Dolly Parton is the bonified queen of country music, though, not far behind are Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. That being so, these three titans of the industry teamed up to create the 1999 album, Trio II. However, the writing and recording process behind this album was not seamless whatsoever. Matter of fact, it was so tempestuous that the album was nearly never released.
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Prior to collaborating on Trio II, Ronstadt, Harris, and Parton worked together on several different occasions. Including their first album, Trio, which was released in 1987. Notably, the three-headed country music monster also appeared on The Dolly Show and sang a beautiful rendition of “Bury Me Beneath The Willow” in 1967. Though, their collaboration on Trio II would be their last, and it is all thanks to what happened behind the scenes.
Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt’s Differing Attitudes
According to the book Smart Blonde: Dolly Parton, the premier controversy was between Ronstadt and Parton. However, after the three released their first album and tried to get together for a second, Emmylou Harris stated, “It’s very difficult to get in touch with Dolly … she has more people around her.” Per Harris’ comments, it seems the album’s production was doomed from the start.
That being so, when the three entered the studio, tempers flared. So much so that Parton even suggested calling the album, “The Three Tempers.” According to Parton, her main grievance was due to Ronstadt’s musical process. Parton divulged, “Ronstadt loves to work in the studio and works so slow, it drives me nuts” and “I wanted to say, ‘Wake up, b—, I got stuff to do.”
Given the conflicts between the three, the album almost didn’t come to fruition. Regarding the near cancellation, Parton recalled, “They b— a fit and dumped the greatest project ever … I was made to feel hurt, insulted, burdened with guilt.” “I would have lived up to my word but my word wasn’t good enough for them,” added Parton.
Even though the album was made in 1994, it was released in 1999 due to the conflicts behind it. Parton was upset about the album’s 1999 release given that she wanted to push it back more to promote it to its fullest extent. Regardless, the album was released, and years later Parton issued an official apology in her memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. In the apology, she acknowledged that she was the problem for “getting it all together.”
Despite this bump in the road, all three musicians remain great friends and colleagues.
MusiCares Person Of The Year Honoring Dolly Parton per Getty Images
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