Dolly Parton released her first rock album Rockstar on Friday (November 17) to much praise. In a recent interview, she revealed that her husband, businessman Carl Dean, gave the record the highest mark she could imagine.
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Parton’s desire to record a rock album was twofold. First and foremost, she wanted to do the project to “earn” her spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Additionally, her husband is a lifelong fan of rock music. So, she wanted to record an album he would enjoy.
[RELATED: Review: Dolly Parton’s ‘Rockstar’ is a Trip Through Rock’s Greatest Songs]
Recently, Parton appeared on Audacy Check In with Katie Neal. During the conversation, she talked about her husband’s reaction to Rockstar and more.
Neal wanted to know if Parton was nervous for her husband to hear the album because he’s such a big rock fan. “I wanted it to be really good for him,” she said, adding she wasn’t nervous for him to hear it. Instead, she had the “desire for it to be really great.”
“I think it made me try extra hard,” Parton added. “I wanted it to be something he would think is good. When I played it for him, he said, ‘That was pretty good.’ So, for him to say that would be like somebody else jumping up and down and saying, ‘That’s great!’”
Later in the discussion, Neal brought up the fact that Parton and Dean will celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary next May. Parton noted they’ll also be celebrating 60 years as a couple. Then, Neal asked the superstar for advice on a long and happy marriage.
“You’ve got to have respect for each other,” Parton began. “And liking one another is a really good thing. I really like Carl Dean and I love him, too. He’s just a really good guy. He’s as funny as he can be.”
Parton went on to say that having a good sense of humor is another important part of their marriage. It allows them to laugh their way through “so much stuff.” More importantly, she said, “I think just trust and love and respect,” goes a long way in making a marriage last.
“We’ve always got along great. We don’t have a bunch of stuff we’ve built up between us—hateful words and things like that. Now that we’re older, we’re both glad that we never allowed that to happen,” Parton explained. “So, don’t start a big bunch of arguing. Once you start, it becomes a habit. I see it all the time.”
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