Dolly Parton Addresses Rumors That She Is Retiring After Her Next Album

Terry Wyatt/WireImage

Dolly Parton sat down for an interview with The Guardian and revealed whether the rumors about her retiring soon were true.

On November 15, Dolly Parton will release her 50th studio album, which might be the most meaningful of her career.

Titled Dolly Parton and Family: Smoky Mountain DNA—Family, Faith and Fables,the album will feature many appearances by members of Dolly Parton’s family, including her mother, her siblings, her nieces and nephews, and her beloved grandpa, Reverend Jake Owens.

The album will have a total of 37 songs, all of which were hand-picked by the country legend.

“Smoky Mountain DNA is an album I’ve wanted to make for many years. For me personally, this is one of the most important albums I’ve ever made – because it’s family,” she writes on the back cover of the album. “My family has an abiding faith in God and an abiding faith in ourselves. We have strong family bonds that go back hundreds of years, and we have stories and music passed forth from parent to child for generations. My granddaddy, the Rev. Jake Owens, taught us about faith at his little country church, but on the front porch of our Tennessee mountain home, our Parton and Owens kin taught us about music. Grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins all loved music; they all made music, and I didn’t get to be who I am without many of the people you’re going to hear on this record. Some of them are gone, a lot of them are still with us, and a few of them are just teenagers. They all have the gift, and I am so proud to have been able to join my voice with each and every one of them. This record has been a true labor of love for me. I’m all about family, faith, and fables, and the magic that has always been right there for me, buried deep in our Smoky Mountain DNA. “

Among her duet partners is Dolly’s niece, Jada Star, who competed on the reality television show Claim to Fame.
Claim To Fame / Instagram

Because this album is her 50th and it’s such a meaningful album, there has been chatter about her retiring once it is released.

The album’s official Instagram reveals, “Smoky Mountain DNA features duets performed by @dollyparton and various members of her extended family, spanning five generations. Archival recordings of beloved family members who have passed appear alongside contemporary contributions. The recordings celebrate their musical legacy and the deep familial bonds and cultural traditions that have shaped their lives.”

If it were time to retire, this project would make the most sense to be her last!

Rick Pelley of The Guardian, noted that the combination of Parton’s last album, Rockstar, and this meaningful family album would be a great way to wrap up her legendary career. Hoping he was wrong, he asked Parton about it.

She responded that not only can she not retire, she doesn’t want to!

“Oh, my Lord, I can’t retire,” she replied. “I always say I’ve dreamed myself into a corner. I’ve got to keep all those dreams alive. Every dream spins off into some something else. It’s misinformation when I said I was not touring any more. I still do shows – I just don’t go on the full-blown tours where I go overseas for weeks. I’m older, my husband’s older, and I want to be with him more. So, no. I couldn’t retire if I wanted to. And I don’t want to.”

Well, there you have it folks! This rumor has been squashed by the legendary country singer who shows no signs of slowing down.