Dolly Parton is officially a rock star. The Country Music Hall of Fame member just dropped Rockstar, her 30-track album of classics and originals, featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd, Peter Frampton, Paul McCartney, Linda Perry, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks and more.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the Rockstar album, and I can’t tell you how happy I am that it’s finally here to be released,” Parton says. “I really had a wonderful time working with all these iconic artists on the record and all these iconic musicians. Not to mention all these iconic songs that I think everybody will love hearing again. I just hope you enjoy my version of them.”
Parton, who famously communicates by fax, sent each of the artists on Rockstar a personal letter, with her phone number included.
“I believe that the fact that I’m crazy about these artists and that they were happy to work with me inspired some great performances,” Parton tells The Tennessean.
The album’s name is a bit of Parton’s humor on display. After spending more than five decades as one of country music’s biggest superstars, Parton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an invitation she initially declined.
“I did that totally tongue in cheek,” Parton admits on Apple Music’s What Would Dolly Do? Radio, speaking of the record’s title. “I thought, “Now, what am I going to call this album?” I thought, ‘Here I am, 77 years old, I’m going to be a rockstar,’ just being funny and silly and stupid. I thought, ‘Well, that is what I’m going to call it. I’m going to call it ‘Rockstar,’’ so I just did it to be fun.”
Perhaps surprisingly, Parton already had most of the tracks recorded before she reached out to any of her potential collaborators.
“I had recorded a lot of the songs myself before I even realized that I was really going to hit on people to come sing with me,” Parton tells Billboard. “Then after I recorded them, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness. If I’m going to do ‘Let It Be’ [or] ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,’ I’m going to ask the people known for those songs if they will do it.”
Now that Rockstar is out in the world, Parton is ready to work on her next project, which is a marked difference from her rock album, and one she hints could be her last.
“One of the things I want to do next and to leave for my legacy is that ultimate great gospel album, and done up in the same way that I’ve done this rock album,” Parton hints. “Really great productions, whether they be small or large, and to bring in some of the great people that have grown up in the gospel field or some of the people that are famous in the gospel field.
“To do that great uplifting album… gospel might not be the right word, although we will do gospel in it, but more uplifting, inspirational songs,” she continues. “I want to leave that behind. Well, who knows if it’ll be the last one, but I definitely want to have that one as one of the last things that I do. In fact, I may start on that one before I do anything else.”
Whether she does another album besides a gospel one remains to be seen. But one thing Parton says she won’t do is make another rock and roll album, ever.
“I don’t know yet, but I don’t plan to do another rock’n’roll [album],” Parton maintians. “I did 30 songs. I think I left enough to where they can do every kind of compilation known to man long after I’m gone from this world. So I think I’ve done it, and I hope I did it well.”
See a track list for Rockstar below. Purchase the album and all of Parton’s music at DollyParton.com.
Read ‘Dolly Parton: 11 Things to Know About the Country Music Queen’ here.
Rockstar Track Listing:
1. Rockstar (special guest Richie Sambora)
2. World on Fire
3. Every Breath You Take (feat. Sting)
4. Open Arms (feat. Steve Perry)
5. Magic Man (feat. Ann Wilson with special guest Howard Leese)
6. Long As I Can See The Light (feat. John Fogerty)
7. Either Or (feat. Kid Rock)
8. I Want You Back (feat. Steven Tyler with special guest Warren Haynes)
9. What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You (feat. Stevie Nicks with special guest Waddy Wachtel)
10. Purple Rain
11. Baby, I Love Your Way (feat. Peter Frampton)
12. I Hate Myself For Loving You (feat. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)
13. Night Moves (feat. Chris Stapleton)
14. Wrecking Ball (feat. Miley Cyrus)
15. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (feat. P!nk & Brandi Carlile)
16. Keep On Loving You (feat. Kevin Cronin)
17. Heart Of Glass (feat. Debbie Harry)
18. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (feat. Elton John)
19. Tried To Rock And Roll Me (feat. Melissa Etheridge)
20. Stairway To Heaven (feat. Lizzo & Sasha Flute)
21. We Are The Champions
22. Bygones (feat. Rob Halford with special guests Nikki Sixx & John 5)
23. My Blue Tears (feat. Simon Le Bon)
24. What’s Up? (feat. Linda Perry)
25. You’re No Good (feat. Emmylou Harris & Sheryl Crow)
26. Heartbreaker (feat. Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo)
27. Bittersweet (feat. Michael McDonald)
28. I Dreamed About Elvis (feat. Ronnie McDowell with special guest The Jordanaires)
29. Let It Be (feat. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr with special guests Peter Frampton & Mick Fleetwood)
30. Free Bird (feat. Ronnie Van Zant with special guests Gary Rossington, Artimus Pyle and The Artimus Pyle Band)
