feb. 24Dolly Parton - Dollymania: The Online Dolly Parton Newsmagazine. Your premier resource for Dolly Parton news and information. The only regularly-updated Dolly Parton website available.
Fifty-two years ago Monday, “Please Don't Stop Loving Me,” Porter & Dolly's sole Billboard No. 1 duet, debuts on the country charts. Forty-seven years ago Tuesday, “You're the Only One” spends its second of two weeks at No. 1 on the country charts, Dolly's 11th No. 1 and fourth multi-week No. 1; it also makes it to No. 59 pop and No. 14 adult contemporary. Thirty-four years ago Tuesday, Dolly's album Eagle When She Flies is certified platinum, her fifth, signifying sales of more than 1 million copies. Thirty-seven years ago Wednesday, “Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That” reaches the top of the country charts, Dolly's 22nd of her record 25 country No. 1s. Fifty-six years ago Saturday, A Real Live Dolly debuts on the album charts, reaching No. 32 country and No. 154 pop. Fifty-one years ago Sunday, Best of Dolly Parton debuts on the country album charts; it would reach No. 5 and three years later reach gold status (+500,000 copies sold).
Upcoming television appearances
(All times Eastern unless noted)
Aug. 7, 6:45 a.m., TMC, Steel Magnolias (re-runs 7:05 a.m. Aug. 14, 2 p.m. Aug. 16)
Aug. 7, 1:10 p.m., FXM, 9 To 5 (re-runs 3:10 a.m. Aug. 8, 11:15 a.m. Aug. 12)
Aug. 9, 12:50 p.m., FLIX, Steel Magnolias (re-runs 11:50 a.m. Aug. 12, 2:10 a.m. Aug. 13, 7 p.m. Aug. 15)
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
Dolly To Open NightFlight Aug. 14 At Dollywood Dollywood announced last week that Dolly is scheduled to make an appearance Aug. 14 at the park's Celebrity Theater to dedicate its largest addition in history, the massive NightFlight Exhibition ride. It is not yet known whether passholders will be able to attend, but recent media events have distributed random tickets to Diamond passholders and allowed Diamond passholders without tickets to wait in a standby line to fill no-show seats, but that has traditionally not been announced until about a week in advance. It is also not yet known whether Dolly will appear in a park tour, but it is traditional if weather permits that she tour the park in her little open-car parade tour when she is on park for a media appearance. In related news, silver, gold, and diamond passholders who bought in the renewal presale through Oct. 12 were promised preview access to the new ride before it opens to the general public, and they will be able to reserve spots starting at 10 a.m. Friday using their online My Dollywood accounts for Aug. 15-18 test period rides prior to public access starting Aug. 19. Starting Aug. 19, the ride will be added to the Premium Timesaver for one ride per Timesaver. This will mark just her second appearance at Dollywood this year and third public appearance anywhere since announcing health issues in late September that initially resulted in postponement and then later cancellation of a Vegas residency.
Dolly To Receive ACM Poet's Award The Academy of Country Music last week announced Dolly will receive this year's Poet's Award at the ACM Honors ceremony Aug. 19 at Nashville's Pinnacle. She is scheduled to accept the award via video message during a special tribute to her as part of the ceremony. The honor is “in recognition of her extraordinary, decades-long impact as one of Country Music's most gifted and influential songwriters,” the ACM noted in a press release. “A 13-time ACM Award recipient, Parton's relationship with the Academy spans generations. She has also hosted the ACM Awards three times, further cementing her place as one of the genre's most beloved and enduring figures. At the heart of Parton's legacy is her pen. Her work has been nominated multiple times in the ACM Song of the Year category, including for 'You're the Only One,' '9 to 5' and 'When I Get Where I'm Going,' underscoring the lasting power of her songwriting within Country Music. From 'Jolene' and 'Coat of Many Colors' to 'I Will Always Love You,' Parton has written with honesty, heart and unmatched storytelling power, creating songs that have shaped the culture of Country Music and continue to resonate far beyond genre lines.”
'Here I Am' Gets U.S. DVD Release Through PBS A new PBS-released DVD of the British documentary Dolly Parton: Here I Am is coming to retailers Sept. 15 after local stations provide the DVD as a thank you gift for donors who contribute in the fall pledge drive which includes the film as one of the featured programs this month on most PBS stations. Reserve your copy here.
