Dolly Parton’s greatest assets, according to Linda Ronstadt
As far as legendary women in music go, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt are pretty high up the league tables. That’s quite a straightforward idea to understand in one context, but to think the pair went from being good friends to loggerheads all in the space of a couple of albums puts a whole different spin on the relationship. They loved and loathed each other all at once, which makes for quite the confusing conundrum.
The halcyon days of their friendship started out with the album Trio, recorded alongside Emmylou Harris, which saw the dynamite powerhouses sailing to the top of the tree of critical acclaim. Grammys, chart hits, universal adoration – what could go wrong? Well, as it turns out, actually quite a lot, as the follow-up record Trio II took 12 subsequent years in the making and was plagued by arguments and pettiness between all three of the women.
This was bound to leave a sour taste in the mouths of them all, but particularly Parton and Ronstadt, who have some of the fieriest spats between them. As such, the chances of them ever being peaceful enough to collaborate again are more than slim, and the memories of their once prolific partnership can only be fondly remembered, never added to.
In this vein, forgetting all the contempt and the ire that came afterwards, it’s worth keeping in mind the real reason the women were attracted towards working with each other: their respective talents. The calibre of musical prowess, let alone the stardom between them, would be enough to knock anyone else off course. But with Parton’s headstrong mind at the helm, at her heart, Ronstadt knew they could never go far wrong.
In a 1978 interview, the singer waxed lyrical on some of the country queen’s greatest qualities, revealing that beneath the surface – amid possibly more than a hint of ego – the pair truly did worship the ground each other walked on. She said: “I remember Dolly just making these decisions. She said: ‘We’re just going to have to try’. And Emmy’s got kids — Dolly was such an inspiration to her because she’s so well organised. I remember Emmy saying, ‘Well, I’m just going to do it for Dolly, because it shows me that I’ll just have to get things organised, I’ll simply have to do it.’”
What has always been striking to the rest of the world is Parton’s tenacity of spirit, in which she has never given up despite the challenges thrown against her. This also proved inspirational to Ronstadt in her own way, as she added: “Being a survivor doesn’t mean that you have to be made out of steel and it doesn’t mean that you have to be ruthless. The person that’s the best at that of anyone that I’ve ever met is Dolly Parton. She’s just amazing at being ambitious without being ruthless and at being so sensitive to other people’s needs. She’s a great lesson to me.”
In turn, although they may have ruffled a few of one another’s feathers along the way, it’s clear that the bedrock of Parton and Ronstadt’s relationship was one of massive respect for everything they each achieved and stood for. Sure, some of those formidable qualities may have occasionally caused them to butt heads, but what else can you expect from women who are so used to blazing a trail their whole lives?
