During the span of her illustrious 60-year career, Dolly Parton has become known as the “Queen of Country.”
However, the “9 to 5” singer recently wondered if her fans still see her as a country star.
“I do so many things, sometimes I wonder if I’m still considered a country artist,” Parton, 78, shared on “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday. “Although I’m a country girl… I’ve had the chance to do things like my rock album… movies… I wasn’t sure.”
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Parton’s comments came after Billboard ranked her the “number one country artist of all time.”
The country music star admitted she did not know there was “such a category” and that she was going to be “voted for it,” but ultimately, Parton is “very proud and honored more than anything.”
The “Jolene” songstress’ initial reaction to her coveted country title was that she was honestly “shocked.”
“I was surprised, but I was in company with Willie and Johnny Cash… Loretta Lynn and all those wonderful people.”
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Host Gayle King then challenged Parton and asked, “Why are you shocked and surprised? Honestly, at this stage in your [career]… You know you’re a bada– … There is no other choice when it comes to that particular ranking.”
Parton then compared her music career to Beyoncé being named the greatest pop star of the 21st century, also by Billboard.
“I think it’s very well deserved, although Taylor Swift [who earned the second spot in the list] is a dear friend of mine… to me, it could’ve gone either way, but you just never know, because there are so many other great artists.”
Meanwhile, the “Queen of Pop,” Beyoncé, has covered Parton’s iconic song “Jolene” for her country album, “Cowboy Carter.” Parton gave her take on “non-country artists performing country music” and country artists performing pop music.
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“Well, I figured if I can do a rock album… others can do country music. I think if you’re an artist, and you have a desire to cover… the whole spectrum of music and art, I really think you should have the opportunity to do that,” Parton explained.
“I’m always welcoming any of the people that want to be country, and I take it as a great compliment to those people who want to be a part of our world. I know I want to be part of their world at times… I think it should be accepted as that.”
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While the author of “Billy the Kid Comes Home for Christmas” has been in the spotlight for most of her life, Parton shared how she has “wrestled” with fame over family during her highly successful career.
“You always have to do that,” Parton referred to her life balance.
“Of course, I love family… especially I love being home for the holidays. And to my knowledge, I’ve never missed a Christmas. But I’ve missed Thanksgiving and a lot of other holidays,” she said.
“I try my best to be home for Christmas, but when you’re in show business you have to do [when] they call… It’s so important though, for the holidays… to be home with family and friends.”
