Is Run Rose Run a concept album?
Possibly. Did you get the novel written with or by James Patterson as well?
Hi I have not heard it or read it yet. It was reviewed on Radio 4’s front row. They were not impressed.
I will not be buying it or necessarily listen to it. Interesting idea though.
Controversially I would probably prefer it to listening to a Yes album 
It’s on Qobuz, so I’ll stream it. There’s a Ken Burns documentary on country on PBS which I’ve not seen. I have seen some country blues and Appalachian singers. Andy Kershaw started to l play some. Dolly is a phenomenon and a considerable philanthropist. She donated a set of Everyman classics to every school in the UK. Country is massively popular in Ireland, but a niche interest in the UK. She doesn’t feature much in the music threads. Perhaps too much of a cliché? But I have the Byrds and Jack White with Loretta Lynn.
Hi I think I will also have a listen. The reviewers thought the music substantially better then the book.
As you say she does do good things.
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Yes, her heart seems in the right place. I’ve listened to the first few tracks to attune my ears to country. I’ve never read James Patterson, though millions read him. It is said that the book was his idea. Different from a straightforward ghost written autobiography.
This is what Dolly has become known for around the U.S. in recent years. My 6-year-old daughter knows some of her songs by heart, but her biggest connection to Dolly has been through the Imagination Library.
60 books for any child who is registered. One a month for 5 years. Completely free of charge. She truly is wonderful. The thank you letter that my daughter wrote her after she turned 5 and received her last book is one of the most heartwarming things I have ever seen. She connects with so many children this way…
As for her music, yes watch the Ken Burns Country Music (for more than just Dolly, as it is magnificent). I haven’t read her book yet, but she rarely puts a foot wrong with her music. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the genius and energy she pours into her songwriting and singing is undeniable. I have seen her live a couple of times, and she just holds the audience in her hand. Such a treasure!
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That’s a very heartwarming story and good to know. I know she came from an impoverished background, a true rags to riches life. Not everyone who becomes a superstar against the odds is such a commendable character. Charlie Chaplin springs to mind.
An excellent post that will encourage me to listen to her and other country music. Thank you.
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I never had much interest in country music until a few fly-drive holidays in the west and south of the USA helped put it into context to me. I then found that it “fell into place” and seemed to make more sense. Although I’m still fairly selective, I have since grown to appreciate it more as a genre.
On one of my fly-drive trips in the early 1990’s I stayed at a motel in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which was only a stones-throw from Ms Parton’s theme park, ‘Dollywood’. I now regret that I passed-up the opportunity to visit. Unlikely I’ll ever get there again.
I grew to really like Dolly’s “The Grass is Blue” album and still play it fairly regularly. On-line comments make this new offering sound really interesting. I’ll be buying it!
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Wow. We need a national treasure like her in the UK!
She was in the legend slot at Glastonbury in 2014 and my partner saw her and loved it.
I settled for Kenny Rogers the year before.
All positive stuff very welcome these days. Do you know I am going to head off now and play a bit of Dollie. Islands in the Stream…
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Random fact: My wife and I were once known among friends for our Karaoke version of Islands in the Stream!! Now our daughter joins us in singing it on road trips in our car. 
If someone compiled a list of best pop duets ever, that song would be high on the list.
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I grew up in a smallish town in Kentucky, and I always HATED country music. But I think it was just that I didn’t know any country music outside of what was popular at the time, and it was all very contrived. I grew up listening to pop and rock radio, played in rock bands for few years in high school, and thanks to a grandfather and encouraging parents, even developed a real love for classical music and opera at an early age.
As I got older and heard some of the truly great country and bluegrass music, including Dolly, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Hank Williams, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Chet Adkins, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and some others, I realized how great it could be.
I am still not what I would call a country music “fan”, and I despise most of the popular country music made in the last 20 years (especially the godawful “bro” country by the likes of Kenny Chesney, et al.), but I can include country music in my overall appreciation for great artists and great music of any genre.
I would never recommend country music as a genre any more than I would recommend rock or opera as an overall genre. There is plenty of garbage out there. But I certainly enjoy and recommend certain artists, composers/songwriters, albums, performances, etc., and there are many country musicians on that list.
And The Grass is Blue is on that list! After all, who can’t relate to “sleeping with one eye open from now on”.
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When I saw the title thread I thought Dolly was indulging with Rick Wakeman.
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I would like to see the results of that collaboration…
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