Dolly Parton cemented her 'Rockstar' legacy one love letter at a time

Dolly Parton began each conversation with her "Rockstar" album collaborators by asking them for their help in a manner befitting her brand: She sent them love letters with her personal phone number included.

So yes, that means Stevie Nicks, Deborah Harry, Sir Paul McCartney and Chris Stapleton -- among a a group of rock royalty that also included members of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Heart, Judas Priest, Motley Crue and The Police -- received a sweet cry for help from a 77-year-old cultural and musical icon.

Dolly, it seems, was daunted by the idea of being enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, believing herself lacking in a rock catalog deep enough to warrant the honor.

"This album became an event -- I'd never done a rock album and I'll probably never do another one," the "Coat of Many Colors" vocalist told The Tennessean.

Taking on The Police, CCR, Elton John and Purple Rain

The project started with Parton recording demos of classic rock anthems that she presumed she would eventually narrow into a less voluminous project.

She had so much fun recording the songs that she decided they all needed to remain.

"Calling in many of my favorite artists for the project just made a fun project that much more special," she added.

Still, she didn't want to overstep.

"I didn't want to make people feel like they couldn't say no to me," Parton continued. "I'm like my daddy. I'll do anything for anyone else, but I hate to ask anyone to do a favor, or anything for me."

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Sir Paul McCartney singing and playing piano on "Let It Be?" That's on the album. Sting being "impressed" by Parton's demo version of "Every Breath you Take?" That's on the album, too. Elton John and Creedence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty performing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" and "Long As I Can See The Light?" Present, and accounted for.

For her cover of Prince's "Purple Rain," Parton's spirituality took the spotlight.

Even though Prince passed away seven years ago, Parton said that the essence of two "little gaudy songwriters and kindred souls in tight, fancy clothes" combined on the album's only solo performance.

"I felt like I was singing ["Purple Rain"] for and to him as if he was in the booth producing the recording session. It was a magical moment," Parton said.

'Ad-libbing like we were onstage at a concert'

The undertaking often required digital-era magic to create collaborations with artists unable to match their schedules with Parton's to be present alongside her for recording live.

However, when working in person alongside Deborah Harry ("Heart of Glass"), Stevie Nicks and Heart's Ann Wilson ("Magic Man"), Parton felt inspired by the power of "shared musical moments."

Her voice excitedly hit another octave as she discussed her Nashville-area recording sessions with Stevie Nicks on a cover of the Fleetwood Mac member's unreleased 80s track "What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You?"

"We were looking at each other and ad-libbing like we were on stage at a concert," she said. "The in-person moments recording this album felt like the old days -- the musicians singing in the studio, everyone feeling what we were performing and getting off on that live feeling."

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Parton said that the genuine excitement in both herself and her collaborators lent itself to a certain timelessness that belies the notion that many of the collaborators -- save Lizzo and Parton's goddaughter Miley Cyrus -- are over the age of 40.

"I believe that the fact that I'm crazy about these artists and that they were happy to work with me inspired some great performances," she said.

'Rockstar' also pushed its creator and collaborators

For the project, Parton tabbed Kent Wells, a Nashville-based and Grammy and Oscar-nominated arranger, musician, performer, producer, songwriter, and performer with over 30 years of professional experience, for assistance.

Wells has been associated with Parton as a band leader and producer for over three decades.

"Being around someone who knows my career allowed me the ability to feel confident in trying challenging things I'd never tried -- like hitting notes higher and holding notes longer than I ever had," Parton said. "On this album, I finally achieved freedom as a singer that's comparable to what I've achieved as more of a song stylist and songwriter."

The challenges surrounding "Rockstar" were not just felt by Parton.

A last-minute call-in to replace Bob Seger for "Night Moves" left Chris Stapleton astonished. However, because Parton asked him, he showed up.

Seger, 78, was initially asked to partake in the project, but because of multiple health issues, he was unavailable.

"Chris is not exactly a rock and roller, but he is one of my favorite artists in the whole wide world. His aura, emotion, essence, feel and singing are [universally beloved]," Parton said.

"Even though he felt the song was out of the range of his vocal key, he added ad-libs and harmonies to my performance. He did a fantastic job. When I heard our voices together, I just about melted into the floor."

Parton's rock history

Though "Rockstar" is Parton's most pronounced dive into rock n' roll, she's previously considered the notion, with mixed results.

On her 1989 album "White Limozen," for instance, she covered REO Speedwagon's 1978 cut "Time For Me To Fly" in a bluegrass style.

The single peaked in the top 40 of country music's sales charts.

Collective Soul's 1993 classic "Shine" received the Parton cover treatment on her 2001-released album "Little Sparrow." That song received a Grammy for Best Country Female Vocal Performance for work by the legend described as "[catching] lightning in a jug" by Billboard Magazine.

The 2002 follow-up "Halos and Horns" saw Parton more ambitiously attempt a version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."

In a track-by-track review released with that album, the performer's note highlights why she had the nerve to attempt "Rockstar."

"I knew I was walking on sacred ground because it is a classic…I was scared to death to send it to Robert Plant and Jimmy Page," she said. "They sent word back that it was fine and they loved it. But I do hope the public will accept it, too. I even hope they love it."

Passing the 'Carl Dean test'

Critics may feel that "Rockstar" is a gimmick album that could tarnish her legacy. Ask the artist about these notions, and she's honest in her expectation that the release may not be for everyone.

However, she also laughs because she knows one person nearer to her than almost anyone who may not love every one of her album's 30 tracks: Carl Dean, her husband of 57 years.

Dean's a fan of bluegrass and country acts like Merle Haggard and Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, but Parton joked that he's a much bigger fan of "acid rock," citing Led Zeppelin as his favorite act.

He believed the "Stairway to Heaven" demo she initially sent to Lizzo sounded like "Stairwell to Hell," she said.

Parton's headstrong nature led to her working on the rest of "Rockstar" without her husband having much awareness of what she was doing.

Upon completion, they spent a day -- with a lunch break after the first 15 songs -- listening to the project in full.

Dean quietly contemplated his wife's work.

His final analysis?

"[He said], you know, it's pretty good. I thought, Yes! A pretty good from Carl Dean is like someone else thinking it's the best thing they've ever heard."

'I did my dead-level best'

In a recent Apple Music Radio interview, a reason deeper than her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame appears as to why she recorded "Rock Star."

Parton noted that she never tries to "do something better this time than I did it before." Instead, she said she was motivated by a "golden thread that runs through [her] life, defined by "desire, passion, principles and values.

As she finished her conversation with The Tennessean, Parton expressed cautious optimism about "Rockstar."

"I wanted to make a record of major rock classics that reflected those songs, true to the rhythm, in my voice," she said. "I did my dead-level best to make an album I and the people whose songs I covered could be proud of -- and I think [what resulted] is some of my best work."

"I may get praised or criticized for this album, but nobody can say I didn't give it all I had."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Dolly Parton's 'Rockstar' came together — one love letter at time