Dolly Parton shared that her husband of over 50 years, Carl Dean, has never wanted to be in the spotlight:
“He don’t like it.”
The “Jolene” singer got honest on why fans don’t see her with her husband of 57 years out at public events with her. She said:
“Carl has never been in the limelight and all, never wanted to be in it,” Dolly shared on her Apple Music radio show What Would Dolly Do?. “He don’t like it.”
Dolly recalled one moment in particular—shortly after the couple tied the knot in 1966.
“He went to one thing with me early on when we first married to a BMI Song of the Year, and he came out there taking off his tuxedo, his tie, and all that, and said, ‘Don’t ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going,’” she reflected. “I never asked him and he never did.”
Couples with different backgrounds do find common ground at the end, it’s no wonder their marriage has lasted this long. She added:
“I had done a couple of things in the past, just some rock things. He said, ‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’ He’s very honest,” she shared. “We have such a great relationship. I know not to ask him if I don’t want an honest answer.”
In fact, Dolly was open to recording a rendition of a song by Carl’s favorite band, Led Zeppelin—but he wasn’t too keen on the idea.
“Years ago, I was doing covers of some of these rock albums in a more bluegrass country way,” she explained, “and I told him I was doing ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ He said, ‘I don’t think you need to do that,’ and I said how I was going to do it.”