'Broken Angles' Nominated For Dove Award Dolly over the weekend received her eighth career nomination from the Dove Awards for Christian music, of which she has previously won three awards. She and The Grascals are up for Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year for “Broken Angels.” The are competing against Chosen Road's “A God Thing,” “Above The Clouds” by Eighteen Mile, “Camel Train” by Becky Buller featuring Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White, and Cheryl White, and “I Am The One” by Jeff Tolbert and Primitive Road. Winners will be announced at the 57th GMA Dove Awards Show Oct. 6 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Dolly previously won this category in 2024 with Zach Williams for “Looking For You” and 2022 with Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson, Jerry Salley, Bradley Walker for “In The Sweet By and By” and was nominated in this category in 2015 as the songwriter of Volume Five and Rhonda Vincent's cover of “Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man.” She also won 2020's Short Form Video of the Year for “God Only Knows” with For KING & Country and was nominated for Pop Recorded Song of the Year in 2021 for “There Was Jesus” with Zach Williams and Country Recorded Song of the Year in 2004 for “Stand By The River” with Dottie Rambo and in 2006 for “When I Get Where I'm Going” with Brad Paisley.
Dolly Mural In Nashville Defaced A popular mural of Dolly at The Five Spot Nashville was recently vandalized. Security footage caught a person who threw black paint on Dolly's face. The business posted the news to Instagram here saying: “9:52am on a Monday. Help us find this jerk. Thanks to our neighbor @hipzippernashville for the camera footage. Nobody fucks with Dolly, Or any art by @kimradfordartist.” Check out a news story from The Tennessean courtesy AOL here.
Dolly Archives Reps Head To Denver Life of Many Colors Museum Executive Director Rebecca Seaver and Dolly Parton Archive Chief Historian and Archivist Christian Ferguson will visit the Denver Art Museum Jan. 12 for an in-depth talk on their work with Dolly and her archive and their curation of the coffee table book Behind The Seams: My Life In Rhinestones. Learn more and get tickets here.
Dolly's Niece In New 'Honky Tonk Angels' Trio Dolly's niece, Tammy Wynette's daughter, and another young female country artist have re-created Dolly, Tammy, and Loretta Lynn's Honky Tonk Angels version of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles,” complete with inviting multiple male country artists to be filmed trying to enter their dressing room backstage and ply them with gifts. Check out the video by Heidi Parton, Georgette Jones, and Lee Newton on YouTube here and download the track from Amazon here.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 41 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 77 pop and No. 16 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 19 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 47 pop and No. 8 Aussie country.
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
July 28: '9 To 5' Goes Quadruple-Platinum In U.K. Dolly's 1980 classic "9 To 5" last week became her first in the U.K. to be certified four-times platinum for digital sales equaling 2.4 million copies two and a half years after it was certified triple platinum. She has two other triple-platinum singles in Britain, "Islands In The Stream" and "Jolene." (Those same three singles are all triple-platinum in the U.S. as well.) The quadruple-platinum certification was awarded by the BPI on July 24.
In Memoriam: Denver Parton Condolences are extended to the Parton family over the loss of Dolly's brother, Coy "Denver" Parton, on Thursday, July 23, at the age of 82. Read his obituary here. He was the fifth of her six brothers to pass away, following infant Larry and adults Floyd, Randy, and David. The obituary was the first in the family to list having been preceded in death by brother-in-law Carl Dean, Dolly's husband who passed in March 2025. It was also the first family obituary to acknowledge Laura Price as a sister. Private services will be handled by Atchley Funeral Home.
Broadway Ticket Sales Brisk, Casting Ongoing Dolly's upcoming Broadway bio-musical is doing well with advance ticket sales, although casting appears to be ongoing for the show which begins previews in December before opening in January on Dolly's 81st birthday. An ad from casting directory Backstage lists that they are still auditioning for Little Dolly at a pay rate of $2,799 per week for whatever young actress is hired. Other roles are also likely in the audition stage. In related news, The New York Post reports here that with almost no advertisement other than a social media announcement from Dolly, the show sold over $3 million in advance ticket sales in its first two weeks of availability, doing well with general audiences and especially with group tours. The paper notes the show was capitalized with $17 million for its Broadway launch and $13 million for its Nashville tryout, bringing total production costs to $30 million.
