Dolly Parton's work ethic is something from which people of all ages can take notes. The legendary singer-songwriter has been writing, recording and performing music since 1967, and she has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Parton chatted with Ken Bruce of Greatest Hits Radio recently, and when asked if she'd be putting down her guitar for good, the 77-year-old answered in a way only Dolly could.
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"I would never retire," she said adamantly. "I'll just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song onstage someday, hopefully one I've written. But anyway, that's how I hope to go because we don't have much of a choice in that."
Of course, Parton has a few caveats to her plan. She says she'll keep performing unless her health or the health of her 80-year-old husband Carl Dean begins to decline.
"The only way that I would ever slow down would be for that reason," she says.
"But in the meantime, I'm going to make hay while the sun shines," she adds.
Not only does Parton have the energy and motivation to keep working, but she has the passion and plenty of new ideas as well. She told the host she has "new dreams every day," and she'd like to eventually own her own television network. As for what she would produce? A series called The Life of Many Colors about her life as well as other programs that give fans insight into who she is.
"...Stuff that people haven't seen or know or heard about and my people and where I come from, how I've got to be how and who I am, but to really have the behind the scenes and the adventures of my life," she says.
Parton is currently busy assembling her first-ever rock album, Rockstar, which will be released on Nov. 17. She teamed up with a wide array of artists for the project, including Miley Cyrus, Sheryl Crow, Lizzo, Elton John, Chris Stapleton, Stevie Nicks, Sting, John Fogerty and others.
