LuLu Roman, known throughout the world as one of the most beloved stars of the long-running show "Hee Haw," teamed up with Dolly for a new version of Dolly’s classic, "I Will Always Love You."
The new version, which appears on LuLu’s 2013 album, "At Last" brings two friends of over 40 years back together.
LuLu said of the collaboration,
“Well, going into the studio this time was a great time. It really was. Dolly is just this, ‘What you see is what you get!’ Dolly is Dolly. She just lights up the room and lights up the attitudes. She’s just absolutely precious.”
Dolly was thrilled to hear the results,
"I have known and loved LuLu since the days of 'Hee Haw.' I have always known she was a great singer; but I did not know how great until she did this album. Hearing her sing my song "I Will Always Love You" gave me the chills. And being able to sing with her on it really got the goose bumps going. I am so proud of her. Hope you enjoy our version of the song."
The song "I will Always Love You" was written by Dolly in 1973 for her early singing partner Porter Wagoner and originally appeared on her 1974 album "Jolene." Possibly the most famous version of the song was recorded by the late Whitney Houston on the soundtrack for the movie "The Bodyguard" released in 1992. Another version of the song is on the soundtrack as well - a musical version by Jon Doe. Linda Ronstadt also did a cover of the song on her 1975 album "Prisoner in Disguise."
Celebrating the opening of Dollywood’s historic Wild Eagle, Dolly flew atop the wings of a float themed after a bald eagle during her 27th Annual Dolly Homecoming Parade. She soared above thousands of fans lining the streets of Pigeon Forge where Dollywood is located. Her eye-catching float and feathered jacket reached new heights for the annual parade.
Dolly starred in the Warner Brothers movie "Joyful Noise." In 2012, during a decade when small towns faced a variety of economic problems, Dolly felt it was high-time for a feel-good movie about "a little town that's going through their problems, like everyone is these days."
Dolly plays G.G. Sparrow in "Joyful Noise," which focuses on a choir member at odds with the choir’s current director, played by Queen Latifah, at a church trying to win a national choral singing competition.
She was particularly excited to work with Queen Latifah.
“I always thought it'd be fun to work with her because everybody just loves her. And she is so cool and she's so funny. We really get along great. There's a great chemistry, which we hoped there would be, and it really comes through. There's a lot of magic in it.”
Many of the funniest parts of the movie are verbal battles between Latifah and Dolly, filled with classic "Dollyisms" like "God didn't put plastic surgeons on earth to starve." Amid the humor, the movie underscores the prevailing theme that people need to come together during hard times.
Dolly wrote three songs for the movie-- "Not Enough," "From Here to the Moon and Back," and "He’s Everything."
Dolly's said that everybody knows she loves bluegrass music.
“That’s why I’m so very proud to bring my Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival back this year. We’ve got fine pickers and mighty fine barbecue to spice things up, too! I realized Dollywood fans have a real hunger for bluegrass music and great tastin' barbeque. Since I aim to please, I'm proud to say Barbeque & Bluegrass is back and better than ever at Dollywood."
The festival returned to Dollywood Aug. 19 through Sept. 5 and featured big names like Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, J.D. Crowe & The New South and Riders In The Sky.
Dolly began her "Better Day" World Tour on July 17, 2011, at Thompson-Boling arena in Knoxville, Tenn. It concluded on Dec. 1, 2011, at Melbourne Australia’s Rod Laver Arena. All told, Dolly played 50 dates, sold nearly 275,000 tickets, and grossed $34 million (her most successful tour to date).
Dolly was really excited to announce her "Better Day" World Tour saying,
"I had a great time when we were in Europe on the last ‘Backwoods Barbie’ tour, and I expect to have even more fun on the up and coming 'Better Day' World Tour. I'm really looking forward to this, and I can't wait to see all the fans again. We have a lot fun things for everybody!"
