New Podcast About Dolly Parton Features North Carolina Voices

Last month WNYC Studios premiered Dolly Parton’s America: The story of a legend at the crossroads of America’s culture wars. Produced by the audio geniuses behind Radiolab, the nine-part series weaves together interviews, archival clips from her career, and stories from her biggest fans to explore the universal appeal of Dolly Parton. Several episodes feature appearances from North Carolinians.

In “I Will Always Leave You,” UNC-Chapel Hill Music Professor Jocelyn Neal discusses how Dolly Parton’s recording of “Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8),” marked a pivot from the sad songs of her early career and a symbolic step towards professional independence from Porter Wagoner. “Neon Moss,” the fourth episode of the show, explores the international appeal of Dolly Parton’s nostalgia for Tennessee, and features Rhiannon Giddens discussing her recording of the Appalachian ballad “Little Margaret.” Giddens learned “Little Margaret” from N.C. Heritage Awardee Sheila Kay Adams and recorded a version of it for her new album featuring the daf, an Iranian frame drum, to draw attention to the global roots of what people commonly think of as traditional European music. 

Take a listen to Dolly Parton’s America wherever you get your podcasts!