Music royalty, Dolly Parton and Sir Paul McCartney, have been part of the recording industry for years, so it comes as no surprise their paths have crossed once or twice.
Now it’s been revealed that they’ve long shared an incredibly close bond thanks to the Jolene singer sending the Beatle love notes.
While Dolly has been happily married to Carl Dean for 57 years, it seems she has always held a particularly special place in her heart for Paul.
And she certainly turned on the charm to enlist the singer and his Beatles colleague, Ringo Starr, to collaborate with her on a cover of their hit song Let It Be. The recording appears on Dolly’s new album, Rockstar.
“So I just sent them a love note through their managers, and I just said what I was doing,” Dolly, 77, told NPR. “And I said, ‘I didn’t want to put you on the spot, but I’d love to have you sing with me on my rock album … And all the people I reached out to said, ‘Yes, we’d love to.’”
Dolly’s album Rockstar also features collaborations with artists including Miley Cyrus, Sting and Elton John. But it was Paul, 81, who was at the top of her wish list!
“I was very honoured, proud and very humbled [he agreed],” Dolly added.
Paul who, like Dolly, is also still at top of his game having recently toured Australia, was thrilled to connect again with the singer.
“Thanks Dolly for doing my song,” he wrote to her on Twitter. “I love your version and am very pleased to be by your side on this one. Rock on!”
Having both started their careers at young ages, Dolly and Paul’s relationship goes back a long way, with the pair first snapped together at Opryland in 1974.
“I love Paul,” Dolly gushed during an interview with Smooth Country Radio ahead of the album release. “I’d met him different times through the years. He’s always so nice.”
