Dolly Parton is set to release her first rock ‘n’ roll album, Rockstar on Friday, November 17. The album will contain Parton’s covers of 30 killer classic rock songs. Additionally, Parton tapped an army of elite rockers to accompany her on the record. Heart’s Ann Wilson joined her for “Magic Man.”
Wilson appeared on The Kenny Aronoff Sessions to discuss Heart, Tripsitter, and more. During the conversation, she revealed what it was like to record “Magic Man” with Parton.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: A Look at All the Artists Who Appear on Dolly Parton’s ‘Rockstar’]
“[Parton] came to the studio with her producer and they had a version of her singing ‘Magic Man’ to their track,” Wilson recalled. She also noted that Howard Leese played “a bunch of guitars” on Parton’s track. “She had already done her whole vocal and everything. They just wanted me to sing my version of it. Then, they were just going to make a comp-type thing,” Wilson added.
[RELATED: Behind the Song: Heart’s Ann Wilson Looks Back on “Magic Man”]
Wilson also talked about Parton’s additions to the Heart classic. “She had written a little poem for the end of ‘Magic Man.’ They had a little departure part at the end where it goes off into like a dream sequence,” she recalled. “Dolly does this spoken word poem on the end. It’s really cool. It thought she was great, and she had her way with [the song], and it worked.”
However, Parton and producer Kent Wells didn’t just show up, get Wilson’s vocals, and leave. “Dolly, actually, she was so great. She brought her nutritionist and they brought this big spread of Mediterranean food and laid it out for everybody,” Wilson said.
The Heart singer also recalled that Parton showed up in style. In fact, Wilson said Parton was “dressed to the nines.” She was wearing “all these bedazzled jeans and just like everything you could possibly wear, she was wearing and looking good,” she added.
[RELATED: Dolly Parton’s New Album ‘Rockstar’ Heads to Theaters]
Listen to Parton’s and Wilson’s version of “Magic Man” below to hear the changes Parton made to the song.
Rockstar hits record store shelves and streaming services this Friday, November 17.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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