Dolly Parton's husband Carl Dean loves rock 'n' roll so much that his bride recorded forthcoming album Rockstar with his tastes in mind. Parton's covered rock classics before, with one choice going against the wishes of her muse.
"I did a version of 'Stairway to Heaven' some years back as a bluegrass kind of thing, and he didn't think I should have done it," Parton told "Absolute Radio Breakfast." "He said, are you sure that's 'Stairway to Heaven' or 'Stairwell to Hell'? He said 'I don't think you should do that,' and I said 'why?' and he said, 'Because it's a legend. It's a classic.'"
Parton's initial take on Led Zeppelin's classic rock radio staple appeared on her 2002 bluegrass album Halos & Horns. She added that eventually, Dean conceded that it was "okay."
For Rockstar (out Nov. 17), Parton cut the song again with special guests Lizzo and Sasha Flute. Per Parton, Dean liked this one on the first listen because it "stayed true" to the Zeppelin original.
Other guests on the album include Joan Jett, Sting, John Fogerty, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Parton's goddaughter, Miley Cyrus.
Parton chose the project for two reasons. One was to justify in her own mind her Nov. 5, 2022 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"If I'm going to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I better do something to earn it," Parton said during a January appearance on "The View." "So I'm doing a rock 'n' roll album, and I'm having a lot of the rock stars that I met that night be on the album with me."
As mentioned above, she also undertook the project for Dean.
"I'm doing the rock 'n' roll album because of him," Parton told "People." "I had often thought about doing a rock 'n' roll album for him with his favorite songs. And so when this all came about, I decided that I am gonna go ahead and do it... It was just the perfect storm. Okay, it's time."
