When you think of Dolly Parton, you probably don't think of heavy metal. But, Parton has never been one to be boxed in. Just take a look at her album Rockstar. So, Parton and Judas Priest singer Rob Halford make quite the pair.
Halford and Parton crossed paths for the first time at the 2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony. It was a moment that Halford felt was predestined. Parton controversy got inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that year. However, I should point out that Parton later created a rock album to silence any critics. Fortunately, you can count Halford in the supporter camp.
As part of the event, Parton invited a group of musicians to the stage — I'm talking some serious talent like Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, and Annie Lennox among others. But Parton and Halford's meeting, in particular stands out. Perhaps, it's because they exist on two different extremes of music.
"Somehow, instinctively, I knew we were going to meet," Halford told Metal Hammer. "I always tell the story of my mother's grandmother, who was a clairvoyant, and I still think I've got a little of that in me, because something went, 'You're going to meet Dolly Parton.' Two or three days later, these emails come into the office, and Dolly's reached out, asking, 'Would you sing some lines on Jolene?' You sit at home and go, 'Oh my god, this is truly going to happen!' Being a gay guy, 'I've got nothing to wear!' I know that she likes to sparkle and I like to sparkle, so what I wore on that night was apropos."
Dolly Parton Duets With Rob Halford
He also said the artist loved his facial hair.
"She goes, 'I love your beard!'" Halford exclaimed, "and she starts to clean my beard! It was so surreal! I'm meeting this living legend and she's tickling my beard and going, 'So you're going to sing some Jolene with me?' I was just floating."
Halford and Parton would reconnect a year later on Parton's rock album. The two recorded the track "Bygones" together, although Halford recorded his vocals separately.
"We're on the phone to each other and she's going, 'Send me the files! Send me the files!'" he explains. "So I sent her the files and she calls back and goes, 'I love these! This is gonna be great!' This is Dolly Parton on speakerphone! Ha ha! She's just this beautiful beacon of life. You can tell by the way I'm speaking that this is important to me as a musician, to have had this literally once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with someone so great."
