That woman could sing pages out of the phone book and it would be beautiful.
---------- David
____________________ At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong. R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne Elk River Institute for Advanced Harmonica Studies
"I ain't gonna sing no 'Home on the Range.' No. sir. Not if it means I rot in here another month. I'm gonna sing what I'm a gonna be! A free man in the morning!" Andy Griffith (as Lonesome Rhodes, "A Face in the Crowd).
That woman could sing pages out of the phone book and it would be beautiful.
---------- David
____________________ At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong. R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne Elk River Institute for Advanced Harmonica Studies
"I ain't gonna sing no 'Home on the Range.' No. sir. Not if it means I rot in here another month. I'm gonna sing what I'm a gonna be! A free man in the morning!" Andy Griffith (as Lonesome Rhodes, "A Face in the Crowd).
Dolly's home in Sevierville is just a few miles from me. She is this areas biggest claim to fame. Her Dollywood theme park here is one of the tops in the country.
She is strong and a shrewd business woman, but still very down to earth and the sweetest person you would ever want to meet.
I may be bias, but her singing and song-writing are second to none. "I Will Always Love You" has to be near the top of many lists. Dolly went #1 with it on the country charts several years before Whitney Houston did it.
Asked on a late night talk show what she thought people would be saying about her in 100 years Dolly replied,"I hope they say,'She looks pretty good for her age.'"
My other favorite quote from Dolly, when asked about her plastic surgery, "When something needs fixed I get it fixed. It costs a lot of money to look this trashy."
I also really liked what she had to say about building Dollywood. She talked about all the people back home that needed help. She couldn't give everyone money but she could give them a job.
She is generally recognized as being one of the sharpest business people in Nashville. For a little country girl to be able to feed on Nashville sharks is saying something. She strikes me as a sweetheart but I really wouldn't want to piss her off. ---------- LSC
Last Edited by on Jul 28, 2012 8:35 AM
A lot of people think Dollys best assets have nothing to do with her singing. They think her success had everything to do with her looks and not her talent. I would point out that Dolly played the Grand Old Opry as a 9 year old! I remember her as a member of the Porter Wagoner show as a teenager. I agree, wouldn't expect a country version of Stairway to Heaven to work well, but she pulls it off.
I think anyone who thinks Dolly's success is all about her looks doesn't know much about her. Great songwriter, and good at business. Looks don't hurt, but will only take a person so far. Not really a fan of this STH version but each to their own. I confess I don't really understand the meaning but the words sound good. Long time back, Andrew Denton had a TV show where he encouraged well known acts to do versions of the song. I think there is an album from the show; stairways to heaven. I think that was the origin of Rolf's version. memory is failing a bit. Anyway it was all tongue in cheek and potentially amusing at the time. Agree with Lumpy though; Rolf did the standout cover. ----------
Howard Levy talked about the session he had at her home studio..while the musicians were downstairs laying down tracks, she was upstairs in the kitchen cooking for everyone. ---------- The Iceman
Great performer doing a great song. Swapping out the electric guitar for a banjo changes nothing - still has the same intensity. Excellent arrangement.
I wonder how much she is involved in the arrangement of her performances.
Perhaps a little context. Dolly's version of Stairway to Heaven was first released on Halos and Horns, which had at it's heart a religious theme but not really overtly Christian or preachy. The album was the third of a series for Sugar Hill where Dolly was returning to her bluegrass roots. Halos and Horns was nominated for three Grammys.
When I first heard this version on record I thought it was brilliant and still do. This live version does not quite have the same impact but is still pretty damn good IMO. ---------- LSC
