Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The story behind Dolly Parton's unexpected metal collaboration
Podcast on Apple Podcasts
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rock-n-roll-true-stories-podcast/id1876614383
My second YouTube Channel
youtube.com/@RockNRollTrueStories2
Dolly Parton and Rob Halford should not make sense together. One was the rhinestone-covered queen of country music. The other is the leather-and-studs voice of Judas Priest. Rob Halford is known around the world as the Metal God.
But in 2022, a chance meeting at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame brought them together. First, they sang “Jolene.” Then Dolly asked Halford to appear on her rock album. What began as an unlikely awards-show moment became a genuine friendship. It also became one of the most unexpected collaborations in modern rock.
Before getting into that story, it is worth recognizing what Dolly Parton meant to music and popular culture. Dolly Parton died on August 25th, 2026, at the age of 80. Her family and publicist said that she died peacefully in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer. She was surrounded by loved ones. A small, private service is expected to be held for immediate family.reuters+2
For more than six decades, Dolly Parton was one of the most beloved figures in American music. She was a singer, songwriter, actor, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She was someone who made millions of people feel like they mattered.
Her story began in rural Tennessee. Her music carried stories about poverty, faith, heartbreak, ambition, and survival. Songs like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colours,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “9 to 5” became classics. But Dolly was never limited to country music.
She crossed into pop culture in a way almost nobody else could. She could be funny without being shallow. She could be glamorous without feeling distant. And she could be larger than life while still seeming completely human.
That is part of why the story of Dolly Parton and Rob Halford works so well.
When Dolly Parton was announced as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 2022, she initially resisted the idea. Dolly said she did not feel she had earned a place in the Hall as a rock artist. But when the induction went ahead, she decided that if rock and roll was going to claim her, she would meet the moment head-on.
That decision eventually led to Rockstar. It was her massive 2023 rock album. The album featured guest musicians from nearly every corner of the genre, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Lizzo, Debbie Harry, Nikki Sixx, John 5, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Rob Halford of Judas Priest.
But the Halford connection began before Rockstar had even taken shape.
At the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, Dolly Parton and Judas Priest were both being honoured on the same night. Dolly was inducted as a performer. Judas Priest received the Musical Excellence Award.
For Halford, this was already a surreal situation. He had grown up with a deep love for Dolly’s music. His mother, grandmother, and family had been fans. Halford was not just familiar with the big hits. He knew songs like “Coat of Many Colours” and “Down From Dover.”
He understood that behind the wigs, glamour, humour, and larger-than-life image was one of the greatest songwriters of her generation. But before Dolly ever asked him to join her onstage, Halford says he had a strange feeling that their paths were about to cross.
As he explained to Metal Hammer: “Somehow, instinctively, I knew we were going to meet. I always tell the story of my mother’s grandmother, who was a clairvoyant, and I still think I’ve got a little of that in me, because something went, ‘You’re going to meet Dolly Parton.’ Two or three days later, these emails come into the office, and Dolly’s reached out, asking, ‘Would you sing some lines on Jolene?’ You sit at home and go, ‘Oh my god, this is truly going to happen!’ Being a gay guy, ‘I’ve got nothing to wear!’ I know that she likes to sparkle and I like to sparkle, so what I wore on that night was apropos.”
Then came the moment. Dolly invited a group of artists to join her onstage for “Jolene.” Among them were Pat Benatar, Annie Lennox, Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, P!nk, and Rob Halford.
It was one of those images that sounds completely made up until you see it. The frontman of Judas Priest was standing beside Dolly Parton. And he was singing
Have a video request or a topic you'd like to see us cover? Comment below or send in your idea: bit.ly/3stnXlN
CONNECT ON SOCIAL
TIKOK:tiktok.com/@rocknrolltruestory
Instagram: instagram.com/rnrtruestories
Facebook: facebook.com/RNRTrueStories
Twitter: twitter.com/rocktruestories
Blog: rockandrolltruestories.com
#dollyparton #robhalford
These videos are for entertainment purposes only. DISCLAIMER rockandrolltruestories.com/youtube-disclaimer
The story behind Dolly Parton's unexpected metal collaboration
Podcast on Apple Podcasts
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rock-n-roll-true-stories-podcast/id1876614383
My second YouTube Channel
youtube.com/@RockNRollTrueStories2
Dolly Parton and Rob Halford should not make sense together. One was the rhinestone-covered queen of country music. The other is the leather-and-studs voice of Judas Priest. Rob Halford is known around the world as the Metal God.
