Dolly Parton is well known in both country music and celebrity circles.
Although he spent most of his life performing and singing, the Tennessee native has become a legend and loves to entertain his legions of fans.
However, the 76-year-old music icon has officially announced his retirement from touring, despite releasing new music.
In a recent interview with Pollystar, Dolly Parton opened up about why she’s no longer touring. He said:
“Sometimes we do special shows. Maybe you’ll play a few shows at a festival or a long weekend. “But there are no more serious travel plans,” he said.
Instead, the 76-year-old country music icon will continue to make music and spend time with her beloved husband, Carl Thomas Dean.
Dolly and Carl Dean met in 1964 in Nashville, Tennessee for the Wishy Washy Laundromat. At the time, Dolly was 18 and Carl was 21. Carl immediately noticed something special about the young woman.
“I’m going to marry that girl,” Dean told Entertainment Tonight when they first met.
My second thought was, “God, she’s beautiful.” This marked the beginning of my existence. “I wouldn’t trade the last 50 years for anything in the world.”
In a 1976 interview with the New York Times, Dolly recalled seeing Dean sitting in his truck “screaming.” But she rejected his offer.
Instead, she invited him a few days later while she was expecting her grandson. It was the beginning of a love story that will last forever.
Dolly and Carl exchanged vows in May 1966 in a secret ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia. His record company advised him to postpone the wedding because he needed to find a job.
But Dean and Dolly didn’t want to wait, so they decided to get married in Georgia and not Tennessee so that no one would write about it there. It was just Dolly, Carl and his mother.
Dolly and Carl have been very much in love ever since. The couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2016. They decided to renew their vows as a way to celebrate. Now they will spend more time together.
Parton described her travel experience in an interview with Pollstar:
“I’ve been doing this my whole life and it took a lot of time and effort. I prefer to stay close to home with my husband. I don’t want to go away for 4-5 weeks because we are getting old. Anything could happen.
If I wasn’t there and someone needed me, I wouldn’t feel good. Otherwise, I don’t like to end the tour early because someone needs me at home and I can’t leave my fans behind.”
The singer says that her last musical work, dedicated to her husband, falls into the rock and roll category. Last May, Parton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When I heard the news that I was going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I thought, “There’s no better time to do this.”
I’ve wanted to do this forever. My husband is a big rock and roll fan, so for years I’ve been thinking, “Someday I’d like to make an album for her.”
The singer appears to be gearing up for this year’s NBC Christmas special as she continues to put the finishing touches on her new album. Explained:
