DOLLY PARTON On ROB HALFORD: ‘I Just Loved Him’

In a new interview with SiriusXM‘s Eddie Trunk to promote Dolly Parton‘s rock album “Rockstar”, the country icon discussed her duet with JUDAS PRIEST‘s Rob Halford on a song called “Bygones”.

On “Bygones”, Dolly and Rob sing about apologizing to an unnamed party who refuses to forgive them and “let bygones be bygones.” Along with vocals from the JUDAS PRIEST frontman, the song features contributions from MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx and guitarist John 5.

After Trunk jokingly asked Dolly if we might get a metal record from her next, she laughed and said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I don’t think so.” Trunk then said, “You came close on that [song],” to which she replied: “Did I? I didn’t realize, but I did love Rob Halford. We got to talk a lot ’cause he went in the [Rock And Roll] Hall Of Fame when I did. And so I got to visit a lot of these people that are on the record … that were put in the Hall Of Fame at the same time I was. And so when I talked to Rob, I asked him if he would be willing to sing on my record if I called on him. He said, ‘I sure would, ’cause my mom, my grandma, my kids, we’ve all loved you through the years.’ And so when I got ready to do that, as you mentioned, [Nashville producer] Kent [Wells] and I wrote that one — it’s another original — and then we got the boys on it, ’cause Kent got the musicians on it. And so, it just turned out to be something really, really special, I thought. It was a really a good piece of music, I thought.”

Trunk also asked Parton about Halford joining her as part of a climactic, all-star performance of her classic song “Jolene” at last year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. The “super jam” performance also featured P!nk (who inducted Dolly into the Hall Of Fame),Brandi Carlile, Simon Lebon of DURAN DURAN, Sheryl Crow, Annie Lennox of EURYTHMICS, and Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. Describing Parton and Halford sharing the microphone at Rock Hall as “one of the most mindblowing metal moments ever,” Trunk said that Rob was clearly “so happy and excited,” to which Dolly replied: “He was loving it. He was loving it. He was so nice. I just loved him. But anyway, he said that, kind of like some of the others, they had watched me since they were kids growing up. I had heard they’d been listening to my music. So that made me feel good.”

In a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine, Halford said that he had been a Parton fan for as long as he can remember. “My first recollections of Dolly go all the way back,” he said. “I think everybody on the planet knew of this remarkable woman. I remember her being on British television and just being so engaging. When she performs, even if you’re not a country fan, there’s something about her personality that draws you in. Not only as a musician, but as a humanitarian, a staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ people, right from day one — even when you didn’t talk about that. And visually she’s as unique as Lemmy.”

Asked what he thought when he first heard “Bygones”, Halford said: “When they sent me the demo, it was just immediate. It was in my world — it wasn’t metal, but it was a tough song, and when you crank it up, it’s roaring. And it’s a wonderful lyric. She’s talking about overcoming the past and how love is stronger than yelling at each other — although I think people that are in love do yell at each other, and that’s a healthy relationship. It’s this great message that love always rises and wins. But the words of her songs have a tremendous reach beyond the initial subject matter. You could also put that song on the world stage — y’know, it could be about politics, government, war, anything.”

Back in November 2022, just a couple of weeks after the Rock Hall ceremony, Halford spoke to the San Antonio Current about what it was like to briefly share the microphone with Dolly. He said: “I knew that there was going to be an opportunity a few weeks before the event. Again, it was just kind of floating around that she was going to do this song at the end of the show and bring all of her friends onstage with her. And I didn’t realize that we were going to be so connected. I sang one chorus with Dolly Parton and the world’s gone nuts. And I can appreciate that now. I didn’t understand it at first. And now these days have gone by, and people are going, ‘Where’s the album with Dolly and The Metal God?’

“I’ll tell you something about her: she’s been here forever, a bit like Her Majesty the Queen, who left us recently,” he continued. “What I mean by that is when Dolly walks into the room, you feel this regal presence. She’s just got this aura about her personality. She’s a genuinely beautiful light of love and caring and philanthropy and humanity. It’s all real, man. It’s all very real. There are some people who are very different on and off stage. Well, no, not with Dolly. That’s Dolly‘s thing. So, for me to have that opportunity, I was just blessed and honored and thrilled. I know her work because I’ve lived as long as Dolly, and I was aware of Dolly as a young person growing up and seeing her on British television. She’d come over and do these British variety shows. And here I am, this kid from a public housing estate in the West Midlands in England, and I’m standing next to Dolly fucking Parton, who is now a rock chick.”

Halford had previously revealed he was a huge fan of Dolly, and had planned to take a photo with her at the ceremony.

“I’m going to force her to, even if she doesn’t know who I am,” he told Metal Crypt in June 2022. “I’m going to see what table she is sitting at. I’m just going to run to the table and do the devil’s horns thing. Tongue out, horns up, behind Dolly Parton‘s head. It’s the only way to do it. I can’t smile sweetly. I’ve got to stick my tongue out and my horns up.”

Halford told Rolling Stone last year that he had no issues with Dolly being inducted into the Rock Hall.

“If you look at everyone in the Hall, it makes perfect sense to have Dolly Parton in there,” he said. “I think it’s just this ‘rock and roll’ thing. Should it be called the Music Hall Of Fame? I don’t know. It started out with rock and roll, and roll and roll is everything and anything. It’s just a phraseology.”

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the Rock Hall event, which honored Eminem, Parton, DURAN DURAN, Richie, Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

The JUDAS PRIEST members that got inducted include current members Halford, Ian Hill (bass),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members K.K. Downing (guitar),Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.

Earlier in the evening, Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by Binks, Downing and current guitarist Richie Faulkner for three-song medley consisting of “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'”, “Breaking The Law” and “Living After Midnight”.