Nikki Sixx “played his butt off” on Dolly Parton’s upcoming rock album

Nikki Sixx (Franklin Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.) in concert with the Sixx:A.M.

(Image credit: Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images & Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Dolly Parton may be better known for country hits like 9 to 5 or Jolene, but following her 2022 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the country star confirmed that her next record will be a rock album in order to "earn her keep” in the Rock Hall. “I always thought I might want to do a rock record, because my husband is a rock and roll freak,” said Parton. “So I thought, 'Well, if I'm ever gonna do it, now's the time.’ I have to live up to all of that hype!”

A lineup of rock stars will reportedly appear on the album, with Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx having recently revealed that he played bass guitar on one of the songs. Parton said in a letter to Sixx's wife Courtney, that Sixx had "played his butt off" on her upcoming album, which is tentatively titled, Rock Star.

"Hey Courtney," Parton wrote in the letter, which Courtney later shared on social media. "Your hubby played his butt off on my album! Maybe someday I can meet you both. Love, Dolly.” Sixx also shared the news in his own tweet. “Played bass on a song for Dolly Parton yesterday. What a class act Dolly is.”

Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 also shared news of his participation in a tweet. "I'm so honored that I got the opportunity to play guitar on one of the songs on the upcoming @DollyParton album. I've been listening to Dolly ever since I can remember. Words cannot describe how exciting this is."

Other rumoured guests include P!nk and Brandi Carlile who will reportedly feature on a cover of The Rolling Stones (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, while the likes of Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Cher and Stevie Nicks have also been name-checked in recent interviews.

Speaking with USA Today, Parton said she had been keen to recruit Mick Jagger: “I wanted a song for just me and Mick – ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ – but Brandi and P!nk are now singing on it. I’m still waiting for Mick to come on back. He might come through. If not, I’ll kick his bony ass when I see him!”

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**

Join now for unlimited access

US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year

UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year

Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49

Nick Wells was the Editor of Bass Guitar magazine from 2009 to 2011, before making strides into the world of Artist Relations with Sheldon Dingwall and Dingwall Guitars. He's also the producer of bass-centric documentaries, Walking the Changes and Beneath the Bassline, as well as Production Manager and Artist Liaison for ScottsBassLessons. In his free time, you'll find him jumping around his bedroom to Kool & The Gang while hammering the life out of his P-Bass.

Latest

(from left) Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, performing the Beatles' Hey Jude

“It was a bit of a number for me to have to dare to tell George Harrison not to play guitar. It was like an insult”: Paul McCartney turned down George Harrison's proposed guitar parts for Hey Jude

See more latest ►

“My band and crew hadn’t worked in three years so we plowed on – eight epidurals later and 180 opium tablets, I made it through the tour”: Blackie Lawless on touring, talking solos with David Gilmour – and that time W.A.S.P. bought 52 Marshall heads

“It was the pick my playing had been waiting for”: I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect pick – and it didn’t just improve my tone, it made me a better player

“At a certain point we couldn’t get into 606 anymore. Some band called the Foo Fighters had it booked out for a month”: Scott Ian and Jonathan Donais check in from the studio to explain why the new Anthrax record will “punch people in the face”

“I’m sick of people saying Walk On the Wild Side is a classic. I got paid £12, and David Bowie didn’t even show up”: Session bass legend Herbie Flowers on the making of Lou Reed’s 1972 hit – and the hardest session he ever did

“I remember trying a Telecaster and finding the sliding so complicated, like a mountain between one fret and the other. I hated it. That’s why I stuck with Jazzmasters”: Hinds talk learning guitar on the road, recruiting Beck – and rebuilding the band

“If there is a Jane’s Addiction in 2025, there will be new music. But you never know if there’s going to be a band at all”: Eric Avery on overcoming JA’s “unthinkable” time without Dave Navarro and his brief stints with Metallica and Smashing Pumpkins

“I learned the hard way many years ago that daisy chains are not reliable!” Serena Cherry shares her pedalboard secrets and admits she’d feel naked without “big, cavernous reverb”

Boss discontinued the Katana:GO mere months after launching it – these are 4 headphone amps you should try instead

“It’s amazing to see Adrian Belew and Steve Vai playing together. My temptation is to pick up the camera! I have to remind myself to stick to my job playing bass”: For the King Crimson-channeling Beat tour, Tony Levin is a virtuoso among virtuosos

“I’ve done somewhere close to 30,000 fret jobs. Holding a crowning file for that many hours a day will tear you up if you’re not careful”: How fixing thousands of guitars changed the way Tulsa blues cat Seth Lee Jones plays the thing

“I couldn’t work with John Lennon and Paul McCartney. I’d end up being beaten to death”: When we locked horns with Lemmy to talk Motörhead, Marshalls and why he wouldn’t fit in with one of his favorite bands

Get The Pick Newsletter

Most Popular