Version 1986)

Lumberjack Restaurant Update
The Knoxville News-Sentinel on Monday updated readers on Dolly's new Lumberjack Adventure dinner theatre, set to open "mid-May." The article notes Dolly has contributed music and written new songs for the revamped show. Read more here.


March 7:
U.K. Chart Updates
Dolly's The Tour Collection re-enters the top 20 British country compilation albums this week at No. 15, Friday's charts showed. On the same tally, Emmylou Harris' Original Album Series, Volume 1 (with two Dolly covers, one track with Dolly harmony and one track with Trio harmony by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt) falls four to No. 20, and her Original Album Series, Vol. 2 (featuring one track with Dolly harmony and two tracks with Trio harmony) gains one to No. 18, while Ronstadt's own Original Album Series (featuring one Dolly cover and one track with Dolly harmony) re-enters the top 20 at No. 14.

'Whorehouse' Blu-Ray Coming Tuesday
Don't forget the first-ever Blu-Ray release of Dolly's second film, 1982's The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, comes out Tuesday. Get yours here!

Beyonce Covers Dolly Classic
Beyonce, who a little over a year ago passed Dolly's record as the woman with the most career Grammy nominations, over the weekend covered Dolly's classic "I Will Always Love You" at a fundraising gala for her child's school. Take a listen from Vanity Fair here.

RuPaul Wants To Sing With Dolly
Who are RuPaul's dream duet partners? Dolly, Cher and, regrettably, the late David Bowie, according to an interview with Yahoo in advance of Monday's season premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race on Logo. Read more here.

'Dear Dolly' Getting Remake Video
Singer Ruthie Collins will soon film a music video for her single "Dear Dolly" in her hometown, The Observer Today in Dunkirk, N.Y., reported here. The song, which she co-wrote with Jessica Roadcap and Natalie Stovall, was previously released by Stovall (watch her version here).


March 5:
In Memoriam: Joey Feek
Joey & Rory member Joey Feek passed away Friday after a long and public battle with cancer. She was just 40. Hours following her death, her husband posted a video of her reaction in November to her idol Dolly having sent a video greeting as she battled the disease. Watch the video here.

Stella Charms European Press
Dolly's sister Stella continues her European tour to promote her CD of Dolly songs, Mountain Songbird: A Sister's Tribute, with coverage from The Midsussex Times here and The Daily Echo here.

Dollywood Teases New Coaster
Dollywood on Friday released part one of its "Under The Hood" video series for the Lightning Rod roller coaster premiering at the park's opening in two weeks. Watch it on Facebook here.


March 4:
Another Video Of Dolly's MovieGuide Red Carpet Walk Released


The Daily Signal, the media arm of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, on Thursday released a video of Dolly on the red carpet of the MovieGuide Awards, where Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors won the top television prize of the year. Watch it in the media player above or by visiting YouTube here.

Austin Drag Show To Honor Dolly
Folks in the Austin, Texas, area Friday night may want to stop by Elysium for Hail Yasss! Parton My Beauty (A Dolly Drag Tribute) featuring PooPoo Platter's Zane Zena, Louisianna Purchase, Mandy Quinn, Kitty Buick, and more. 18 and up for $5 cover starting at 10 p.m. Visit their Facebook page here.

U.S. Chart Update
Don Henley's Cass County, which features Dolly on "When I Stop Dreaming," loses six places to No. 26 on the country albums chart in its 30th chart week, the March 12 Billboard charts released Tuesday revealed.

Annual Dolly Singing Competition Opens For Entries
The annual Mountain Soul Vocal Competition, the only singing contest to rely solely on songs composed by Dolly, has announced that entries are now being accepted for this year's show. A total of 30 finalists will be chosen from audition tapes, CDs, DVDs or digital files on thumb drives submitted with a postmark of April 8 or earlier to compete in the May 21 contest during the Bloomin' Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival in Sevierville, Tenn. Contestants are encouraged to check whether Dolly wrote the song by using the Dollymania.net database of Dolly songs here. Learn more on the competition here.


March 1:
Hear New 'Trio' Song, CDs Coming This June


Linda Ronstadt's manager, John Boylan, has released a preview of one of the upcoming bonus Trio tracks and revealed the three-CD set is now scheduled for June release. The news came during an interview with Lynx Studio Technology's booth at the recent National Association of Music Merchants conference. Video of the interview was posted online by Lynx last week and features Boylan playing the entire previously unreleased track "Waltz Across Texas Tonight," which Emmylou Harris had re-recorded as a solo song for her 1995 Wrecking Ball CD when the Trio II project was shelved in 1994. As was previously reported, Rhino Records is re-releasing the two Trio albums Dolly recorded with Ronstadt and Harris plus a third disc of previously-unreleased tracks remastered by Boylan. Watch the interview and hear the song here or in the media player above. Thanks, Tony!

Lumberjack Show Resumes Renovations
Local media report construction has resumed on Dolly Parton's Lumberjack Adventure, which is being remodeled to re-open under Dolly's name in May. Check out coverage from WBIR here and Local 8 Now here.