Peck Channels Dolly At Opry Debut Masked gay country singer Orville Peck made his Grand Ole Opry debut last week and chose to use it to honor Dolly. He performed her signature song "I Will Always Love You" as one of his two numbers, the other being one of his own songs. He noted that a decade ago he made three career goals: to collaborate with Willie Nelson (which he has done), sing with Dolly (which he said he is still working on making happen), and debut on the Opry. Read more about his night at Country Music's Mother Church from USA Todayhere.
Work At Dollywood, A 'Newsweek' Best Family Employer Dollywood has been named to another best place to work list, this time Newsweek's America's Greatest Workplaces for Parents & Families. If you're interested in working there, a job fair will be Thursday of this week and repeat every Thursday in August 2 p.m.-6:30 p.m. at Sevierville Civic Center, 200 Gary Wade Blvd. in Sevierville, plus a hiring event at DreamMore 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8. Available positions are listed at dollywoodjobs.com.
Miley, And Dolly, Takes Over 'Wonderland' Dolly's goddaughter Miley Cyrus has taken over the summer issue of Wonderland released on Monday. Just Jared reports here that she recruited "a cross-generational group of artists and creatives Miley admires, alongside family members, and longstanding friends who have helped shape her personal and creative world through the years" to contribute to the publication including Dolly, Daryl Hannah, Tish Cyrus-Purcell, Noah Cyrus, Kelela, Lykke Li, Sky Ferreira, 070 Shake, Towa Bird, Suzanne Vega, Tallulah Willis, Scout Willis, Phantogram, and Model/Actriz. No specifics were given on exactly what Dolly's part in the issue is. It is available for purchase online at wonderlandshop.com.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 41 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 69 pop and No. 13 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 16 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 45 pop and No. 7 Aussie country.
July 21: Dolly, Grascals Earn Three IBMA Nominations
Dolly and The Grascals have snagged three nominations together at the 37th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, it was revealed last week. Their collaboration "Broken Angels" is up for Song of the Year, Collaborative Recording of the Year, and Music Video of the Year. Winners will be announced from Chattanooga Oct. 22. For Song, they are up against "Can't Outrun the Blues" by Trey Hensley, "New Cluck Old Hen" by Steve Martin and Alison Brown featuring Della Mae, "Cost of Living" by Authentic Unlimited, and "Finding Your Way Home" by Red Camel Collective. For Collaboration, they face "Gentle on My Mind" by Tony Trischka and Billy Strings, "New Cluck Old Hen," "The Devil Went Down to Deep Gap" by Bryan Sutton with Billy Strings, and "Just a Holler Over" by Sister Sadie and The Po' Rambin' Boy. For Video, they face "The Devil Went Down to Deep Gap," "Ralph's Banjo Special" by Kristin Scott Benson, Gena Britt, and Alison Brown, "New Cluck Old Hen" and "Let the Circle Be Broken" by Sister Sadie. The nods bring Dolly's IBMA nomination count to 9, of which she has won 6: Album of the Year for The Grass Is Blue; Collaboration and Gospel Recording for "In The Sweet By and By": with Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Bradley Walker and Jerry Salley; Gospel Recording as songwriter of "Sacred Memories" covered by Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers with Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White Skaggs; and two Recorded Event of the Year honors for group projects: Clinch Mountain Sweethearts with Dr. Ralph Stanley and several other female artists and Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs Of The Louvin Brothers.
Dolly Releases First Official Karaoke Album Dolly on Friday released her first-ever official karaoke EP with the digital album Dolly's Greatest Hits (Official Karaoke Versions). The collection (click on the cover art for larger view) on her own Butterfly Records label, available for download from Amazon here, features re-creations of the original instrumentation from five classics:
9 To 5
I Will Always Love You
Islands in the Stream
Here You Come Again
Jolene
Preview New Hotel, Museum WKRN offered a look last week at Dolly's upcoming SongTeller Hotel and Life of Many Colors Museum with a report here.
