Dolly Parton: ‘I think I would have been a beautician’

Dolly Parton discussed her upcoming album, Rockstar, a new genre for the country legend that features her take on rock classics including Stairway to Heaven and Purple Rain. The 30-track epic also includes guest appearances from forty-two other artists including both remaining Beatles, Elton John, Stevie Nicks and Joan Jett.Dolly went on to reveal what her 9 – 5 would be if she hadn’t made it as a singer, how she got the Beatles back together and incredibly how her husband of nearly 60 years can’t stand country music…On why husband Carl Dean, is not a fan of country music: ‘Country music was his least favourite, he was into hard rock. All of our lives, and we’ve been together almost 60 years, anytime I’m around him, in the house, in the car he’s always playing rock songs. I actually chose a lot of his favourite songs to do [for this album] Stairway of Heaven being one of them. 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. And he said, are you sure that’s Stairway to Heaven or stairwell to hell?

On getting the Beatles back together: ‘I always loved Let it Be and I recorded the song without them. But then I thought, wow, wouldn’t it be great if Paul McCartney would agree to play piano and sing on it? Then I thought, wouldn’t it even be greater to have Ringo Starr? Cause that’s the last of the Beatles. And I just asked if they’d do it and they said, yeah – I was excited to death.’

On what her 9 – 5 job would have been if she hadn’t made it as a singer: ‘I used to think of what I would do if I hadn’t made it and I think I would have been a beautician. I got to play one in Steel Magnolias but I really would have been one because I’m very good at hair. I would have still wanted to continue wearing my hair and make-up like I want too and then I would have got a discount on bleach and make up or shampoo! But I can picture myself being a beautician that why it was so easy for me playing Truvy in the Steel Magnolias movie because I felt like I knew that world.’

A special episode of the whole chat – ‘When Dave Met Dolly’ – will be airing on Absolute Country, 7pm, Sunday July 9th