Feature Song: “Jolene”
Dolly Rebecca Parton (1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily for her lengthy career in country music. She is the fourth of twelve children, starting life in a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Pittman Center, Tennessee. I remember seeing a clip of her being interviewed by Stephen Colbert, himself one of eleven children born into a Catholic family, and when he asked if her background was also Catholic, her response was: “No, just horny hillbillies.” She began her career as a songwriter, before releasing her 1967 debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly. This album led to much success for the remainder of the 60s, both as a solo artist and with a series of duet albums with Peter Wagoner. Her sales and chart peak came during the 1970s, continuing into the 1980s. Although the 90s were not as successful album sales wise, the new millennium brought more commercial success, as she has released several albums on various independent labels since 2000, including her own label, Dolly Records.
Parton’s career has spanned over fifty years, and she has been described as a “country legend,” having sold more than 100 million records worldwide, which makes her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has won countless awards, had 25 singles reach no.1 on the Billboard country music charts, a record she shares with Reba McEntire. She has amassed 44 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has 110 career-charted singles over the past 40 years. Parton has composed over 3,000 songs, including “I Will Always Love You,” an international hit for Whitney Houston. And as if this is not enough, in 2022 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And, true to form, she wrote and performed the song “Rockin” with the Zach Brown Band at the induction ceremony!
The featured song, “Jolene” was produced by Bob Ferguson and released in 1973 as the first single and title track for the album of the same name. It is considered by many music critics to be one of the most representative songs of the country music genre. The song has been covered by many artists, both in English and Spanish, including Olivia Newton-John, The White Stripes, and Miley Cyrus. In 2024, Beyoncé covered the song with significant changes in lyrics and production.
Once again I am featuring a cover by Playing for Change. In this instance, it is a live performance at Billboard Live in Tokyo, Japan. This performance is by the original PFC band, reuniting here for the first time since 2020. They are joined by special guest guitarist, Char. As always, they deliver and then some. On the stage are the following: Char (guitar), Claire Finely (bass, vocals), Courtney “Bam” Diedrick (drums), Jason Tamba (guitar), Keiko Komaki (keyboards), Louis Mhlanga (guitar), Mathieu Mateo Aupitre (saxaphone, vocals), Mermans Mosengo (congo, shaker), Titi Tsira (vocals), Tula Ben Ari (vocals).
Enjoy!
Dolly Parton. “Jolene” 1973.
Playing for Change. “Jolene” cover, Billboard Live Tokyo 2023.
Since I mentioned it, here is Parton’s performance at the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Please keep in mind that she was 76 when she performed this song!
Doly Parton and the Zac Brown Band. “Rockin” 2022.
Los Angeles 2024
Oh, that Dolly! She’s a national treasure and she just keeps getting better and better.
Agreed!
She is all that and more. I had high expectations for that cover and I was not disappointed.
Happy to have delivered!
I’ve long thought that a sign of a great song is the ability of others to cover it so beautifully, and this is proof of that.