Opry Celebrates Bill Anderson Anniversary Bill Anderson set the record last week as the longest-serving member of the Grand Ole Opry and celebrated his 65th Opry anniversary. Among those wishing him well was Dolly via video message. Read more about his achievement from Country Insiderhere
In Memoriam: Jim Gilstrap Jim Gilstrap, a legendary background singer who co-led the theme song for TV's "Good Times" and appeared on several Stevie Wonder hits, most notably "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," died July 18 at the age of 79. His connection to Dolly was helping her make her second pop album, 1978's Heartbreaker. Gilstrap not only sang backing vocals throughout the album but also joined Dolly and Gregg Perry as the album's credited "vocal coaching team." Read his full obituary from Billboardhere.
Miss Utah Pageant Gets A Little Dolly Miss Iron County Shelby Springall impressed the crowd at this year's Miss Utah pageant by speed painting an image of Dolly upside down while dancing to "9 To 5." Check out video from her performance via TikTok here.
'Here I Am' Coming To PBS In August The 2019 British documentary Dolly Parton: Here I Am will be airing on several PBS stations this August for the fall pledge drives. Check local listings to see if it is airing on your local PBS station.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 retains the top spot on the British country compilation albums chart at No. 1, while Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection inches up one to No. 8, and Linda Ronstadt's installment in the Original Album Series and The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe re-enter the top 20 at No. 14 and No. 20, respectively, and Emmylou Harris' first installment in the Original series falls out of the top 20, down from No. 19. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 38 pop.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 40 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 71 pop and No. 16 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 15 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 47 pop and No. 8 Aussie country.
July 14: 'Dolly' Announces Dec. Broadway Previews, Jan. Opening
Dolly last week announced the long-awaited trip to Broadway for her bio-musical Dolly: A True Original Musical. Previews will start Dec. 7 at the St. James Theatre (once Titanique closes) in advance of an official opening night on Dolly's 81st birthday, Jan. 19. Tickets are available here. The announcement video is available here or in the media player above, while the ticket on-sale video is available here and in the media player below. Coverage dominated several media outlets for a few days, with a story from Variety available here as an example. The show is also collecting fan questions for Dolly about the musical on Instagram here.
Monument, Early Singles Released On CD A recent Norwegian-released CD Early Rarities has made its way to the U.S. as an import containing the 18 tracks from 2023's Record Store Day exclusive vinyl The Monument Singles Collection many of which are available on CD for the first time (and repeats that Sony release's error of mistaking the album cut of "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" for the B-side answer song "I'll Put It Off Until Tomorrow" which was supposed to appear on the album and CD). In addition, the release features her first single "Puppy Love"/"Girl Left Alone" from Monument Records at age 13, an teen indie collaboration with Uncle Bill Owens on "So Little I Wanted, So Little I Got"/"Forbidden Love," and her first major label single, "It's Sure Gonna Hurt"/"The Love You Gave" on Mercury Records. Get your copy here!
Study: Dolly Has Sold, Streamed 65 Million Albums Chartmakers.org has ranked the 49 top female artists based on their physical album sales, digital downloads, and streaming to calculate equivalent album units, and Dolly ranked No. 29 with 64.4 million album equivalents. Read the full list here.
Dollywood Makes 'Time' List Dollywood last week was named to Time magazine's inaugural list of the top 500 privately held companies in the United States. It is the only theme park on the tally based on employee satisfaction and company impact on society, global knowledge/health, and the environment. Dollywood was No. 49 on the overall list and No. 4 on Hospitality, Travel, and Leisure.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 retains the top spot on the British country compilation albums chart at No. 1, while Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection falls four to No. 9, and Linda Ronstadt's installment in the Original Album Series falls out of the top 20, down from No. 16, while Emmylou Harris' first installment in the same series dips one to No. 19. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 34 pop.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 39 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 69 pop and No. 15 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 11 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 40 pop and No. 6 Aussie country.
July 7: Dolly's Library Gets Taylor & Travis Wedding Gift
In advance of their wedding last week, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donated $26 million to 20 different charities across the U.S. in honor of their nuptials, and Dolly's Imagination Library early childhood literacy program received $2 million. Dolly herself took to her social media to thank the couple for their generosity, congratulated them on their wedding, and joked since they were in a giving mood would they gift her their first born child because she knows given the two of them as its parents that would be one very special kid. Watch her message here or in the media player above. In related news, Oklahoma's statewide program, 50 percent funded by its state legislature since 2000, is only three counties away from being available to every eligible child in the state, KOSU revealed here.
