Dolly Parton Confirms Retirement from Touring, New Rock Album

Dolly Parton is getting ready to be formally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 5th along with Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon. The induction will take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, and can be seen on HBO and HBO Max. Despite some controversy surrounding Dolly’s initial nomination and her bowing out of contention, she eventually came around to the idea, and was voted in.
Ahead of the Hall of Fame induction, Dolly Parton granted an interview with print publication Pollstar for this week’s cover story. Pollstar is one of the leading publications in live music and touring, and in the interview Dolly Parton dropped some pretty important news.
“I do not think I will ever tour again,” Dolly Parton confirms to the publication. “But I do know I’ll do special shows here and there, now and then. Maybe a long weekend of shows or just a few shows at a festival. But I have no intention of going on a full-blown tour anymore. I’ve done that my whole life, and it takes so much time and energy.”
Though Dolly Parton has been so occupied with other pursuits, she hasn’t been an extensive touring artist since the earlier portions of her career, this does mark the end of an era. The last major tour Dolly Parton undertook was in 2016 around the release of her album Pure & Simple. Parton played 60 dates throughout Canada and the United States.
Dolly cited her advancing age (76), as well as her husband Carl Dean (80) as one of the reasons she no longer wants to be away from home for weeks or months at a time. Dolly has previously stated that she has no desire to retire fully, and that if it was up to her, she would die on stage.
“There’s a whole lot to be said for loving your work and having confidence in yourself. I never once thought of retiring,” she told People in 2018. “I just hope I fall dead in the middle of a song, hopefully one I wrote, right on stage. That’s the way I go! [But] if my husband needed me, or someone in my family, I would put him first. I’ve always put myself first and my career first, but if something were to happen to him, I would pull back on that. I’d still find a way to work, still find a way to be productive.”
Also in the interview with Pollstar, Dolly dropped some details on her upcoming rock and roll album she’s looking to record to help satisfy her guilt for her Rock Hall induction. She wrote a song called “Rockin'” that she is expected to debut during the induction concert, and is also planning to record a rock version of “Stairway to Heaven”—a song she’s performed in bluegrass form previously. She’s also invited Robert Plant and Jimmy Page to appear on the track, along with Ed Sheeran, Heart, Stevie Nicks, and Goddaughter Miley Cyrus to collaborate on the album.
October 27, 2022 @ 10:44 am
She doesn’t mention it, but I wonder how much being home during the pandemic helped with this decision. I’ve seen a lot of artist post pandemic make similar statements.
There’s also been a ton of old guard, iconic sports writers hanging it up post pandemic.
People who never stayed home for long periods of time found out it’s a nice place to be instead of on the road all the time.
October 27, 2022 @ 11:31 am
Wait, so she’s actually still getting inducted into the R&R HOF, even though she pretty much said “no thanks”?
October 27, 2022 @ 11:39 am
They explained to her their justification for nominating her and she changed her mind.
October 27, 2022 @ 2:09 pm
Funny that the country legend who was the most “rock” of all of them, and could play a mean elecrtic guitar–Waylon–has been completely ignored by the rock industry.
Not that there aren’t some rock stars who definitely recognize Waylon–the Stones and Los Lobos, for two.
October 28, 2022 @ 9:37 am
Well, they put rappers and Madonna in the Rock n Roll hall of Fame so… there do not seem to be any real parameters anymore. Also, Whitney Houston, who, while an amazing singer, was very not rock n roll. They put in who they like.
Congrats to Dolly on chillin’ more.
October 27, 2022 @ 12:05 pm
In keeping with the RRHOF theme, Dolly could cover Benetar’s “Love is a Battlefield” or “We Belong” and/or Eurythmics’ “Love is a Stranger” or “When Tomorrow Comes”.
Let’s have fun with this news and stay out of the ditch!
October 27, 2022 @ 1:56 pm
According to an interview I heard with Artimus Pyle she has recorded Free Bird for her rock album.
October 27, 2022 @ 2:33 pm
Bring on Dolly, a new Rock album, I am so excited! I love her music and cannot wait to hear what she has planned. Straight talk was the last rock album she did, and that was great, so yeah , cannot wait to hear what she has planned.
October 27, 2022 @ 8:02 pm
Well, it’s kind of debatable whether STRAIGHT TALK was all that much of a rock album, or how much street cred she has had in the genre, at least in comparison with her Trio pal Linda Ronstadt, apart from her version of the Jerry Lee Lewis classic “Great Balls Of Fire” and a few other individual songs. Still, I believe her induction into the Rock Hall, alongside Linda (who got in in 2014), is very much warranted. And if she can pull together with an authentic rock album, so much the better
And as for her calling it a career when it comes to touring–well, she has been there, done that, alongside all the insane amount of work on movies, TV, and records; and so, she has nothing left to prove to anyone…except, of course, to herself. It’s her call, and I wish her all the best in whatever she wants to do.
October 27, 2022 @ 3:28 pm
AND SPEAKING OF DOLLY, she has a new Christmas album, and did baby its cold outside with rod Stewart, another nod to her rock side, and big thumbs up to Dolly, for having the guts to record that song during a time when so many people cried about the song being controversial, she still sang it, I think it was blown way out of proportion, and the song is harmless , just so misinterpreted, if not then Dolly would not have recorded it.
October 27, 2022 @ 4:44 pm
I hope Dolly will keep writing songs and making albums and other projects.
I get why she’s stopping touring. It’s hard work. God Bless You Dolly.
October 29, 2022 @ 3:19 pm
Dolly I love you no matter what you do. Your songs, movies, concerts have always been a blessing to me. I miss seeing you and Kenny Roger’s together but nonetheless what ever you choose to do is where God needs you. Thank you for considering your husband too.
October 29, 2022 @ 8:29 pm
I’d love for Dolly to do a journey song, “faithfully,” or” open arms”. She can sing the phone book.shes the best!!! Lookung forward to her new album!!!
November 4, 2022 @ 11:53 am
I love Dolly but I don’t like some of her covers of rock songs like “He Drives Me Crazy”, she’s too creative for something like that so I’m hoping covers will be kept at a minimum if at all in a rock album. I wouldn’t mind her doing a rockish album not unlike Loretta’s “Van Lear Rose” but then Dolly most of Dolly’s stuff post-1977 stuff has always had a strong pop edge and even occasionally rock beat to it (ie her sensational “Working Girl” off the “9 to 5” album although her most rock-influenced album “Rainbow” from 1987 was one of the least successful of her career.)
November 7, 2022 @ 11:21 pm
So…she’s going to try and do a Van Lear Rose? Not the best move.
Dolly had 3 pop hits. Done. I don’t think her musical career warrants rock and roll, or pop. What enshrines her must be her appeal to mainstream celebrity and style. Her larger than life stardom. Her songwriting crosses boundaries for inspiration, but that is rewarded with the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, not rock and roll enshrinement.