genre country
Dolly Parton’s upcoming musical, Dolly: An Original Musical, will be getting a Music City premiere this summer, before heading to Broadway in 2026.
The musical, which brings Parton’s life story to the stage, will launch a four-week limited engagement at Belmont University’s Fisher Center For the Performing Arts this summer. Preview performances start July 18, followed by the opening night on Aug. 8. The musical will run through Aug. 17.
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Parton made the announcement during a press conference held at Belmont’s The Fisher Center For the Performing Arts on Tuesday morning (Jan. 28). Parton is a native Tennessean and has lived in Nashville for 60 years.
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“It seemed natural and right for me to premiere the story of my life in Tennessee, because I’m Tennessee born and Tennessee raised,” Parton told the audience.
“I have always wanted to do my life story as a musical, and I just thought I wanted to see it done while I was still around to be able to oversee it and make sure that it’s done properly, the way I would want to see it,” Parton later added, explaining her motivations for working on the project.
The musical will feature music written by Parton, with a book by Parton and Maria S. Schlatter, and will be directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher. Parton noted that in addition to some of her most famous songs, the musical will also feature new music she composed.
Parton is also a producer on Dolly: An Original Musical, along with Danny Nozell, ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions.
Parton revealed plans for the musical last year, and an open casting call has since been launched to search for the ideal performer to portray Parton. During the press conference, Parton noted that the cast would be revealed “soon.”
Additionally, Parton has launched the “Dolly U” program, an immersive educational partnership with Belmont University. According to a release, the initial Dolly U program will allow students “opportunities to participate in aspects of the production, working alongside the musical’s professional cast, creative, and producing teams, as it is developed and premieres at the Fisher Center this summer. In addition, new project-based courses are being offered during the spring semester in subjects such as marketing, brand partnerships, and merchandising, providing students hands-on opportunities with the musical while receiving course credit.”
“I’ve had a lot of my relatives and friends go to Belmont. We know that this is a great school…everybody loves to learn about the business end of the music business,” Parton said during the press conference, noting that her niece graduated from Belmont University.
Tickets for Dolly: An Original Musical are on sale at dollymusical.com and at Belmont’s Fisher Center Box Office.
On Jan. 28, 1995, Alan Jackson’s “Gone Country” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
The track was solely authored by Bob McDill and produced by Keith Stegall. In 2017, Billboard described the song as, lyrically, “reflective of a time period where many artists were coming to Music City from New York, Los Angeles and all points in between. Jackson told the press that he definitely understood the appeal of the format to newcomers and welcomed them all to town. Even so, there was a little bit of gently-placed sarcasm on this one, which helped to make it yet another No. 1.”
“Gone Country” was released as the third of five singles from Jackson’s album Who I Am, which yielded four Hot Country Songs leaders: “Summertime Blues” (three weeks), “Livin’ on Love” (three), “Gone Country” (one week) and “I Don’t Even Know Your Name” (one). Fourth single “Song for the Life” hit No. 6. Who I Am became his second of 14 No. 1s on the Top Country Albums chart.
“Gone Country” marked Jackson’s ninth of 26 No. 1s on Hot Country Songs. Dating to his first, “I’d Love You All Over Again,” in March 1991, he and Tim McGraw boast the most leaders: 26 each.
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Jackson was born Oct. 17, 1958, in Newman, Ga., and moved to Nashville in 1985 to follow his dreams. He became the first artist signed to Arista Records’ then-new country division in June 1989. His first of 84 Hot Country Songs entries, “Blue Blooded Woman,” peaked at No. 45. He followed with his first of 51 top 10s, the No. 3-peaking “Here in the Real World.”
In 1979, Jackson married his high school sweetheart, Denise Jackson (yep, same last name). The couple has been married for 45 years and has three daughters.
On Sept. 28, 2021, in an interview on NBC’s Today with Jenna Bush Hager, Jackson revealed that he had been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), a degenerative nerve condition which limits his ability to perform. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017, he released his 21st studio set, Where Have You Gone, in May 2021. It arrived at its No. 2 best on Top Country Albums, becoming his 28th and most recent top 10.
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