'GMA' Celebrates Dolly For Nation's 250th
On the day before America's 250th birthday, ABC sent Good Morning America reporter Will Ganss for a live remote at Dollywood to celebrate Dolly among the final subjects of the network's Disney Celebrates America 250 best things about this nation. Watch the segment here or in the media player above.
Spotify: Dolly Is Country's No. 1 Streamed Female Artist Goldmine magazine looked at Spotify's charts of the all-time most streamed artists in its history and found Dolly ranks as the most streamed female country artist of all time, coming in at No. 724 on the top 1,000 artists list (Taylor Swift ranks higher but due mostly to her pop career rather than her country career, so they don't count her as a country artist). Read more here.
Owepar 'DNA' Doc Still Taping Thanks to Greg for pointing me to a post from about a month ago by a videographer working on interviews for the Smoky Mountain DNA documentary about Dolly's family musical legacy, indicating the project is still alive and being developed. Check out the note here.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 retains the top spot on the British country compilation albums chart at No. 1, while Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection slips to No. 5, and Ultimate Dolly Parton falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 11, while Linda Ronstadt's installment in the Original Album Series slides four to No. 16, Emmylou Harris' first installment in the same series re-enters the top 20 at No. 18, and Glen Campbell Duets: Ghost On The Canvas Sessions, with a Dolly duet, falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 18. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 33 pop.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 36 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 70 pop and No. 15 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 14 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 7 Australian country and No. 43 Australian pop albums.
June 30: Dolly Makes Travel Stop Opening Appearance
Although it had been previously announced that she would not be participating in any of the opening week festivities at her Dolly opened her first Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop, in Cornersville, Tenn., officials informed the crowds gathered for Wednesday's ribbon cutting shortly before it was to take place that she was, in fact, on her way to visit for the festivities. She held a promotional photo shoot inside the store and briefly addressed the crowd outside (joking that when folks ask why she wants to own a truck stop she tells them "I couldn't leave it to beavers" – a good-natured swipe at Buc-ee's mascot), and cut the ribbon with her business partner in the chain, Greg Sachs, as butterfly confetti rained on the crowd and Dolly's new jingle for the store played over the speakers. Check out some footage from the event set to the entire jingle recording in the official opening video montage from Instagram here or in the media player above. See additional coverage from Paradehere, WSMV here and Reuters Connect photos here. Also, The Tennessean shared a clip from her remarks to the crowd to Facebook here and in the media player below.
'Still Working 9 To 5' Hits YouTube For Free
Documentary+ has acquired the online streaming rights to the documentary Still Working 9 To 5 (featuring Dolly, Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Allison Janney, several activists, and Dabney Coleman in his final filmed appearance) and debuted it over the weekend for free viewing on its YouTube channel here and in the media player above.
Dollywood Ranked No. 2 For Best Value Using Tripadvisor feedback on pricing and overall value, digital platform Achieve recently released a study ranking the nation's best values for attractions, and Dollywood came in second behind Kennedy Space Center. The study noted: "The beloved theme park earns high praise from travelers for blending exhilarating roller coasters, world-class live entertainment and authentic mountain hospitality into an affordable, family-focused package."
Maine Imagination Library Closing For Lack Of Funds Maine's affiliate of Dolly's Imagination Library early childhood literacy program has become the most recent victim to fundraising challenges in the current economy, announcing it will cease operations. Learn more from WMTW here.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 38 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 83 pop and No. 20 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 10 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 7 Australian country and No. 46 Australian pop albums.
June 23: Dollywood's NightFlight Delayed To Mid-August
Dollywood President Eugene Naughton last week released a video to social media here and in the media player above announcing the new anticipated opening date for the park's largest-ever and most expensive ride, 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. Originally planned for a spring opening (the park's new attractions traditionally open in May), construction delays have pushed their target opening to mid-August, he revealed. In other news, the park this week announced it had been named to the 2026 Greatest Workplaces in America and Greatest Workplaces in Tennessee lists from Newsweek.
