Dolly Parton's first posthumous song has been released just two weeks after the star's death. The Country music icon died on August 25 aged 80. The late star contributed to Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of The Stanley Brothers, a tribute album for The Stanley Brothers.
A New Tune Featuring the Legend
The bluegrass duo were posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year, and a new album celebrating their success is set for release next month. It features Dolly, who recorded Bound to Ride. The traditional song was recorded by Dolly in 2022 ready for the album. The tune was a big success for The Stanley Brothers in 1964.
The same year the song was recorded, Parton said that she was purposely recording material that could be used long after she was gone. “There’s enough stuff to go on forever with my music, to do compilation albums, to do new and original stuff,” Parton said. “I am purposely trying to put songs down for that very purpose, to have a click track and my vocals where any arrangement could be done. So I think ahead.”
Tribute Album Producer Praises Dolly's Contribution
Garry West, bassist and owner of Compass Records, the company behind Where the Soul Never Dies, told Rolling Stone the tune is "full Dolly". He told the publication: "We didn’t know what we would get back, and she really did over-deliver. We were shocked. We couldn’t have gotten anything better."
The news comes days after it was confirmed Dolly had landed three top 10 songs in the UK charts after dying, including her highest-charting single ever. Her hit 9 To 5 became Dolly's best-performing UK track, reaching No5. Jolene also reached an all-time high at No6, while Islands in the Stream, the singer’s 1983 duet with Kenny Rogers, was No9. Jolene originally peaked at No7 in 1976, as did Islands in the Stream in 1984. Meanwhile, 9 to 5, written for the comedy film of the same name, peaked at No12 last week, eclipsing its previous best of No47.
Family Details of Dolly's Final Days
The Queen of Country's death rocked the world last month. She had kept her cancer diagnosis out of the public eye and even held it back from some of her family prior to her death. Her sister Stella admitted Dolly "could not bear negative things and she would not have wanted her fans worried about it". Speaking to Gayle King on CBS Mornings, Dolly's sibling also claimed that she "didn't want a lot of family worried about it". She explained that "some of us knew, the ones of us that were closer" but "not every relative". She added: "She'd be really happy and delighted that people have shown her so much love because she knew that that would make us feel better as her family."
Dolly was buried in a low-key family ceremony on Friday August 28, three days after she died. She was interred beside husband Carl Thomas Dean. Her cousin Richie Owens explained it was a low-key event. “It was very quiet, very quickly done and not for any bad reasons whatsoever," he said. "It’s just what she wanted. She wanted to keep it very, very private."
