By Duane Gordon
Dolly Parton’s Better Day World Tour continued its trek through Europe last week, completing several dates in the U.K. and Scandinavia before it moves back to the British Isles for additional dates this week. Reviews have been universally positive and audiences have packed houses everywhere she’s played there.
Her “Better Day” CD hit stores in Australia on Friday and in Europe on Monday, also garnering rave reviews from the overseas press.
In the States, though, the album continued its chart slide last week, losing another four places to No. 51 in its eighth week on the country albums chart. The Grascals' ”Country Classics With A Bluegrass Spin,” featuring three Dolly guest spots, slipped one to No. 14 bluegrass albums in its 29th chart week and Rhonda Vincent's “Taken,” with Dolly on a track, re-entered the 15-position bluegrass list at No. 9 for a 29th chart week.
Overseas, “The Very Best Of Dolly Parton, Volume 1” re-entered the top 20 Australian country albums chart to stand at No. 14 in its 80th chart week, and after a week back on the top 100, the Dolly compilation “A Life In Music Ultimate Collection” fell back off the Irish pop albums chart this week, down from No. 97 in its fifth chart week.
Syndicated entertainment news program “Access Hollywood” has announced that an interview with Dolly will air on the program's Wednesday episode. Since it is syndicated, you will need to check local listings for times and stations.
Dolly will be featured on the first track of the band Chicago's upcoming holiday album “Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three,” coming out Oct. 4. She performs a duet on "Wonderful Christmas Time." Also appearing with the band on the Phil Ramone-produced set are America, Bebe Winans and Steve Cropper. She happened to be recording in another room of the studio building as the band was putting their album together and stopped by to say hello when they asked if she’d like to sing a few lines on the song.
The Lane Twins' Dolly documentary “Hollywood To Dollywood” has won its first two awards: Best Documentary Feature and Director's Choice Award from the Sacramento Film and Music Festival last week. The film, about their cross-country road trip to get a script in Dolly's hands, is currently making the festival circuit across the U.S. and Europe.
Another theatre has scheduled a local production of Dolly's “9 To 5: The Musical,” where it will play The Merry-Go-Round Theatre in Auburn, N.Y., June 27-July 18 next year, it was announced last week.
Dolly is participating in an upcoming Louvin Brothers foreign compilation called “Handpicked Songs: 1955-62” where musicians selected their favorite songs by the classic duo.
Dolly chose "Cash On The Barrelhead," noting: "I love all the Louvin Brothers songs and used to sing them all growing up… still do. I suppose the one I would single out is 'Cash On The Barrelhead', as it is my husband's favorite and a song that I recorded for my bluegrass album 'The Grass Is Blue'. I especially love the mandolin turnaround in that one."
To keep up to date with Dolly’s comings and goings, check out the nightly news updates from Dollymania.net: The Online Dolly Parton Newsmagazine.

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