Never underestimate the power of Dolly Parton.
The country music singer, songwriter, actress, author and financially savvy businesswoman, who once rejected a deal with Elvis Presley (he wanted to cover her chart-topping “I Will Always Love You” but take half the royalties), is still earning encores.
Parton’s Backwoods Barbie Tour stops tonight in Seattle.
Her first songwriting success began with a combination of country and folk elements and writing many songs for Hank Williams. Now she has more than 600 published songs to her credit and has earned 37 songwriting awards and a spot in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Recently the Oscar-nominated songwriter and actress wrote the music for the stage musical “9 to 5,” which opens in September in Los Angeles before moving to Broadway in 2009.
Her refusal to let Elvis have half the royalties for “Always” earned her millions and an Iron Butterfly reputation. One of her businesses is the Dollywood theme park; she also owns a TV-and-film production company.
Parton has the record for No. 1 singles by a female (26) and her 42 Top-10 country albums are more than any other performer. Even a short list of her honors (Grammy, CMA, ACM, sidewalk stars, etc.) would be a long one because she’s one of the most-awarded singers in the country.
Janiva Magness: If it’s powerhouse blues that catches your ear, head south on Highway 99 to hear Magness deliver music from her new recording, the 13-song “What Love Will Do.” It recently hit the third spot on the Billboard Blues Chart, although there’s a heavy dose of soul and R&B on the CD.
Her current life is a world away from her teenage years, when she bore the weight of suicides that claimed her mother and father, shuttled between foster homes, lived on the streets of Detroit and started motherhood as a teen.
Now she helps promote National Foster Care Month.
An Otis Rush concert started her away from self-destruction and she found her voice. Now, having turned tragedy into an asset, she’s feeling the love of success.
Wanda Jackson: Hurricane Wanda, otherwise known as the Queen of Rockabilly, has picked up two Grammy nominations for the best performing female singer and has been inducted into six halls of fame. Jackson has had U.S. hits in country, rockabilly and gospel and scored top-of-the-chart status in Japan, Germany and Scandinavia.
Her “Let’s Have a Party” (“Dead Poets Society”) and “Big Iron Skillet” (“Harmony Cats”) hit the big screen. Jackson just can’t stay away from the stage, and her show might even drown out the train rumbling beside the Anchor Pub.
Flowmotion Summer Meltdown: About 30 bands will rock the days and nights of the eighth annual festival weekend. Organizers say it’s the first time in the state that a major music festival will be powered by 99 percent recycled biodiesel.
Bands include Flowmotion with its funky, contagious rock; prolific guitarist-composer Buckethead, who works several genres and wears a plastic mask and a KFC bucket on his head (Guitar One called him the eighth greatest guitar shredder of all time); and Blue Turtle Seduction, combining electric guitar, mandolin, harmonica, drums, bass and violin.
Reckless Kelly: The band’s latest CD, “Bulletproof,” is drawing praise such as “record of their career” and “gripping rock ‘n’ roll pulse.” The Austin roots-rockers provide some surprises among the collection, including an anti-war song and “God Forsaken Town,” a song told through the eyes of a Katrina survivor driven from his home.
Out and about: Camano’s Cookie Spirk appears with her band Silvana (Saturday, Blazing Saddles, Stanwood) … The Warped Tour features Paramore, Gym Class Heroes, All-American Rejects, Anberlin, Angels &Airwaves, Bouncing Souls and others (Saturday, Gorge) … The professional Japanese drum ensemble One World Taiko, from Seattle, incorporates dynamic movement, melodies and grooves into an unmistakable sound (Sunday, Edmonds City Park) … The Crue Fest features Motley Crue, Buckcherry and more (today, White River) …
Blues &Seafood (Aug. 16, Ilwaco, www.ilwacowashington.com) and Jazz &Oysters (Aug. 17, Oysterville, www.watermusicfestival.com) are two reasons to head to the Long Beach Peninsula next weekend … Doobie Brothers (“Black Water,” “What a Fool Believes”) can still rock (Saturday, Marymoor) … Brooks and Dunn performs with ZZ Top and Rodney Atkins (Saturday, White River) …
Jazz Alley’s offerings include baritone vocalist and pianist Andy Bey (Tuesday and Wednesday), African guitarist and vocalist Habib Koite &Bamada (Thursday through Aug. 17) and jazz pianist Jeremy Ryan hosting a benefit for Habitat for Humanity (Monday) … the seventh annual Tattoo Expo features heavy metal and rock bands Tiger Army, Nevermoore, Loaded (featuring Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver’s Duff McKagan), Pleasure Mira, Witchburn and others (today through Sunday, Seattle Center) …
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