Dolly Parton Almost Made a Bob Dylan Cover Album
Dolly Parton’s upcoming album, Rockstar, consists of covers of classic rock songs. However, this isn’t the only time Parton has covered classic rock, as she has recorded her own version of songs from artists like Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. She’s also covered Bob Dylan, and she once had plans to record an entire album filled with his songs, but she didn’t go through with it.
Dolly Parton almost recorded an album exclusively filled with Bob Dylan covers
Dylan has many iconic songs that thousands of artists have covered. In her career, Parton covered three Dylan songs: “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”. “Blowin’ in the Wind” was included on her 2005 cover album Those Were the Days.
In a 2005 interview with The Irish Examiner, Parton said she asked Dylan to collaborate with her on his classic track, but he turned her down. She revealed she wanted to create an album filled with Dylan covers, but she decided against it once he rejected her.
“To be fair, I didn’t actually speak to him personally,” Parton said. “I’d sent a message to him because I wanted him to say at least one line on ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’. I got the message back that he didn’t want to do it, so I got (country group) Nickel Creek… to sing on it, so, in a way, it worked out better. 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.”
Parton never felt any ‘warmth’ from Dylan
In an interview with Daily Mail, Dolly Parton said she met Bob Dylan only a few times. However, she never had a pleasant experience as she never felt any “warmth” from him and was worried she offended him somehow.
“I’ve met him a few times, but I never felt any warmth from him to me,” the country singer said. “I think I have offended him somehow by the way I looked or the way I was. I love his music but he’s a weird buckaroo.”
Despite this, Parton said she is still a fan of Dylan, as she has too much respect for his music to be dissuaded by his cold demeanor.
“I don’t feel like we ever connected. Maybe he just thought I was too phony, or he didn’t get to know me too well,” Parton told The Telegraph. “I always loved his music. His mind is so deep, but his melodies are so good. They lend themselves so well to harmonies.”
Parton is releasing a rock album filled with covers of classic rock songs
Dolly Parton recently joined Bob Dylan as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member. After her induction was announced, she decided to make her first rock album, Rockstar, to honor the occasion. While she is not covering Dylan, she is covering other rock legends, like The Beatles, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Rolling Stones, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
She has an exceptional list of guests joining her, including Lizzo, Steven Tyler, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Joan Jett, P!nk, Miley Cyrus, Ronnie Van Zant, Stevie Nicks, and Chris Stapleton. Rockstar will be released on Nov. 17, 2023.
