MyCountrySpace.com

DOLLY PARTON

JULY 17 IN TENNESSEE BEFORE HEADING

TO EUROPE IN AUGUST

DOLLY TAKES OVER TV AIRWAVES WITH

TONIGHT SHOW, BETTER TV, CMT AND GAC APPEARANCES

LATER THIS MONTH

“Resilience, adaptability, stick-to-itiveness, devotion: they’re her superhero traits, delivered without pretension. And ‘Better Day’ captures them faithfully: it’s Dolly to the bone…she sounds almost ageless: expressive even at a whisper, and glorious at full cry. The songs are all hers, and they cover a lot of ground: falling in and out of love, taking umbrage, carrying on.”

--Nate Chinen, NEW YORK TIMES, June 28, 2011

On the heels of her critically acclaimed new album BETTER DAY (Dolly Records, distributed through Warner Music Nashville) entering the country albums chart at#11, DOLLY PARTON has announced a second leg of U.S. dates in October (see dates below) as part of her world tour that commences July 17 in Knoxville in her home state of Tennessee. The first leg of U.S. dates include two nights at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (July 22 and 23), marking her first-ever concerts at the historic venue. 

While in Los Angeles, the iconic singer, songwriter, musician, actress and philanthropist will perform BETTER DAY’s first single, the uplifting “Together You And I” on “The Tonight Show” Friday, July 22.  DOLLY will also appear that same day on the syndicated “Better TV” show (check local listings).  Other notable DOLLY TV appearances include GAC (“On The Streets” 7/19:   10:00am, 2:00pm, 7:30pm, 10:30pm ET;  “The Collection” 7/14:  8:00PM, ET); and CMT (“Top 20 Countdown w/Evan Farmer” aired 7/8-7/10. DOLLY also is CMT’s "Posted Artist of the Month" with new content every posted daily at www.posted.cmt.com).

After wrapping the first leg of U.S. dates August 3, the “Better Day” tour moves overseas for 18 shows in England, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden starting August 20 and will feature a pair of shows (September 7 and 8) at the O2 Arena in London, the venue where DOLLY recorded and filmed Live From London (Dolly Records), her widely praised 2009 two-disc DVD/CD set that included songs from her 2008 Backwoods Barbie album alongside her many classic hits.

The fall U.S. dates kick off Friday, October 7 in Cedar Park, TX and will continue through mid-October before she heads to Australia in November for a run of dates. 

BETTER DAY is DOLLY’s much-anticipated album of all-new studio material.  Featuring 12 original DOLLY compositions, BETTER DAY marks the fourth release on the independent label.  The album continues to earn DOLLY huge critical accolades.  Here are some of them beyond the New York Times review cited above.

“Parton is that rare singer who can make optimism seem like a viable philosophy. When country music goes upbeat, it often traffics in cornball novelty tunes, but Dolly plays her album full of love 'n' hope with straight-up sincerity. In the midst of hard economic times, the positive anthems that fill ‘Better Day’ — all new material, no covers — come off as brilliant strategy, with some equally brilliant vocal performances.” Grade: A-

           --Ken Tucker, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY June 22, 2011

"She’s country music’s ultimate can-do gal, a reputation ‘Better Day’ deepens with a dozen bright-eyed originals...Parton’s irrepressible personality is the star attraction, and on ‘Better Day’ it shines."

           --Mikael Wood, LOS ANGELES TIMES, June 28, 2011

"...a collection of positive-minded, good-humored odes to love, faith and endurance...this age-defying country girl, with her resilient soprano and infectious pluck, seems incapable of a truly false note."

          --Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY, June 28, 2011

“..Parton displays her signature sass throughout this excellent set of self-written odes to optimism. Uplifting tunes such as the bluesy title track and the upbeat ‘In The Meantime,’ a call to ‘drop this doomsday attitude and get on with the show,’ offer the kind of straight talk that has endeared her to fans since the 1960s. Other standouts include the rock-tinged ‘Shine Like The Sun’ and the hoedown-ready ‘Country Is As Country Does.’ The milder moments are equally engrossing, especially the kiss-off ballad ‘Get Out and Stay Out’ and the piano-laced ‘I Just Might,’ both showing that an artist can keep getting better with time…”

           --Ivory Jeff Clinton, PEOPLE, July 18, 2011

“With things being tough all over, count on Dolly Parton to grab a handful of sparkle and let it shine…the undisputed heavyweight champ of modern country returns to the mainstream with a collection that reflects her unsinkable tenacity and charm. Downhome but polished, Parton and producer Kent Wells create an often pop-country gem that empowers as it punches country radio’s clichés with a freshness that says “real country is more engaging than warmed over AC and AOR with fiddles on it.”

          --Holly Gleason, PASTEMAGAZINE.COM, June 28, 2011

"...she returns with a sun-dappled romp through fields of dazzling musical flowers. The ever-irrepressible Dolly Parton is back with Better Day, a portfolio of feel-better, lift-yourself-up, rejoicing sermons....Country music's Sister Sunshine marches on indefatigably, preaching an uplifting message of love and happiness and cheer and faith, along with an honest work ethic."

          --Chet Flippo, CMT.COM, July 7, 2011

“…with tight production, accessible melodies and expressive songs, Better Day accomplishes being an uplifting collection that celebrates today while managing to continue looking to an even brighter tomorrow.”

          --Daryl Addison, GACTV.COM, July 5, 2011

DOLLY’s updated U.S. tour dates are as follows.  **Indicates new date.

