Dolly Parton’s 1983 tour ended with a death threat and a fired band: “I have never felt better”
Try to write a list of musicians who are universally loved, and Dolly Parton will invariably spring to mind, not only for her incredible recording career as an indisputable icon of country music, but also for her tirelessly philanthropic endeavours. Other musicians might have their own specific audience, but Parton’s popularity seems to transcend the entire globe.
Yet, in spite of her all-encompassing popularity, back in 1983, she was forced to cancel a string of shows at late notice due to a series of death threats against the performer. Exactly who wished harm upon the ‘Queen of Country’ remains unknown, as do their motivations. However, the threats must have been credible enough for Parton to pull the plug on two sold-out shows in Owensboro, Kentucky, and further gigs in New Orleans and Texas – the heartland of American country music.
At the time, Parton was quick to denounce any rumours that the shows had been cancelled due to those death threats. “This new arrangement has nothing whatsoever to do with the recent threat on my life,” she declared, per an archived 1983 article via UPI. “It’s just a coincidence of timing. I am real sorry that there is someone out there who would make such threats.”
Far be it from us to cast doubt upon Parton’s declaration that those death threats were unrelated to the cancellation of her tour. Even the most dedicated fan of Dolly Parton, however, must concede that the cancellation of that tour, coinciding with a series of apparently credible death threats, does seem a little too coincidental to fully believe.
It must be remembered, after all, that the memory of John Lennon being gunned down by a fan was still very fresh back in 1983. It doesn’t take a criminology expert, then, to see why Parton and her team weren’t prepared to take any risks when it came to those death threats. What’s more, if it wasn’t the death threats, then it begs the question of what exactly the “coincidence of timing” was.
“Physically, I have never felt better in my whole life,” Parton continued, forgoing the typical excuse of cancelling the shows due to illness.
“And I’m real excited about all the new and different projects that are coming up.”
Dolly Parton
Those subsequent projects saw Parton record a legendary television special across the Atlantic, in London, as well as appearing in the 1984 feverdream film Rhinestone alongside Sylvester Stallone. Still, it is difficult to imagine those plans being entirely derailed by four concerts.
What’s more, Parton had to carry out those plans without the aid of her backing band, who had all been “released” at the same time that her 1983 shows were abruptly cancelled. “We are the dearest of friends, and I admire and respect them all,” she said at the time. “Some of them have been with me for years. I hope that we can work together again, and I expect to be back on the road as soon as my schedule permits.”
Parton, of course, did go back out on the road eventually, but that selection of cancelled shows from back in 1983 remains one of the most mysterious periods in the country star’s career. Thankfully, though, Parton never succumbed to the death threats she received ahead of those shows, so perhaps cancelling the dates was for the better, regardless of whether that was the prevailing reason for the cancellation or not.
