Dolly Parton fans know how she honed her musical talents in a cabin in Tennessee with 11 siblings. But the source of his talent goes back a long way: to the 1600s, in the British Isles. This story takes place on the new album Dolly Parton and Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith and Fables (published November 15). It’s both a family reunion and a music history lesson, as Parton brings together relatives from five generations to celebrate the traditions that shaped her. Produced by Parton’s first cousin and bandmate, Richie Owens, 64, Smoky Mountain DNA finds Dolly playing with aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces – and long-lost relatives, thanks to technology that has fused her voice with enhanced vintage audio.

Parton, 78, sings the 1870 song “Rosewood Casket” with her mother Avie Lee, who died at age 80 in 2003, and contemporary tunes like the bluesy stomper “Not Bad,” with her cousin Shelley Rená. On the spoken-word opening track, she talks about her banjo-playing grandfather, Jake Owens. “He would play in front of the old crank phone with neighbors on the phone line listening,” Parton says. “He was one of the first pioneers of music streaming, don’t you think?” The ambitious project also includes 19 recorded performances by Parton and her extended family at Knoxville’s famed Bijou Theater and a four-part documentary series that will air in 2025.

She’s stopped touring (but can perform occasionally) and she’s busy. Since August, she has released her cosmetics line Dolly Beauty, published the children’s book Billy the Kid comes home for Christmas and the best-selling cookbook Beautiful kitchenand chatted with Jennifer Aniston, 55, about a potential remake of her 1980 film 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Its Dollywood theme park in Tennessee celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2025, and the concert series Dolly Parton’s sons: my songs in symphony, with her stories told on video and 11 city orchestras performing her pieces, opens in Nashville on March 20 (where she will make a brief appearance). A companion book to Smoky Mountain DNA the album is in preparation.

Parton and Owens spoke to AARP about their family collaboration, their lineage, and the good people of Appalachia.

What triggered Smoky Mountain DNA?

Parton: We have all these old cassettes and records from family members. Richie and I came up with the idea of ​​recording it for posterity – for family and for people who like things like old Carter family records.

Owens: After World War II, my grandfather’s sons saw an opportunity to make money instead of just picking on the back porch or at church. They recorded everything from the radio stations to document all their content. Dolly said: “We are starting to lose people. We need to. She had lost two of her brothers.

How did this experience affect you?

Parton: When I started singing into my headphones with my grandfather, my mom, my aunt Dorothy Jo, I cried, because it took me back and I was reliving my childhood. There is a lot to be said about precious memories and what they call “invisible angels”. And it was very moving to sing updated stuff with the young people, thinking about how it would all continue even after I was gone.

What research was carried out to establish the family tree?

Owens: We have worked extensively with genealogy experts in the UK, 23andMe and ancestry.com. Let’s move on to dental records. My grandfather told us all these stories, and they turned out to be true.