Over the course of her lengthy career, Dolly Parton has accomplished many amazing things. Apart from penning and recording innumerable hits, she has also donated more than 100 million books to underprivileged children, provided funding for the study that resulted in the development of the C O v ID vaccine, and constructed a prosperous amusement park.
Parton will now attempt the unthinkable as she returns to the recording studio for her upcoming album: a reunion with Led Zeppelin.
For her upcoming album, Dolly Parton says she hopes to bring back Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to perform “Stairway to Heaven.” If anyone can pull it off, it’s Parton.
Rock & roll album by Dolly Parton
The “9 to 5” singer, who has been known for her distinctive country pop songs for a while, is presently working on a rock and roll album to expand her musical tastes.
The first mention of this genre-bending endeavor came when Dolly received a nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Parton acknowledged that some questioned whether she was truly appropriate for the rock music hall of fame despite her talent.
Despite being “extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated,” Parton denied the nomination because she didn’t want to deprive someone more deserving of the vote. She also stated that she didn’t feel like she had “earned that right.”
“This has… inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock ‘n’ roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do,” she said, hinting to a potential future venture into the genre that might make her “worthy.” Parton penned.
Despite her modest protests, Parton remained on the ballot, received fan votes, and will be admitted the following year. And Parton has started to bring her aspirations of a rock album to fruition, all the while striving to show that she is a legitimate “rock and roll” performer.
In a Pollstar interview, she stated, “I had always wanted to do it.” Since my husband loves hard rock ‘n’ roll, I’ve been thinking for years that one day I should record an album primarily for him, just to kind of do it. Upon receiving my nomination, I reasoned that it would be best to act quickly. Perhaps some of the greatest performers in history should join me in singing.
For this upcoming album, Parton also has a fairly ambitious plan: getting Jimmy Page and Robert Plant back together to record their hit song, “Stairway to Heaven.”
Piloted Zeppelin
As the lead vocalist and guitarist of the legendary rock group Led Zeppelin—one of the most successful, significant, and well-regarded bands in rock and roll history—Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are most well-known.
Although fans have long yearned for more Zeppelin, the band has been formally disbanded since 1980, with drummer John Bonham’s passing frequently given as the primary cause.
The band’s remaining members only collaborated on one performance, a sold-out benefit show in honor of Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records, in 2007. The musicians showed interest in a full reunion after the show, but Plant turned them down, and talks of a Zeppelin reunion have since stopped.
We’ve been at it for 41 years now, Plant stated to Mojo News in 2021. “That spaceship has [departed], so the conversation doesn’t really continue at this time.”
However, Dolly Parton, who wants Plant and Page to appear as guests on her upcoming album and support her own rendition of “Stairway to Heaven,” is the one who has the power to convince the members of Led Zeppelin to reconsider and get back into the studio.
“I am attempting to find out if Robert Plant could sing on it. Parton speculated that Jimmy Page might handle the pick-up duties.
Plant and Page haven’t shared a stage since 2007. The extent of Parton’s idea, its implementation, and whether she intends to involve the band’s other surviving members are all unknown at this time.
However, it appears like Parton is adamant about taking on the rock classic “Stairway to Heaven,” with which she has some prior experience.
On her album Halo and Horns, she released a rendition of the song, reimagining it as a bluegrass-inspired country ballad:
However, she intends to bring the song back to its strong rock and roll origins with a fresh rendition that is true to the original for her upcoming album.
Parton stated to Pollstar, “I’m going to actually re-record the rock album—and do it more true to the regular record.”
Parton intends to include additional guest performers on her album in addition to the anticipated addition of Page and Plant: “I’m looking forward to dragging in some of the great classic people, girls and boys, to sing on some of the songs.” I’m planning to record an album, but I’m not far enough along to talk about who and what.
A Dolly Parton and Led Zeppelin collaboration sounds like the stuff that many music lovers have always wanted to hear, so we would be thrilled to hear it. We’re hoping Dolly can arrange for the band to record together in the studio!
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