Outlaw country is more or less comprised of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, David Allan Coe, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash. Needless to say, it was a boys club, as not many female musicians were truly labeled with the sub-genre tag. However, if there was one woman who could have been in it, it was, of course, the queen bee herself, Dolly Parton.
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Now, Dolly Parton certainly has her own taste and style. However, she is adaptable. In other words, she could and still can play and sing anything. Consequently, she has covered numerous country outlaw songs and done so quite seamlessly. And out of the few she’s done, here are three of the best.
“I Walk The Line” by Johnny Cash
Dolly Parton’s rendition of Johnny Cash’s single is completely her own. Matter of fact, it sounds nothing like the original, as it’s saturated with ’80s synthesizers and heavy kick drums. Frankly, Parton turns the outlaw country song into an ’80s pop hit. Though, isn’t that outlaw, as it goes against what is to expected?
Released in 1984, Parton’s cover of the song helped the album The Great Pretender peak at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Albums chart. More importantly, the genre-bending cover shows that Dolly does what Dolly wants. Which is incredibly outlaw of her.
“Me and Bobby McGee” by Kris Kristofferosn
Dolly Parton didn’t cover Kris Kristofferson’s hit all by her lonesome. Rather, Kristofferson joined her on the track. Regardless, Parton takes over the song and rips through the beautifully written Kristofferson lyrics. It’s a fresh take on the age-old classic, and Parton certainly shows that she can sing and arguably amplify any outlaw country song.
Dolly Parton released her cover of “Me and Bobby McGee” in 2005, though her rendition of the song never charted. Nonetheless, it’s a hidden gem in her expansive catalog. Also, it’s one of the staple tracks on her 2005 album, Those Were the Days.
“You Gotta Be My Baby” by George Jones
Now, George Jones isn’t an official member of the outlaw country movement. However, if it wasn’t for him, outlaw country would not have been the same. And it seems Dolly Parton knew that, as she saw the quality in Jones’ work and covered his song “You Gotta Be My Baby” on several different occasions.
One of the more notable covers of the song transpired in 1970 at Sevier County High School, in Sevierville, Tennessee. In essence, the performance proves that Dolly Parton had the ability to sing any type of music, even at the age of 24.
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