DATE           CITY                      VENUE

Sun    7/17  Knoxville, TN          U. of Tennessee/Thompson Boling Arena      

Tue    7/19  Dallas, TX             Verizon Theatre Grand Prairie   

Wed   7/20  Albuquerque, NM   Sandia Casino       

Fri      7/22  Los Angeles, CA    Hollywood Bowl    

Sat     7/23  Los Angeles, CA    Hollywood Bowl    

Sun    7/24  Concord, CA         Concord Pavilion   

Wed   7/27  Prior Lake, MN       Mystic Lake Casino

Thu    7/28  Chicago, IL            Rosemont Theater

Sat     7/30  Wallingford, CT     Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre       

Sun    7/31  Vienna, VA           Wolf Trap    

Tue    8/2    Durham, NC         Durham Performing Arts Center

Wed   8/3    Alpharetta, GA     Verizon Wireless Amp @ Encore Park  

** Fri 10/7  Cedar Park, TX     Cedar Park Center

** Sat 10/8 Tulsa, OK            BOK Center

** Tue 10/11 Biloxi, MS          Mississippi Coast Coliseum 

** Fri 10/14 Valdosta, GA       Wild Adventures Theme Park

** Sat 10/15 Clearwater, FL    Ruth Eckerd Hall

** Sun 10/16 Sarasota, FL     Van Wezel PAH

For more information, please visit http://www.dollypartonmusic.net.

DOLLY TO PREMIERE NEW SINGLE “TOGETHER YOU & I”
WHEN SHE PERFORMS IT LIVE  ON “THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW”  
THURSDAY, MAY 26
AS THE SONG SIMULTANEOUSLY ARRIVES AT RADIO

A BETTER DAY is coming.  And who better than DOLLY PARTON to start spreading the news? 

One of the most honored female country singers of all time returns this summer with a much-anticipated album of all-new studio material--BETTER DAY (Dolly Records)--and a world tourbringing her throughout America and then onto the U.K, Europe and Australia.  The excitement gets underway when the iconic singer, songwriter, musician, actress and philanthropist unveils the album’s soaring first single “Together You & I” with a live performance Thursday, May 26 on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” as the song simultaneously arrives at radio. The song’s video will debut shortly thereafter.

“I wanted to do an album that would be very uplifting and positive, as well as inspirational,” says the seven-time Grammy winner who was hailed as “one of our national treasures” byNewsweek in 2008.  “Times are hard all over.  I think people need to feel better and I thought BETTER DAY was a perfect title because it says ‘hope.’”  See a DOLLY Q&A below.

BETTER DAY is the follow-up to her critically acclaimed and successful Backwoods Barbie album in 2008. Featuring 12 original DOLLY compositions, the album will be released worldwide on her own Dolly Records in June or July (exact date TBA), marking the fourth release on the independent label. 

The “BETTER DAY” world tour launches July 17 in Knoxville in her home state of Tennessee and will be highlighted by two shows (July 22 and 23) at the historic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.  Next, the tour moves overseas starting August 20 and will feature a pair of shows (September 7 and 8) at the O2 Arena in London, the venue where DOLLY recorded and filmedLive From London (Dolly Records), her widely praised 2009  two-disc DVD/CD set that included songs from Backwoods Barbie alongside her many classic hits.

Backwoods Barbie spun off three singles (“Better Get To Livin,’” “Jesus & Gravity” and “Shinola”) and was the first release on Dolly Records.  Originally released in February 2008, the album entered the Top 200 Albums chart at #17 and at #2 on both the Country Album and Indie Album charts. This marked DOLLY’s highest album debut ever on the Billboard pop albums chart, and first entry into the Top 20 since 1993’s Slow Dancing With The Moon.  Then, in 2009, a special Collector’s Edition of Backwoods Barbie (with three new songs) entered Billboard magazine’s Country Albums chart at #9, the Independent Albums Chart at #3 and the Top 200 Albums chart at #40.

In 2008, DOLLY achieved accolades for what was her most successful European tour of her 40-plus year career, where she performed 17 shows to over 170,000 fans, surpassing her then-best 2007 European tour, where she played 21 shows for over 140,000 people.  Each of these treks grossed in the tens of millions of dollars and established DOLLY as Europe’s favorite and most successful country artist. 

DOLLY Q&A:

--Can you describe what sets apart BETTER DAY from your recent albums? 

“Well, I always think every album is better than the last one…at least I strive for that. I wrote all the songs for this one; plus, I think it may be a little more contemporary than what I usually do.”

--Since BETTER DAY will mark fourth release on Dolly Records, can you talk about the freedoms associated with making and releasing records on your own terms?  (The label’s three previous releases were 2008’s Backwoods Barbie, 2009’s Original Broadway Cast Recording of 9 to 5: The Musical and Live From London.)

“It’s always best to be your own boss since you can do what you think is right.  It’s also nice knowing what a nice person the boss really is and that you can pretty much get away with anything. (LOL!)  Seriously, though, I’m proud Dolly Records has done so well.”

--With your return to the road in 2011 in North America, Europe and Australia, what can fans expect from your performances and stage show?

“I’m very excited, first of all, to be going back on tour at all.  But I love the fans and I miss the live stage shows. With the new stage show I hope to have a lot of new things for the fans, especially all the new songs from the BETTER DAY CD and some new and different segments in the show with a lot more fun things as well.  Of course, we will always be doing the biggest and most popular songs.  We’re looking for a good time for ourselves as well as for the fans.”

Here’s the full BETTER DAY track listing:

In The Meantime
Just Leaving
Missing You
Together You & I
Country Is
Holding Everything
The Sacrifice
I Just Might
Better Day
Shine Like The Sun
Get Out
Let Love Grow

The initial North American and U.K./European dates are listed below, with the Australian dates to be announced shortly.

For more information, please visit http://www.dollypartonmusic.net.