Dolly Parton visited Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, during Saturday’s (November 18) Tennessee vs. Georgia college football game. Escorted by former University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, Parton donned her orange Tennessee Volunteers garb and performed “Rocky Top” in the middle of the field.
It was almost impossible to hear Parton over the impassioned screams from the crowd. The entire world loves Parton, but there is a special affinity for the “I Will Always Love You” singer in her home state. The excitement for her appearance rivaled anything else that happened on the field.
“Rocky Top” is the official song of the Volunteers. It’s hard to imagine a better pairing to help spread fervor for Tennessee than Parton and this track.
Parton’s appearance at the Vols game comes on the heels of her latest album, Rockstar. The 30 track record, which was released Friday (November 17), treks a course through rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest hits.
“As Parton’s highly-anticipated new LP begins, we are taken back to where rock music in America flourished: the bedroom,” American Songwriter writes in its review of the album. “Someone alone there, listening to an electric guitar on full blast as parents bang on the door loudly, demanding the music’s volume be turned down. Well, I’m gonna be in rock and roll / Whether you two like it our not!, Parton, playing the roll of progeny, shouts back to her folks. … Anyone who doesn’t get shivers isn’t listening.”
The album was inspired by Parton’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year. To prove she was worthy of the inclusion, she decided to shed her country roots—momentarily—for something a little edgier.
Leave a Reply