Dolly Parton’s ‘Rockstar’ Becomes Legend’s Highest-Charting Album Ever
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Fifty-six years and 49 albums into her music career, Dolly Parton has a new milestone to celebrate. The country legend’s album Rockstar recently became the singer’s highest-charting LP ever, debuting at Number Three on the Billboard 200 chart.
“Wow, this is a big thrill!” Parton said in a statement. “I owe a thank you to the fans who have always been there for me. Their support made this achievement possible.”
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“I’d also like to thank my producer Kent Wells, all the wonderful artists, musicians, and engineers who brought their talents to this project,” she added.
Parton released Rockstar — which featured the likes of Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton, Miley Cyrus, Elton John, and Joan Jett — on Nov. 17. The LP is her first to enter the Top 10 of the Billboard chart since her 2014 LP Blue Smoke. Her collaborative album with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, Trio, also entered the Top 10 in 1987.
Rockstar sold 118,500 copies, according to Luminate. Those numbers double her previous biggest week, which arrived in 1993 with Slow Dancing With the Moon and that album’s 50,500 copies, per Billboard. The album was pressed on more than 10 vinyl variants, including exclusive editions with different covers and colors.
Following the release of Rockstar, she decided to drop an expanded version of the record with two additional songs, including a reimagined version of “Jolene” featuring Italian rockers Måneskin, along with a cover of Eddie Money’s “Two Tickets to Paradise.”
Many of the covers on the album find Parton working with the original artists, like Elton John for “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” Debbie Harry for “Heart of Glass,” and Sting for “Every Breath You Take.” Parton even got Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to reunite for the Beatles’ “Let It Be” (also featuring Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood).
Parton spoke to Apple Music about why she named her album Rock Star. “I did that totally tongue in cheek. I thought, ‘Now, what am I going to call this album?’ I thought, ‘Here I am, 77 years old, I’m going to be a rockstar,’ just being funny and silly and stupid,” she said. “I thought, ‘Well, that is what I’m going to call it. I’m going to call it Rockstar,’ so I just did it to be fun.”
On Thanksgiving Day, Parton shocked both music and football fans by dressing in the iconic blue-and-white uniform of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders to perform during halftime of the Cowboys game.
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