Why will Dolly Parton never retire? Iconic singer, 77, opens up about her unwavering passion for singing
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dolly Parton has no intention of slowing down, even after completing six decades in the music industry. The 77-year-old singer said she would rather "die on stage" than give up on singing and performing.
"I would never retire. I would hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday – and hopefully one I've written – but that's how I hope to go," she told Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio as per the Daily Mail.
'I'm going to make hay while the sun shines'
"I don't have much of a choice in that but in the meantime, I'm going to make hay while the sun shines," she continued. Parton, who is sad to own a vast catalog of some 3,000 songs, including classics such as 'Jolene' and 'I Will Always Love You', reportedly said she has scaled back her touring schedule but still wants to perform occasionally.
"I'm not touring anymore but I will continue to do special shows here and there now and then like a long weekend or festival shows," she said before adding "But as far as touring I think those days are pretty much behind me... you have to stay gone so long on a tour to make it productive and prosperous and that's a lot of time at my age – I aint' got no years to waste."
Parton wants her own TV series based on her life called 'The Life of Many Colours'
Instead, the country music legend has set her sights on more TV and movie projects, as well as launching her own line of makeup, wigs, and clothes. She said she wants to have her own TV series based on her life story, called 'The Life of Many Colours', where she would reveal "the bad, the good and the ugly" side about herself and her origins.
She also expressed her desire to host more TV shows and act in more movies, saying she gets a lot of offers that are hard to turn down.
The interview comes ahead of Parton's new album 'Rockstar', her 49th studio album, which is set to release in November 2023. The album will feature 30 songs - nine original tracks from Parton and 21 classic rock covers with collaborators such as Elton John, Sting, and Pink, among others.
'I wanted Mick Jagger so bad'
Parton revealed to Daily Mail that she missed out on a chance to duet with Mick Jagger on her new rock and roll album, saying she wanted him to sing on (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction but they couldn't find the right song or time. She said her husband Carl Thomas Dean is a big fan of Jagger's and she wanted to impress him.
"I wanted Mick Jagger so bad, because my husband loves him, and I wanted him to sing on (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, but he wanted something new and different, which I don't blame him for," she said. "We kept looking for the right song. He was doing an album in LA, and I was doing stuff in Nashville, and I kept missing him, but he wanted to do it." Parton said she hopes to work with Jagger in the future, "Maybe we'll get another chance someday."