On a cold, wet, windy night in the back end of Donegal many years ago I found myself with the choice of televisual delights limited to The Antiques Roadshow or The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas . The choice was effortless in the end. My desire to watch the English middle classes pretend to be merely curious about the worth of their dusty old vases was limited. I knew that behind the stony faces lay gluttonous salivation and that option was easily overshadowed by the need to hear Dolly sing.
I had been a secret Dolly Parton admirer for years. It didn't do to admit to it round my hometown, or even with many of the "trendy" bands I found myself in during those trying teen times. But cool or not, when I first heard Jolene on RTE Radio 1 as a teen, there was something about it, something it took me years to put my finger on: It was natural and pure. All the music that I love and that comes back to haunt me since then invariably has that quality. The Blue Nile, Ray Charles, Altan, Ella Fitzgerald, Guy Clarke and Ry Cooder all have

the ability to have you trust in everything they sing or play. Dolly's songs and voice have that openness and when you listen to Coat of Many Colors you can almost taste the atmosphere of her childhood home. Of course there have been moments through the years where my faith was almost shaken. Leanings towards mainstream pop and a couple of movie roles almost put me back in the Parton closet, but even in 9 to 5 she shone. Okay, the theme song wasn't her career pinnacle, but her acting and presence pulled her through.
Despite this much higher and glitzy showbiz profile than the others I mentioned, there was always the sign that she would

one day go back to the music she was raised on. I saw signs of this a few years back when my good friends Altan recorded some tracks with her on the Heartsongs album. She has also recorded with Maura O'Connell another old friend from many years ago. Her last 2 albums though have shown Dolly at her acoustic best. On The Grass is Blue she gives a new life to bluegrass and takes it to a whole new audience. With Little Sparrow she continues this journey through the Appalachians, again with Altan aiding the melodic flow, and does what she does best, tells stories. I defy anyone to listen to Mountain Angel and not feel like a child listening to a wonderful fairy tale.

So next week Dolly and myself are both heading to the mountains where so much of this wonderful music comes from. She will be on stage with her acoustic "blue mountain" band and I will be there at the side taking it all in. I wonder will she notice her secret admirer from the hills of Donegal.