DollyWeen: A Celebration of Dolly Parton

I think most of us felt something when we heard that Dolly Parton had died. She had a way of making people laugh, and her generosity and kindness were as much a part of her reputation as the songs she wrote.

When her death was announced on August 25, Rapid City musician Alex Massa came up with an idea to bring local musicians together for a tribute concert. He joined forces with singer-songwriter Abbey Leach, and according to Leach, they had essentially assembled the entire band that same afternoon.

On Friday, October 30, that idea becomes DollyWeen, a concert at the Dahl Arts Center featuring three vocalists and a seven-piece band performing songs from across Parton’s career, including familiar favorites, lesser-known ballads, and gospel.

For Massa, Dolly’s music goes back to childhood. He remembers listening to her records on cassette in his dad’s 1973 Ford F-150 as they drove out to the pasture to ride and take care of horses.

“Her voice has been in my head most of my life,” Massa said.

He admires Dolly’s advocacy for public libraries, education, and people whose voices aren’t always heard. Those values have influenced how he approaches his own work as an artist.

“I try to approach my life and art in the way Dolly did,” he said.

For Leach, Dolly’s generosity and acceptance are just as important as her music.

“The thing that connects with me most about Dolly Parton is her respect, acceptance, and love of mankind,” Leach said. “Dolly shared her wealth generously, brought money and opportunities to her community, and warmly embraced people of all kinds.”

A Songwriter’s Songwriter

Abbey Leach remembers hearing Dolly Parton’s claim that she wrote two of her biggest hits, “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” on the same day. The story changed the way Leach approached her own songwriting.

She used to take time to enjoy the accomplishment of finishing a song before starting another. Inspired by Dolly’s productivity, she began pushing herself to keep writing.

“My record is three songs in one sitting, about two hours, and two of those songs are on my latest album,” Leach said.

Massa hopes DollyWeen will introduce audiences to some of the songs that never received the attention of her biggest hits.

“I think it’s important for people to know how deep of a songwriter she was,” Massa said. “As impressive as her hits are, the real treasure in her catalogue is not widely discussed.”

Among the songs Leach will perform at DollyWeen is “Down from Dover,” a ballad from Parton’s 1970 album The Fairest of Them All.

The song tells the story of a young, unmarried woman who becomes pregnant and is sent away by her family to avoid public shame. The father of her child has promised to return, but never does. She eventually gives birth to a stillborn baby, having faced much of her pregnancy without the support of the people closest to her.

Leach was initially nervous about bringing such a sensitive song to the concert, but its lyrics stayed with her.

“Every line has meaning,” she said.

What strikes Leach most is the unwillingness of the adults in the young woman’s life to help her, or even acknowledge what she’s going through. She sees that silence as an important part of the story, particularly considering how many young women experienced similar treatment.

“But Dolly will talk about it! And she’ll tell the story that often goes untold, with incredible empathy and love for the girl.”

Bringing Dolly’s Music to the Dahl

DollyWeen features Leach alongside vocalists Marcia Kenobbie and Sarah Carper, backed by a seven-piece band with Massa on trumpet and Casey Shelden on guitar. The lineup also includes Eric Domkowski on pedal steel, Louis Umbarger on bass, Tom Frear on drums, Shawn Parker on saxophone, and Danny Thornburg on trombone.

Presented by Massa’s massanotmassa productions, the concert brings together musicians with different musical backgrounds. The band is staying relatively close to Dolly’s recordings, though Massa notes that studio recordings and live performances often differ.

The three-piece horn section might surprise listeners who associate Dolly primarily with traditional country instrumentation, but Massa sees it as a natural addition.

“Cats typically don’t realize that horns have historically been used across genres, including country, bluegrass, and americana,” he said.

Massa describes the instrumentalists as a “band of chameleons,” and he’s particularly impressed with the preparation of the three singers.

“Abbey, Sarah, and Marcia are such BADASSES,” he said.

He believes a tribute should allow musicians to bring something of themselves to the performance rather than attempt to reproduce every detail of the original recordings.

“To me, a tribute is not about impersonating an artist. A tribute show is how you pay homage to someone’s career,” Massa said.

He thinks Dolly would appreciate that the three women are singing her songs without trying to copy her voice or mannerisms.

With only a handful of rehearsals before Friday’s performance, the musicians have relied on their individual experience and preparation to bring the show together.

“A one-night show like this goes on with only a few rehearsals, but there’s years of practice and performances that bring someone to a level that they can pull that off,” Leach said.

Although Dolly’s music isn’t far removed from Leach’s usual style, the songs have tested her abilities.

“Dolly Parton doesn’t seem like a far cry from my usual style, but these songs have really pushed the limits of what I can sing,” she said.

Parton’s vocal range was one of the surprises. Leach knew Dolly could hit the high notes, but hadn’t realized how much range she had in the lower registers, too.

A Little Reverence, Plenty of Fun

During rehearsals for “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That,” Leach watched Sarah Carper struggle to get through a verse without laughing. The song includes a line admiring a man’s “little behind,” which Leach found particularly funny given how often popular music has men singing about women’s bodies.

“Day in and day out, we hear songs from men about women’s bodies and butts, but there are not a lot of songs where a woman is singing about a man’s ‘little behind’,” Leach said.

Dolly didn’t write that particular song, but as Leach put it, “she performed the hell out of it.”

That humor is something Leach wants to preserve, even as the musicians pay tribute to Dolly so soon after her death.

“You always want to approach a tribute show with a little reverence, but Dolly was known for being upbeat, funny, and sometimes a little inappropriate,” Leach said.

“So as much as I hope Dolly’s music makes people feel something real, we are aiming to also deliver on the fun.”

Massa is looking forward to sharing what the musicians have been preparing.

“I can’t wait to see the looks on folks’ faces when they hear the first tune,” he said.