Dolly Parton’s Plan To Keep Her Music Alive Well Into The Future
Beginning last October, New York-based public radio station WNYC started airing a podcast about the life, impact, and influence of Dolly Parton called Dolly Parton’s America. In the ninth and final episode of the series called “She’s Alive” (listen below), the podcast explores Dolly Parton’s philosophies on sin, redemption, and the afterlife. As a person of faith, Parton’s thoughts are probably what you would expect, with her own Dolly twist.
“You don’t really know, you just hope, and you have faith. That’s what faith is,” Parton says about the afterlife. “I think it’s not the end of me. I don’t think it’s the end of any of us. I think we’re recycled and if nothing else we just go back into that great flow of divine energy and hopefully we spread ourselves around in other wonderful ways.”
We also learn in the podcast something about Dolly Parton’s musical plans after she passes away, and they’re quite complex. Caching musical material for after you’re gone is not unheard of. According to Merle Haggard, he hoarded some 300 to 400 unreleased songs in a collection he called “The Archive” for the express purpose of releasing them after he died. Haggard passed away in 2016, and so far we haven’t heard any of that unreleased material, but hypothetically it’s still out there, ready to feed ears hungry for The Hag in the future.
When Loretta Lynn signed with Sony Legacy Recordings in 2014, she revealed she had been working with John Carter Cash in the Cash Cabin Studio, and had recorded over 90 songs to be released in the future, some re-recordings of her classic material, and some new stuff. Some of those songs have been released on her last two records Full Circle and Wouldn’t It Be Great, but this would still leave reams of unreleased material, not to mention music she’s perhaps recorded since 2014.
But Dolly Parton’s approach to archiving songs for a future she’s no longer living in is something completely unique. As she reveals on the new podcast, she’s got a lot of material ready to go when she dies, and a plan of what to do with it.
“I’m one of those people that believe in being prepared,” Parton explains. “I don’t want to ever leave my stuff in the same shape like Prince or Aretha or anybody that don’t plan ahead … I’ve got hundreds, hundreds, even thousands of songs — a big part of them have never even been recorded. There’s enough stuff to go on forever with my music, to do compilation albums, to do new and original stuff.”
And what exactly can be done with it? According to Dolly Parton, just about anything. Instead of just recording complete songs, Dolly is making an archive of vocal performances set to click tracks so the audio can be utilized in all manner of ways in the future, and however someone wishes. In this case when talking about “click tracks,” Dolly means a studio tool to make sure the rhythm is true, not drum loops.
“I am purposely trying to put songs down for that very purpose, to have a click track and my vocals where any arrangement could be done … Any producer anywhere in the world, when I’m gone, they could take my songs just the click track and my vocal and build a complete arrangement around that, any style. That will go on forever.”
As strange as this sounds, Dolly’s plan alleviates some of the ethical quandaries we’ve seen with the material of other deceased artists in the past. Unfinished songs from Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, and others interpreted by modern artists into new projects have caused some fans to ask if this would have been in line with the wishes of the original artist. And since Dolly has no children to fight over her estate, it’s her wishes that will be met according to the guidelines she has laid out.
As disturbing as it may seem for some to envision an electronic artist releasing a song voiced by Dolly Parton some 150 years from now, Dolly Parton has become so revered and iconic in popular culture, and across political, social, and geographical lines, her voice and songs are almost like their own instrument, or genre. And according to Dolly, it’s a genre and a voice that will be around well into the future.
January 12, 2020 @ 2:58 pm
Sounds interesting. Really hope I get to hear some of haggard material though. I am not a fan of when they take songs the artist has scrapped and decide to publish them anyway. At least this will be to her wish’s.
January 12, 2020 @ 8:17 pm
Dolly has always been the ambitous kind.
January 13, 2020 @ 5:51 am
I have a saying, a thought put to words about the Individual- “I” will survive- groups come and go and are just a supporting cast to the Individual- Dolly it seems is ensuring she does since she has no off spring to pass her legacy on to.
An Individual should strive to leave their space a little better than they found it and it is the Individuals choice about how best to accomplish that.
Good for her!
January 13, 2020 @ 7:48 am
What I find most disturbing is imagining a world where Dolly no longer exists.
January 13, 2020 @ 12:22 pm
This is such a good podcast. It really gets at the heart of what makes Dolly endure: the sweetness, the style, the contradictions, and the show.
January 13, 2020 @ 12:41 pm
My concern about the music of dead artists that has not be released has always centered around who gets the money. I personally feel, if it is an already recorded track or album (i.e. Hendrix) then NOBODY gets any money it is either put up for free or should go to some charity or something. Sorry offspring, learn to play guitar yourself.
I am kind of opposed to music companies making money of dead artists in most cases or releasing the material without consent in the first place. But if an artist like Dolly Leaves her material for anyone to do as they please I think that’s cool. A sort of public domain type situation I think that is fair. And she is being realistic that it will happen anyway she just wants the most control possible over what happens. And what is described here is basically circumventing record labels for she is just recording her voice not actual tracks. For anyone to do with as they please. That is pretty generous.
January 13, 2020 @ 4:44 pm
Musical compositions and sound recordings are protected by copyright law the moment they are created. They are personal property just like your house or your car. It is up to the copyright owner to determine what becomes of the property. Your personal feelings only come into play when / if you decide to, or decide not to purchase any of the commercial releases of the owners property. Record companies, in theory, provide services and funding to produce and market musical compositions and sound recordings. Some record companies are conscientious and forthright. Some are shysters. It is the recording artists duty to himself to scrutinize his agreement with the record company to determine if it is fair. This is just like you would do with any agreement to buy or sell a house or any other significant legally binding agreement. FYI- I’m not trying to flame you Mr. Bear. It’s great that you want to enjoy a musical artists work in perpetuity. Thats what most strive for – a loyal fan base. I’m only trying to shed some light on the artist and their heirs point of view.
January 13, 2020 @ 5:23 pm
I don’t feel flamed. But this does lead into my other peeves of who gets to own the copyrights, especially work they didn’t create.
For example at the point I think Cole Porter’s lyrics should be public domain where ANYBODY can do with them as they wish. And nobody is making money solely of owning the publishing rights to his lyrics.
Obviously, Taylor Swift comes to mind also but But it’s a complex issue with many factor’s I know but I REALLY wish somebody would a do panel on this to explain to the lay person. Personally I just think it’s a bloated outdated model that worked in the early days of recording and then got abused. Anyway that is another post…
January 13, 2020 @ 6:22 pm
Since Dolly owns both the publishing company for her songs and her own record label, chances are plans are well in place for these releases to come in-house. I do hope Dolly’s companies are set up well as things could get very complicated after she is gone and cannot oversee them all. It’s a much larger entertainment empire than most realize.