Dolly Parton‘s latest venture hits close to home. The country legend’s new children’s book stars her own French bulldog Billy in a Christmas tale that mirrors her career’s biggest challenge: Choosing between the spotlight and family.
Appearing on “CBS Mornings” from Nashville on Wednesday, Parton revealed “Billy the Kid Comes Home for Christmas,” where the music-loving pup faces a dilemma between performing at “Barka-feller Center” and spending the holiday with loved ones.
“I think we’re one in the same,” Parton said about the four-legged pup that she has had for years. “I try to have a message for kids, you know, whether it’s about love, friendship, family. And we’ll have a whole series of Billy books. We’ve already had one, and it was about confidence and all that. But this is Christmas. I love Christmas, and I thought, well, Billy has to be part of my Christmas, since he is so much a part of me.”
The tale is deeply personal. Parton admits she’s missed many holidays for performances, but never Christmas. It’s part of a planned series teaching kids about friendship, confidence and family values.
“I love family, I love especially being home for the holidays. And to my knowledge, I’ve never missed a Christmas, but I have missed Thanksgiving, and I’ve missed a lot of other holidays,” she said.
Billboard honor
Parton also reflected on being named Billboard’s top country artist of all time.
“Well, I was shocked, to be honest. I was surprised, but I was in good company, you know, with Willie (Nelson) and Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn and all those wonderful people,” she said. “But I’ve been at this a long, long time, for 60 years, I’ve been in it, and people kind of know who I am.”
When asked why she was surprised, Parton said, “Sometimes I wonder if I’m still considered a country artist, although I’m a country girl and I, you know, I’ve had a chance to do things like my rock album and so many other movies and things I’ve done.”
On artists crossing genres
Parton welcomed non-country artists performing country music and praised their interest in the genre.
“I figure if I can do a rock album, some of the people can do country music. I think if you’re an artist and you have a desire to kind of cover all, you know, the whole spectrum of music and art, I really think you should be able to have the opportunity to do that,” she said. “I take it as a great compliment for those people to want to be part of our world.”