Season 590: Dolly Appreciation Week

[LSamuels]

There is not, to the best of my knowledge, an official Dolly Parton Appreciation Week. But I think it's time to change that! In addition to her many musical accomplishments (many listed here), she has created a foundation that, among other projects, sends two million free books to children around the world every month (more info here); and last year, she made her second million-dollar donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, this time to help fund pediatric infectious disease research (more info here). She certainly doesn't need any more awards, but I would still like to honor her with her very own Season of the Ukulele You can participate in any or all of these ways:

1. Cover a song that Dolly has written. You have over 3,000 to choose from!
2. Cover a song that Dolly has covered on one of her albums.
3. Cover a song that relates to one of her charitable projects.
4. Write a new song inspired by one of her songs, a song she has covered, or one of her charitable projects.

You can submit up to one song in each of the four categories. For each song, please tell us which category it's in and anything else you want to say about why you picked it. Otherwise, the usual rules apply:

• The ukulele should be the main instrument in your recording, but feel free to add other instruments as you see fit.
• Collaborations are welcome.
• Please only post new recordings made for this week (with the usual exemptions), and please say either in the video or description on YouTube that it's recorded for Season 590.
• For covers (of Dolly's songs or anyone else's), please put the title and original artist/composer in the post and/or the YouTube description.
• For original songs with lyrics, it would be very helpful if you would post the lyrics.
• Make sure to listen to and comment on the other submissions!

You can post any time from 00:00:00 Sunday June 4th, Hawaiian time, right up to 23:59:59 on Sunday June 11th Hawaiian time. You can check the time in Hawaii here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/usa/honolulu (thank you, Edwin!).

PLAYLIST

I am looking forward to hearing everyone's songs!
Laurie

 

[Flatbaroque]

Well, hello Dolly.

 

[Barbablanca]

It had to be said

 

[UkeCan1]

This was the first song to occur to me because I have blue on the mind from 589's "something blue" theme, and was looking for a song that would qualify for both Seasons. Turns out Dolly's "Coat of Many Colors" doesn't actually mention any specific colors - I guess I was confusing it with another well-known song on the same subject, from a musical entirely about and named for that subject.

So, I hope you don't mind, I tacked a bit of that other song on as a kind of tag, to get some color in there. If you don't like it, you can just ignore that last bit - I did do the complete Dolly song first.

 

[Flatbaroque]

Thanks for the excellent theme Laurie. I went looking for interesting titles in her discography. Found this one. " Silver Dagger". I thought that sounds as though it might be a bit melodramatic...and it was. A cover of a traditional song on her The Grass is Blue album.

 

[joo]

Hi Laurie, thanks for hosting!

A rough and raw attempt of this sweet song from Dolly, with 2 paintings and 1 drawing I made.

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

Politically incorrect song cobbled together this morning.

 

[LimousinLil]

Hello, Laurie ... and thanks so much for hosting! I have to admit that I am not that keen on Dolly Parton, or, indeed on Country Music generally, but I was feeling rather militant this morning and I came across this pretty recent song of hers, which coincided with my current mood. (If I look rather dark, it's because there was a thunderstorm in progress whilst I was recording and it WAS rather dark!)

 

[UkeFoote]

"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", by Richard Leigh, for concert ukulele with singing, overdubs of electric bass and secondary vocal. Thanks for hosting, Laurie!

 

[xommen]

I have considered this song for another season, but I went for another song then, this is God Only Knows by For Kings and Country, there is a version of this song that features Dolly.

On another note I was surprised to find she covered She Drives me Crazy by the Fine Young Canibals, I think it is a superb cover.

 

[Ila]

Thanks for hosting, Laurie. On Dolly's album called "For God and Country" she did a cover of Tie a Yellow Ribbon. Without further ado....

