Dolly Parton Talks Rock Album and More On GMA

04-25-2023

Book cover art

(ABC News' Good Morning America) Grammy Award-winning musician, actress and best-selling author Dolly Parton was live today on "Good Morning America" from Nashville, Tenn., to discuss new children's book "Billy the Kid Makes It Big" alongside a four-legged pup, who serves as the subject of the book.

Interview highlights: Parton shares she wrote song from Rock Album that she'll be debuting next month at the Academy of Country Music Awards: "It's kind of fitting to the times, it's called 'World on Fire.' 'Liar, liar, the world's on fire, whatcha gonna do when it all burns down.' So, it's really kind of about the times and how we can do a little better if we try-to try to heal the divide and just get along a little better. And so, it's really got a great message to it, but it's also good and solid-kind of like a rock anthem."

Parton shares how she wants the book to "instill confidence in kids and that it's good to go after your dreams [...] It's really about accepting people as they are-other people different than you."

Parton on co-hosting Academy of Country Music Awards with Garth Brooks, with whom she's never worked: "I love Garth, we've known each other for many years, and we've been backstage on shows together. But he's never hosted a show. I've been hosting shows off and off through the years. But this was a big deal for me to get to work with Garth, so we're looking forward to that. Everybody's been talking about it, so hopefully we'll measure up. And I think we will."

Parton on what fans can expect from 'My Life in Rhinestones' book coming out in the fall: "it's kind of like a museum piece, really. It shows a lot of my beautiful costumes through the years. Even the ones that are not so beautiful when I first started. It's really just my journey through my show-business life in costume. [...] I tell stories about where I was when I wore this particular thing and where I was at that period of time in my life." Watch the segment here.