In a new interview, Dolly Parton talked about her new rock album and revealed how she got permission from the late Lynyrd Skynyrd rocker Ronnie Van Zant’s widow to cover ‘Free Bird.’
Working with the producer Kent Wells for her new album ‘Rockstar,’ the country singer wanted her own cover for the Lynyrd Skynyrd hit. Recently speaking to Louder Sound about the hit, she shared:
“Kent Wells has been my guitar player, arranger/producer and bandleader for thirty-some years. When I was getting ready to do ‘Rockstar,’ he was busy producing an album for Lynyrd Skynyrd. They knew Kent worked with me, so they asked if I would sing on a new version of ‘Free Bird.’ And it turned out really good.”
The country singer then explained how she eventually got the permission from the rocker’s widow:
“Later on I said to Kent, ‘What about putting ‘Free Bird’ on my rock album too, if we get permission from them to do it?’ So that’s what we did. Then Ronnie Van Zant’s widow said that she’d let us use his voice on the track. She wouldn’t allow Lynyrd Skynyrd to do it, but she said: ‘I’ll do it for Dolly!’ So we got to use Ronnie on there. We had already recorded it, but his phrasing was so simple that they just dropped his vocal in.”
The Cover Has Additional Names Other Than Ronnie Van Zant
Parton did not just work with the late rocker’s widow to use his vocals, but she worked with two other musicians to complete the cover of the song. Parton’s version of ‘Free Bird’ also features members of Skynyrd themselves, including original guitarist Gary Rossington and former drummer Artimus Pyle.
Unfortunately, Rossington will not be able to hear the cover since he passed away in March this year. Instead, the track will be serving as an epitaph.
Dolly Parton’s New Album Is Filled with Rock Covers
Even though she is originally a country singer, Parton decided to switch from her main genre to make a rock album filled entirely with rock covers of popular songs— both rock and pop.
In addition to her thought of making a rock album, she did sing all the songs herself. The singer worked with numerous singers, most of whom being the original singers of the songs, including Miley Cyrus, Sting, Paul McCartney, and Pat Benatar. The album will drop on November 17.