 

[LSamuels]

Well, we are off to a great start! If I'm counting right, so far we have 3 covers of Dolly originals, 4 covers of Dolly covers, and one Dolly-related original, not to mention a mashup with a song from a Broadway musical, beautiful original artwork, and an appearance from the Lone Ranger. I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing what comes next (as well as the end of Season 589)!

 

[Canada Jim]

The first song that popped into my mind was my very favourite Dolly song, Tennessee Mountain Home. I gave it a shot and soon realised that, no matter what key I tried it in, this croaky old voice didn't have the range to do it justice. I sure hope someone gives it a shot this week, but it won't be me.

Here's an old traditional folk song that Dolly learned from her mother. My favourite version has Dolly singing and playing Carter-style guitar with those long fingernails with back-up vocals by Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Check it out.
Bury Me Beneath The Willow

 

[Renaissance-Man]

The first song that popped into my mind was my very favourite Dolly song, Tennessee Mountain Home. I gave it a shot and soon realised that, no matter what key I tried it in, this croaky old voice didn't have the range to do it justice. I sure hope someone gives it a shot this week, but it won't be me.

Here's an old traditional folk song that Dolly learned from her mother. My favourite version has Dolly singing and playing Carter-style guitar with those long fingernails with back-up vocals by Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Check it out.
Bury Me Beneath The Willow

Just three simple chords and a simple melody, yet very satisfying.
I liked you playing and singing on this one Jim. Really nice. I can tell you were pleased too.

 

[hendulele]

Thanks for hosting, Laurie, and what a fantastic theme!

Here's one Dolly and Porter recorded (and performed) long ago and that Dolly kept around for a tribute album celebrating Doc Watson's 100th birthday (earlier this year). I've also included a cool rehearsal video recorded the day Dolly and Doc played this together at Merlefest more than 20 years ago (with Chris Thiele, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton, Byron House, and others ... ). Enjoy!

 

[joo]

Hi again Laurie.
This is a little songlet as a tribute to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which gifts books free of charge to children from birth to age five.

D for Doing
O for Opportunity
L for Library
L for Learning
Y for The Young

Thanks for the opportunity to practise my clawhammer.

EDIT: Jim asked about the uke I am playing here. So I am sharing some photos and am gonna talk a little about it. Well, it was made by my friend's friend. My friend didn't like it so i took it and painted it with acrylic paints. It has a wider fretboard than regular ukes. It is rough in finishing, and the frets are a little sharp. but i do like it. my random, thick, wild painting over it might have affected the sound but it still sounds pretty decent to me. I like it. it is strung with aquilas nylgut strings if I remember correctly.
I had this tuned one full step down. and to make this recording I used a 20 dollar BOYA clip-on mic plugged into my phone. The uke has a sound hole on the side of the body facing up and i think the mic picks it up well. I did use an effect called Mic Hog on CapCut, a free video-editing app for phones. I used the effect very sparingly, but I think it did make any instruments sound brighter.

 

[Charley B]

apologies to Joo for gegging in on her entry this week ...

 

[Voran]

Oooooh what a coincidence. I just discovered that Lovecraftian parody of Jolene. Lemme get my uke

 

[jtsteam]

Hi Laurie, thanks for stepping up and hosting! I'm sure you will enjoy it, I always do.
One of my dad's favourite jokes was:

Q: What do you call a parrot that sings country and western?
A: Polly Darton

I think he might have made it up himself. And I think he must have been proud of it, given how often I heard it, and that it's one of my main memories of him...

Anyway. I imagine you all have days occasionally when you get home from work and want to make a very loud noise indeed. In my case, it's a noise a bit like this, after learning that Dolly Parton covered "Games People Play" on her 1969 album "My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy". I'd never heard her version until tonight, and I was glad to hear it!

 

[LSamuels]

The Season is still young, and already we have a wonderful variety of contributions! Four covers of Dolly originals from 1971--2022, seven covers of Dolly covers of songs spanning multiple centuries, and two Seasonista originals inspired by Dolly, all highly recommended!