New Frozen Desserts Debut Dolly's Conagra food line has expanded once again with three new single-serving frozen desserts: Cookies 'n Custard Frozen Dessert Cups in banana crème, vanilla shortbread, and chocolate mud pie flavors. The cups contain a frozen custard with cookie pieces layered throughout and are edible after a few minutes of thawing.
Dolly's Travel Stop Opens This Week Although Dolly will not be in attendance at any of the events, her new travel stop, Dolly's Tennessean, in Cornersville, Tenn., announced its grand opening schedule for this week and next: the fun starts at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday with the launch of her coffee brand, live music, food samples, and giveaways and continues daily through a 5 p.m. finale event on July 3 with games, bounce houses, and fireworks.
Oregon Library Becomes Official Oregon's statewide Imagination Library program with Dolly has become an official state program with permanent funding, thanks to a new law signed last week by Gov. Tina Kotek. Read more from KGW here.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 36 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 84 pop and No. 19 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 15 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 7 Australian country and No. 48 Australian pop albums.
June 16: Dolly Coffee Coming Soon
Dolly last week announced her new partnership with Community Coffee to sell Cup of Ambition coffee in light, medium, and dark roasts and both ground and K-cup versions. The first taste will be offered at the opening of Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop outside of Nashville on June 24, with in-store retail availability nationwide later this year. In a press release, Dolly said: "I've spent a lifetime workin' 9 to 5, 5 to 9, and every hour in between! It takes a lot of energy to pursue your passion and navigate each day. That's why I wanted to make a coffee that works just as hard. You know, I begin each morning with a head full of dreams, a notepad full of ideas, and a cup or two of coffee. Whether you're chasing dreams, tackling that to-do list, or just enjoying a quiet morning at home. I hope it brings a smile with every sip." Click on provided images for larger versions.
Florida Pirates Voyage May Add Arcade Dolly's newest Pirates Voyage in Panama City Beach, Fla., wants to add next door to their theater a single-story arcade, mini-golf course, electric go-kart track, and a building that would showcase traveling exhibits, such as of artifacts from Dolly's two Titanic museums in Branson and Pigeon Forge. Read more from WJHG here.
Dollywood Enters Summer, Extends Public Sale Dollywood launched its Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration on Monday with a nightly dance party before fireworks and drones, Gazillion Bubble Show: Evolution, Perondi's Stunt Dog Experience, Play On, Wings of America, Imagination Playhouse (with "Coat Of Many Colors," "The Little Engine That Could," "Something Wild," "Llama Llama Red Pajama" and "Peter Rabbit"), Kite Sky, patriotic décor, and special culinary offerings. In addition, the park has expanded Public Employee Appreciation Days through June 28 with one-day admission tickets for $59 per person for military, first responders, school employees, government employees, and medical employees verified through ID.me here.
'Smoky Mountain Memories' Cover Released
Bluegrass darlings Dailey & Vincent last week released their new album, A Beautiful Life, with a cover of Dolly's "Smoky Mountain Memories". Stream it on YouTube here or in the media player above or download it from Amazon here.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 retains the top spot on the British country compilation albums chart at No. 1, while Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection stays at No. 11, Emmylou Harris' first installment in the Original Album Series falls out of the top 20, down from No. 16, while Linda Ronstadt's installment remains at No. 19 while The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe re-enters the top 20 at No. 20. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 33 pop. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, falls back out of the British country albums top 20, down from No. 20.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 40 pop and Post Malone is No. 89 pop and No. 18 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 15 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 6 Australian country and No. 50 Australian pop albums.
June 9: New Dolly Podcast, 'Dollyology,' Debuts Dollyology, a new podcast about Dolly, debuted last week with an interview with niece, Dolly Parton Archives director and incoming director of the Life of Many Colors Museum in Nashville Rebecca Seaver and Dolly Archives historian Christian Ferguson. They offer a great preview of the SongTeller Hotel's new Dolly museum and how their work to preserve her legacy and historical artifacts happens. (And thanks for the kind words and shout-out to this site in their discussion!) Take a listen via Audible here, Spotify here and Apple Podcasts here.
