Tag Archives: Dolly Parton

My review of Dolly Parton’s Valentine CD posts to Elmore magazine

14 Feb

Dolly Parton – Elmore MagazineDolly Parton convincingly whispers and sings ten love songs on her 43rd studio album, Pure & Simple. The stripped-down recording defies Parton’s 70 years with an ageless voice on “I’m Sixteen.” She admits that romantic love rejuvenates and keeps her feeling young. Though Parton never mentions him by name, she and Carl Dean, her husband of the last five decades, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last May by renewing their vows.

It is obvious from the album’s title track, “Pure & Simple” that their love endures: “It’s so pure it’s almost sacred/simply put it feels divine.” Parton also exercises her trademark knack for making the most of a great hook line, with “Head Over High Heels (In Love.)” With “Forever Love,” she tenderly and passionately delivers lyrics accompanied only by an acoustic guitar and violin. The beloved icon from Locust Ridge, Tennessee, previously recorded two of the album’s tracks, “Tomorrow is Forever” and “Say Forever You’ll Be Mine,” with Porter Waggoner.

Since embarking on a solo career in the 1970s as a singer/songwriter and actress, Parton has earned at least one nomination in all four major American entertainment award organizations: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. She also received the distinguished Living Legend Award from the U.S. Library of Congress. Listen to this valentine in the dark, with someone you love.

Please also see my review posted on Elmore magazine’s website at:

http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2017/02/reviews/albums/dolly-parton-2

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

My review of Dolly Parton’s concert posted to Elmore

13 Dec

Dolly Parton – Elmore MagazineOn December 6th, Dolly Parton shared a special wish and a night of many colors with fans for more than three hours inside Austin’s sold out Frank Erwin Center, one of the last legs on her nationwide Pure & Simple tour. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could bottle up all the love and excitement in this room tonight and give everybody in the world a little bit of it?” Parton asked. The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician, actress and business leader stepped out onto the stage dressed in white, sparkling in rhinestones and sequins beneath spotlights. Between songs, Parton delivered intimate stories about her childhood growing up one of 12 siblings in the Great Smokey Mountains of Appalachia, Tennessee. She made self-depreciating jokes and demonstrated an uncanny comedic ability to speak as fast as a Chipmunk at 78-RPM speed.

Alternating between playing guitar, banjo, dulcimer, piano, soprano saxophone and flute, Parton sang most of her top 10 hit songs from the more than 3,000 she has written, and either she or others have performed, over the past 50 years. Following a 20 minute intermission, Parton sang tunes off 1987’s Trio and 1999’s Trio II, albums released in a box set last September, featuring her collaborative recordings with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. Best of all, Parton invited audience participation during a medley of songs from the 1960s and ’70s: “American Pie,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Dust in the Wind.” Her band and backup vocalists included pianist Richard Dennison, bassist Tom Rutledge and multi-instrumentalist Kent Wells– performers whose working friendships with Parton span 30 years. In the music business, that kind of longevity speaks volumes about the authenticity of the woman behind her 70-years-young voice.

Also please see my concert review posted to Elmore magazine’s website at:

http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2016/12/reviews/shows/dolly-parton

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My Dolly Parton feature about her tour posts to Elmore

14 Nov

dp_puresimple_0Dolly Parton, with 25 certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum Recording Industry Association of America awards, has sold more than 100 million albums, but prefers her life “Pure & Simple”… which happens to be the title of her latest album and a 60-city tour — her first in 25 years — that ends December 10th in Thackerville, OK.

Parton plans to sing many of her number one hits from Billboard’s Hot Country chart – including “Applejack,” “9 to 5,” “Here You Come Again,” “I Will Always Love You,” “Islands in the Stream,” “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors.”

Her concerts often draw lots of “Dollies,” cross-dressers, “who look more like me than I do,” she said during her November 3rd virtual press conference, which Elmore Magazine took part in.

The singer/songwriter/screenwriter/movie producer and business leader performs December 6th in Austin, a place she fondly remembers from 1991, when she wrote and starred in Wild Texas Wind, a made-for-TV movie with scenes filmed at famed venue, the Broken Spoke. Gary Busey co-starred, with cameos by James White, Ray Benson and Willie Nelson. Her friendship with Nelson spans more than 50 years, and Parton described him as “one of the sweetest, most generous people I know.” She received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award 
on November 2nd at the 50th Country Music Awards.

Now, at 70 years old, Parton still has dreams of creating a new line of makeup, clothing lines, more movies and lots more music. “I am just now gettin’ started good,” she says.

Parton has written 3,000 songs, including “Only Dreaming,” her personal favorite a cappella track off her 43rd studio CD, Pure & Simple. The fourth of 12 children created Dollywood, a $300 million theme park located in the Knoxville-Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, as a place for her family and friends. She also founded the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, with 100 million free books donated to children across America and Canada.

Parton grew up singing gospel music and admiring the great Kitty Wells and Rose Maddox; at just 10 years old, she first performed at the Grand Ole Opry. Parton’s career truly began on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1967. “It makes me feel proud that I’ve done something to inspire and to influence other people,” she said. Today, Parton refers to herself as “the goodwill ambassador of country music.”

Please also see my article posted on Elmore magazine’s website at: http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2016/11/music-news/hello-dolly

Also See Dolly Parton’s tour schedule:

http://dollyparton.com/tour-schedule-upcoming-events

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

%d bloggers like this: