That Time Dolly Parton Was Booked to Open for Neil Young on His ‘Rust Never Sleeps’ Tour

At first glance, this add for the September 1978 concert lineup in Cleveland, Ohio, seems like a weird joke or some sort of AI hallucination. There are indeed listenings for very famous, very real tours like Black Sabbath/Van Halen, Thin Lizzy/AC/DC, Yes, and Frank Zappa. But there's also a Sept. 22 announcement for Neil Young and Crazy Horse with special guest Dolly Parton at the Richfield Coliseum.

This double billing seemingly makes no sense since Dolly was near the pinnacle of her fame in 1978, scoring crossover hits like "Two Doors Down" and "Baby I'm Burnin'," and even appearing on the cover of Playboy . And this was Young's legendary Rust Never Sleep tour with Crazy Horse, where he debuted aggressive new songs "Sedan Delivery" and "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)," and played epic renditions of "Like a Hurricane" and "Tonight's the Night."

As crazy as it sounds, this isn't some dispatch from an alternative universe. Neil Young did originally book Dolly Parton as the opening act for four dates on his 1978 fall tour of arenas and amphitheaters. "We are not the least bit concerned about how she will go over with Young's fans," Jim Morey, Parton's manager, told Billboard in their Sept. 23, 1978 issue. "Nobody knows Young's fans better than he does, and he wouldn't have put Dolly Parton on his show if he did not think that she would appeal to his audience."

The article notes that Parton was added to the tour after the shows had already sold out, meaning the crowd would be "made up almost entirely of Neil Young fans." "Parton has no plans to change her music for the Young shows, beyond shortening her set somewhat," notes the article. "[Morey] adds that beyond the Young dates there are no plans for Parton to do other dates with other rock artists."

A key bit of context for this is that event though it went down in history as the Rust Never Sleep tour, Young didn't actually release that album until 1979. The electric songs were recorded onstage during these shows. And when it was booked, Young's new album was Comes a Time . It was the closest thing to a country record he'd recorded up to that point, with songs like "Lotta Love," "Look Out for My Love," and "Comes a Time" that would have been very palatable to a Dolly Parton audience. Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

Still, many in the industry were stunned by the announcement that they'd actually share a bill. "She's taking second billing to Young," columnist Shirley Eder wrote in the Buffalo News on Sept. 17, 1978. "I couldn't believe that when I heard it but it's true. Why would platinum, country-pop, record album selling Dolly Parton play second banana in anybody's act? We checked it out and learned that Ms. Parton wants Neil Young's rock audience to become better acquainted with her. You know something, I believe that's a smart move. Billing isn't as important as a long-running career. And she could very well be getting more money than Young on the tour."

But shortly before the tour was set to begin, word hit the press that Parton wouldn't actually be involved. "Dolly loaded up her wigs and her high heeled sneakers," reads an Oct. 5, 1978, article in the Salisbury Post, "and walked because she was getting second billing and not enough time to perform."

That's not exactly how it went down. In reality, Young came up with a totally different concept for the tour shortly before rehearsals began. It involved comically oversized microphones and speaker cabinets, roadies dressed up like Jawas from Star Wars , and an extended set divided between electric and acoustic songs. Comes a Time wasn't even on record store shelves yet, but his mind was already onto the next album and newer songs. Nothing about this tour was going to feel even remotely "country," and he wouldn't even play most of the Comes a Time material. Related Content Dolly Parton’s Sister Stella Honors Singer: ‘Dolly Loved the World and Everyone in It’ John Mayer Performs Soulful Cover of ‘I Will Always Love You’ in Tribute to Dolly Parton Harry Styles Honors Dolly Parton at Madison Square Garden Opening Night: ‘We Love You’ Everything Dolly Parton Was Working on When She Died

"The Neil Young-Dolly Parton tour mentioned in this space recently has now become a Neil Young tour," reads a Sept. 23, 1978 article in Cashbox. "Young, apparently, decided he doesn't want an opening act and would rather play longer, half acoustic and half electric with Crazy Horse. Dolly, in the meantime, is preparing a tour of Europe."

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Rolling Stone. Open at source →