Dolly Rebecca Parton, one of the 'Queens' of Country Music, was born on January 19, 1946.
In 1986, Parton was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Bob Dylan followed in 2002.
Dylan and Parton have occasionally worked with the same musicians and singers, including Emmylou Harris, Fred Carter, Jr., Pete Drake, Shelly Kurland, David Lindley, and Steve Cropper.
in 1997, Parton covered Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on their album Heavenly.
Eight years later, Dolly released Those Were The Days, an album of cover versions from the 1960s and 70s. The concept was to sing with the artists or writers that originally recorded these songs. While Parton was able to recruit Mary Hopkin, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Roger McGuinn, Kris Kristofferson, Judy Collins, Tommy James, and others for the project, two artists did not participate - Joni Mitchell, due to illness, and Bob Dylan.
On October 17, 2005, Parton appeared on Comedy Central's The Daily Show:
Jon Stewart: Did anybody turn you down? . .
Parton: Yeah, Bob Dylan . .Actually, to be fair to him, he wrote the song, that's all he needed to do, but I didn't actually speak to him personally, I sent a message to him, I wanted him so sing at least one line, "the answer is blowin' In the wind". . .I got the message back that he didn’t want to do it, so I got Nickel Creek… to sing on it, so, in a way, it worked out better...
Stewart: Your life force would have infused (Dylan) . . .
Parton: In all fairness . . . I don't even know if he actually even got the message. . .
Stewart: Oh, he got the message !
Parton: That's what I thought! . . . I was going to do a whole album of his (songs) and I was going to call it 'Dolly Does Dylan'. Now I'm having second thoughts.
You can see the entire interview in the embedded clip on the left.
In 1973, Parton's had a #1 hit with her signature song, "Jolene", which has been covered in concert by the White Stripes in recent years. When Dylan released his 2009 album, Together Through Life, it included an original song with the same title. Was this Dylan's way of commenting of the 2005 "feud" ?
From a "Conversation" with Bill Flanagan:
BF: Every girl named Roxanne feels a connection to Sting. Every Alison thinks Elvis Costello was singing about her. You expecting to meet a lot of Jolenes?
BD: Oh gosh, I hope not.
BF: Any chance your Jolene is the same woman who got Dolly Parton so worked up?
BD: You mean that woman with the flaming locks of auburn hair?
BF: Yeah! Whose smile is like a breath of Spring.
BD: Oh yeah, I remember her.
BF: Is it the same one?
BD: It’s a different lady.
BF: At the end of' Jolene' I noticed that those riffs start happening. I’ve seen you do that live, but I’ve never heard that on any of your records. I assume that’s Donnie playing with you.
BD: Yeah, it is. The organ sound and steel guitar combined make those riffs.
"Jolene" is, by far, the most-played song Dylan has performed live from Together Through Life.
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Comments
It seems hyperbolic to use the word "feud," even with the quotes, considering the details. He may have never heard her request, and she was clearly not angry; he was aware of her old song, but had one with the same name. That is not the stuff of a feud. You do a disservice to both artists with your articles title.
Dolly does Dylan, now that's funny.
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