Hotel Preview Published By 'Attractions' Attractions magazine last week released a preview of Dolly's SongTeller Hotel in Nashville. Read it here.
Dolly Makes Second List Of 'NYT' Best Songwriters After the blowback on their music industry insiders' poll of the 30 greatest living American songwriters, the New York Times conducted a public poll of their readers' 100 favorite living American songwriters, and again Dolly made the list. The public votes were ranked, unlike the top 30, and Dolly came in eighth. The top 10 were Bob Dylan at No. 1, Paul Simon, Bruce Springstein, Carole King, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Dolly, James Taylor, and Willie Nelson. All of the top 10 except Billy Joel and James Taylor made the original 30 list. Read more from MSN here or behind the Times' paywall here.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 retains the top spot on the British country compilation albums chart at No. 1, while Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection inches up one to No. 11, Emmylou Harris' first installment in the Original Album Series slips 14 to No. 16 while Linda Ronstadt's installment gains one to No. 19 while Emmy's second installment falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 12 (all three contain several Dolly collaborations. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 28 pop. Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, re-enters the British country albums top 20 at No. 20 while Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, falls back out of the country top 20, down from No. 18.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 33 pop and Post Malone is No. 81 pop and No. 18 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 15 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 8 Australian country and No. 47 Australian pop albums.
June 2: Dolly Travel Stop Opening June 24 Dolly last week revealed that the first of her Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop locations will celebrate its grand opening June 24 at the flagship location at I-65 exist 22 in Cornersville, Tenn., about an hour south of Nashville. The stop will feature DLY BBQ, a coffee shop called Dolly's Cup of Ambition, a full sit-down restaurant and café, fueling stations for trucks and cars, an original mural, performance spaces for local musicians, and a tour bus inspired by Dolly's that guests may tour and photograph (her actual retired tour busses are on display at Dollywood and as a premium guest room at its DreamMore Resort). Additional grand opening details are expected in coming weeks. Property plans courtesy Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop. Click on image for larger view.
Songteller Hotel Delays Until September Dolly's SongTeller Hotel and Life of Many Colors Museum in downtown Nashville are behind schedule and won't open until fall instead of summer, developers announced last week in The Nashville Business Journal. Reservations are available for stays starting Sept. 15.
U.K., U.S., Aussie Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 retains the top spot on the British country compilation albums chart at No. 1, while Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection tumbles 10 spots to No. 12, Emmylou Harris' first installment in the Original Album Series rises one to No. 2 while her second installment inches up one to No. 12 and Linda Ronstadt's installment dips three to No. 20 (all three contain several Dolly collaborations), and Ultimate Dolly Parton falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 20. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 25 pop. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, re-enters the country top 20 at No. 18.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 35 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 90 pop and No. 18 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 13 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 7 Australian country and No. 43 Australian pop albums.
May 26: Album Of Dolly's Mother Released
Dolly's family record label, Owepar, last week released a 1979 album recorded by her mother, Avie Lee Parton. Smoky Mountain Mama features remastered versions of songs she recorded in 1979 when she toured for the first and only time as a folk artist. Previously released on cassette in 1990, the new version lists Dolly as executive producer. Stream the album from YouTube here or in the media player above, and purchase and download it from Amazon here.
Missouri Slashes Dolly's Library Missouri is the latest state to pull back on Dolly's Imagination Library early childhood literacy program due to budget cuts. The state, unusual in that it fully funded all children in the state receiving the books since 2023 (while the other 20-something states that offer it statewide only cover half of the cost with taxpayer dollars, requiring local charities to raise the other half in each county to participate), reduces the allocation in its new state budget by two-thirds from $6 million a year to $2 million. The state has cut off enrollment of new children into the program and plans to continue sending books to existing enrollees until funding is exhausted. Read more here.
Dollywood Named World's Greatest Park Again For the fifth year in a row, the world's oldest and largest group of theme park enthusiasts have named Dollywood their favorite theme park in the world. Disneyland came in second. The award comes from the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA), whose voting members average lifetime visits to more than 110 theme parks each and on average visits to a dozen unique parks annually. In related news, the annual School's Out! Promo has returned to Splash Country through June 14 where ages 4-18 may show their report card for admission and a personal pizza for $35 plus tax. Also, the park has announced $5 admission Sevier County Days for locals will run June 1-7 at Splash and June 8-14 at Dollywood. Finally, the park announced last week that Royal Oak has become its official charcoal partner, which will result in cooking demonstrations, themed menu items, exclusive recipes, and integration of their product into several restaurants at the park.
