Listen to “Bygones,” a new song by Dolly Parton featuring Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe, below.
The song is the most recent taste of the upcoming rock album by the country great, titled “Rockstar,” which will be out later this year.
Nine original songs and 21 versions of well-known rock songs, like “Magic Man” by Heart, “Purple Rain” by Prince, and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones, are included on the CD. Most of the songs on the tracklist, including greats like Sting, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry, Steve Perry, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, are rock lovers’ dreams.
This week, ‘Bygones’ was released, and ‘Magic Man’ was also shared. It is a tribute to Parton’s husband Carl and features Heart vocalist Ann Wilson.
Below, you may hear both tunes.
Parton said, “‘Bygones’ is an original song of mine featuring Rob Halford from Judas Priest with Nikki Sixx and John 5. It is one of my very favourites on the whole album. The song fits with so many couples, and coupling my voice with Rob, one of my all-time favourites, made it even more special.”
“I’ve always wanted a reason to sing ‘Magic Man’ by Heart, and it was one of my first choices for the album. I was so happy that Ann Wilson agreed to sing it with me. Nobody can out-sing Ann, but I gave it my darndest, and we added a few lines that were not in the original. We wanted to have a few things that made it seem like ours. Thank you, Nancy, for letting me fill in for you on this. Hope I’ve made you both proud. I think it’s magic!”
Two covers close the album: “Let It Be,” with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr still alive, along with Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood, and “Free Bird,” with late Lynyrd Skynyrd members Gary Rossington and Artimus Pyle and posthumous vocals from Ronnie Van Zandt.
The 17th of November saw the release of “Rockstar” by Butterfly/Big Machine.