But in 2022, a chance meeting at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame brought them together. First, they sang “Jolene.” Then Dolly asked Halford to appear on her rock album. What began as an unlikely awards-show moment became a genuine friendship. It also became one of the most unexpected collaborations in modern rock.
Before getting into that story, it is worth recognizing what Dolly Parton meant to music and popular culture. Dolly Parton died on August 25th, 2026, at the age of 80. Her family and publicist said that she died peacefully in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer. She was surrounded by loved ones. A small, private service is expected to be held for immediate family.reuters+2
For more than six decades, Dolly Parton was one of the most beloved figures in American music. She was a singer, songwriter, actor, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She was someone who made millions of people feel like they mattered.
Her story began in rural Tennessee. Her music carried stories about poverty, faith, heartbreak, ambition, and survival. Songs like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colours,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “9 to 5” became classics. But Dolly was never limited to country music.
She crossed into pop culture in a way almost nobody else could. She could be funny without being shallow. She could be glamorous without feeling distant. And she could be larger than life while still seeming completely human.
That is part of why the story of Dolly Parton and Rob Halford works so well.
When Dolly Parton was announced as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 2022, she initially resisted the idea. Dolly said she did not feel she had earned a place in the Hall as a rock artist. But when the induction went ahead, she decided that if rock and roll was going to claim her, she would meet the moment head-on.
That decision eventually led to Rockstar. It was her massive 2023 rock album. The album featured guest musicians from nearly every corner of the genre, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Lizzo, Debbie Harry, Nikki Sixx, John 5, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Rob Halford of Judas Priest.
But the Halford connection began before Rockstar had even taken shape.
At the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, Dolly Parton and Judas Priest were both being honoured on the same night. Dolly was inducted as a performer. Judas Priest received the Musical Excellence Award.
For Halford, this was already a surreal situation. He had grown up with a deep love for Dolly’s music. His mother, grandmother, and family had been fans. Halford was not just familiar with the big hits. He knew songs like “Coat of Many Colours” and “Down From Dover.”
He understood that behind the wigs, glamour, humour, and larger-than-life image was one of the greatest songwriters of her generation. But before Dolly ever asked him to join her onstage, Halford says he had a strange feeling that their paths were about to cross.
As he explained to Metal Hammer: “Somehow, instinctively, I knew we were going to meet. I always tell the story of my mother’s grandmother, who was a clairvoyant, and I still think I’ve got a little of that in me, because something went, ‘You’re going to meet Dolly Parton.’ Two or three days later, these emails come into the office, and Dolly’s reached out, asking, ‘Would you sing some lines on Jolene?’ You sit at home and go, ‘Oh my god, this is truly going to happen!’ Being a gay guy, ‘I’ve got nothing to wear!’ I know that she likes to sparkle and I like to sparkle, so what I wore on that night was apropos.”
Then came the moment. Dolly invited a group of artists to join her onstage for “Jolene.” Among them were Pat Benatar, Annie Lennox, Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, P!nk, and Rob Halford.
It was one of those images that sounds completely made up until you see it. The frontman of Judas Priest was standing beside Dolly Parton. And he was singing
Have a video request or a topic you'd like to see us cover? Comment below or send in your idea: bit.ly/3stnXlN
CONNECT ON SOCIAL
TIKOK:tiktok.com/@rocknrolltruestory
Instagram: instagram.com/rnrtruestories
Facebook: facebook.com/RNRTrueStories
Twitter: twitter.com/rocktruestories
Blog: rockandrolltruestories.com
#dollyparton #robhalford
These videos are for entertainment purposes only. DISCLAIMER rockandrolltruestories.com/youtube-disclaimer
