Dolly Parton Has Two Regrets About the Guest Features on ‘Rockstar’
Dolly Parton's got no regrets about the special guests she featured on her Rockstar album — the only thing she wishes she could change is who she didn't get to collaborate with.
Ahead of Rockstar's release day, Parton told Taste of Country Nights that there are two rock legends she regrets not getting to add to the track list's guest performers. One, Mick Jagger, she's talked about before; apparently, she and Jagger were in talks about him making an appearance, but scheduling and back-and-forth over song choice kept them from ever making it to the studio.
Now that the Rolling Stones' new album Hackney Diamonds is both announced and out in the world, Parton can publicly share that that project also kept Jagger a little too busy to work with her.
"He was willing to do it — willing to work with me on something — but we could never catch up until I ran out of time and he was working on his, as you know now, their new album. So I missed him," Parton explains.
There was one more big duet in the works that never quite came to fruition.
"Cher and I were gonna do something. We never did find the right thing to do," Parton admits. "She's not rock, but she's Cher, you know?! So those are the two that I had hoped to get that I missed not having the most, I think."
Still, there's no denying that the roster of star guests Parton did manage to assemble is stacked. Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, Elton John, Peter Frampton and not one, but two Beatles are just a few of her Rockstar collaborators. Working with that many busy schedules was a little hectic, Parton details, and made for a fun challenge.
"There's a lot of work that goes into something this big. Having the managers get to your manager, I'll have your people call my people kinda thing," she relates. "But it was really great once we all got together, and we all did it different ways. Some had to do it in their own studios, from wherever they were. Some I had the opportunity to get to work with in person in the studios. It was all good, though, and I really am proud of the results of how it turned out."
Rockstar arrives on Nov. 17.