U.K., Aussie, U.S. Chart Updates Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 retains the top spot on the British country compilation albums chart at No. 1, while Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains one to No. 2, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 15, Emmylou Harris' first installment in the Original Album Series advances three to No. 3 while her second installment rises two to No. 13 and Linda Ronstadt's installment advances two to No. 17 (all three contain several Dolly collaborations), and Ultimate Dolly Parton re-enters the top 20 at No. 20. Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 22 pop.
On the U.S. charts, Carpenter is at No. 28 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 91 pop and No. 20 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 14 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 8 Australian country.
May 19: Willie Joins Dolly In Seven-Decade Singles Club Willie Nelson last week tied Dolly's record as the only artist to appear on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in each of the last seven decades, from 1962 through 2026 thanks to his collaboration with Kacey Musgraves on "Uncertain, TX" debuting at No. 50 on the May 16 charts, his first chart single of the 2020s. Dolly's run thus far is from 1967 through 2024 with four chart singles in the 2020s to date. Dolly remains the only artist to have reached the top 20 on the country singles chart in each of the past seven decades, however. Read more here. Elsewhere on the U.S. charts, Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 29 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 87 pop and No. 19 country.
Across the pond, Very Best Of Dolly Parton Vol. 1 retains the top spot on the British country compilation albums chart at No. 1, while Diamonds & Rhinestones, The Greatest Hits Collection gains one to No. 3, The Complete Trio Collection Deluxe rises five to No. 15, Emmylou Harris' first installment in the Original Album Series advances five to No. 6 while her second installment dips two to No. 15 and Linda Ronstadt's installment re-enters the top 20 at No. 19 (all three contain several Dolly collaborations), and Glen Campbell's Ghost On The Canvas Sessions with a Dolly duet, falls back out of the top 20, down from No. 17. Carpenter's album is at No. 21 U.K. pop.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 14 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 7 Australian country.
May 12: Alabama Residents Oppose Pirates Voyage Residents of Orange Beach, Ala., are opposing Dolly opening a Pirates Voyage dinner theater along state Route 161, AL.com reports here. At a public hearing for the property last week, residents expressed worry about traffic, stormwater runoff, loss of trees, noise, and the ethics of using captive animals such as sea lions in the show. Dolly operates the dinner shows in Pigeon Forge and Myrtle Beach, with a Panama City Beach, Fla., location recently opening.
Dolly 1976 Outfit Up For Auction An outfit Dolly wore on her 1970s variety show is back up for auction. The costume sold for $4,480 in November in Julien's Auctions' "Played, Worn, & Torn" collection in Nashville and this time is back up for the auction house's Music Icons event in New York City May 29 and 30. As of press time Monday night, the bid was at $1,500 with the reserve not yet met. Check out the item here.
Cashless Splash Country Opens Saturday Dollywood's Splash Country Water Park opens for the season on Saturday and this year the water park (plus both of the park's resort hotels) are now cashless operations, requiring credit/debit cards and phone apps for payment as the only methods accepted. The theme park continues to accept cash for payment. New this season, Neon Nights will premiere as a ticketed extra event on select Fridays and Saturdays with neon lights, glow experiences, and entertainment 7:30-10:30 p.m.
'Son Of Jolene' Falls Off Charts Belle's "Son Of Jolene" with Dolly falls off the May 9 Billboard country digital single sales chart last week after one week at No. 11. Elsewhere on the U.S. charts, Sabrina Carpenter's Short & Sweet Deluxe Edition, with its Dolly duet, finds itself at No. 27 pop and Post Malone's F 1 Trillion, with its Dolly duet, is No. 85 pop and No. 18 country.
Down Under, Carpenter is No. 12 Australian pop albums while Post Malone is No. 8 Australian country albums and No. 49 pop, and Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, with its Dolly appearances, falls back out of the top 40 Australian country albums, down from No. 34.
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