Dolly Parton reportedly gave her blessing for a metal band to cover one of her classics. Her longtime manager Danny Nozell confirmed that Parton supported the song.
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Bad Wolves dropped a hard rock version of "Jolene" after Parton's death. Guitarist AJ Rebello quit over the incident. He said that he was worried that viewers would see the band as trying to cash-in on Parton's death. However, Parton was a fan of the song and planned to sing on it before passing.
"Dolly was a champion of artists pushing musical boundaries. She listened to the Bad Wolves arrangement of 'Jolene' weeks ago, gave it her full blessing. And was incredibly excited to collaborate on it," Nozell also said in a statement. "Releasing this track on Monday as a tribute - with proceeds directly supporting her beloved Imagination Library - is exactly what Dolly and her team wanted."
Dolly Parton Gave Blessing
The band had recorded the song as part of their fifth album before the singer passed. Rebello stepped down from the band over the song.
"I can no longer in good faith remain a member and co-sign the decisions constantly being made FOR this band by the label. Among other issues I have with the inner workings of the business," Rebello said in a statement.
"When I stepped into the picture, a part of me knew what I was getting into. But the full extent of it was unknown to me. I have been at odds with one too many decisions being made for the band for quite some time. But the final nail in the coffin was the label's decision to move forward with the upcoming Dolly Parton cover, after we blatantly expressed our opposition. We, as an entity, told the label we had no interest in releasing the cover after learning of Dolly's unfortunate passing as her collaboration on the song was no longer a possibility, and we felt it would (understandably) be interpreted as somewhat of a capitalization on her passing from an outside perspective," he also said.
"The amount of hate, negativity, and harassment we receive on a daily basis due to decisions made outside of our control has taken a massive toll on our sanity," Rebello continued. "...I have no interest in being a vessel for what I believe to be terrible decisions. Music is my job, my livelihood, and most importantly, my passion. Stepping away from this is absolutely terrifying as I am sacrificing what little I have left when it comes to stability within the music world. I do not know what the future holds for me regarding that."
