It’s been a while since the Super Bowl Halftime Show went “full country,” but it apparently hasn’t been for a lack of trying.
The last time country took center stage at the biggest game in all of sports was 1994, when The Judds, Travis Tritt, Clint Black and Tanya Tucker all teamed up to play some of their certified country classics.
One beloved country artist that has always seemed like a good fit for the Halftime Show is the legendary Dolly Parton, especially considering the many musical connections she has and could bring along, as many of the more recent halftime shows have featured ensembles.
And based on some of the things the “Coat of Many Colors” singer said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Super Bowl Halftime Show has actually tried to get her to perform on many different occasions:
“I’ve been offered that many times. I couldn’t do it because of other things, or I just didn’t think I was big enough to do it, to do that big of a production.
When you think about those shows, those are big, big productions. I’ve never done anything with that big of a production. I don’t know if I could have. I think at the time that’s what I was thinking.”
Parton did say in the interview that now that she is releasing her new album Rockstar, which features a number of different duets with some of rock and roll’s biggest names, she feels as though she could put on a “bigger show.”
Even recognizing that, Dolly was still taken back when she was offered to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She actually declined the offer initially, thinking:
“They’re going to put me in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and somebody like Meat Loaf or some of these other great artists never even made it?’
I didn’t want to take away from somebody that has spent their life in that world like I had spent mine in country.”
That viewpoint is a very respectable one, though it did change when other artists and the organization itself explained the vast group of musicians that have been inducted into the Rock Hall, and what that means.
Parton continued:
“They told me all the ways that people’s music has influenced other people around the world and told me about other people that were in it besides rock. Then I accepted it.”
But I still didn’t feel great about it. I still thought I needed to earn it. That’s why I thought, ‘Well, timing is perfect. There’s a real reason for me to do this rock ‘n’ roll album. Here I am a rock star at 77.’”
Dolly, don’t kid yourself, you’ve always been a rock star. Releasing a “rock album” only puts the exclamation mark on the rocking career that has spanned over 65 years.
Speaking of that rock album, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include one of Dolly’s takes on a classic rock and roll song. There are a plethora of tunes to choose from, but I’ll selfishly include my personal favorite.
Take a listen to Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr sings “Let It Be” in the video below:
