Jordan Karlesson
Once upon a time, the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus in a manger. And once upon another time — like, oh, about 38 years ago — Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers recorded an album celebrating that event.
Videos by Rare
Anyone who reads Rare knows of Dolly Parton’s obsession with Christmas. But let’s not forget that her partner Kenny Rogers had one too. (Rogers passed away in March 2020 at age 81.)
In 1981, he released a record simply called Christmas. Just three years later, Parton and Rogers celebrated their mutual love — for the holiday, that is (surprisingly, they never dated) — with their collaborative album Once Upon a Christmas.
Parton and Rogers Explained Their Love for Christmas
According to Cashbox, Rogers said: “I was raised in a Baptist family and I’ve always thought of Christmas as a special time. A time when families who might be apart the rest of the year can come close together again. Something special also happens when Dolly and I get together: it’s a case of the whole being even greater than the sum of its parts.”
In the same interview, Parton said, “This is the first Christmas special or album that I’ve ever done, so when Kenny called me with the idea, I jumped at it. Kenny and I love singing together; I think the blend of our voices creates real electricity that comes across on record. He also has a real Santa Claus spirit. He makes working fun, and approaches things like I do, enjoying the people around him.”
After Once Upon a Christmas hit the record store shelves in October 1984, they promoted it shortly thereafter with a CBS special called Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember.
Billboard reported that an astonishing 30 million people tuned in to watch the two crooners sing every number from the album.
Over the years, the record itself gained platinum status (more than 1 million copies sold) two times over — remarkable for a holiday release. It continues to be a must-have for Christmas-philes.
Christmastime — and, Thus, Dolly Parton — Are Here
To say that Parton enjoys Christmas is an understatement. In 1986, she starred in the TV movie A Smoky Mountain Christmas with Lee Majors. Her 2020 musical, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square, earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.
In addition to Once Upon a Christmas, Parton released another Christmas album, Home for Christmas, in 1990.
As far as the small screen goes, NBC aired Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas earlier this month.
The movie music is the spiritual successor to last year’s A Holly Dolly Christmas. That TV movie tied in with her album of the same name. That TV special, however, aired on CBS instead of NBC.
Who Is the Real ‘Queen of Christmas’?
Dolly Parton is not the only Christmas-obsessed celebrity, of course. Mariah Carey is increasingly associated with the holiday, thanks to her hit song “All I Want for Christmas.”
Carey might be starting to get sick of it, though — not Christmas, of course, but of people tying her to the holiday.
In a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, she tried to distance herself from her “Queen of Christmas” title.
After Colbert referred to Carey as such, she quickly — and implausibly — responded: “First of all, may I say, I never called myself the ‘Queen of Christmas.’ Can we please be clear on that. … Others [have called me] ‘The self-proclaimed Queen [of Christmas]’ … really? I’m going to do that? They could look up every interview I’ve ever done, and — not to get super-religious, but I was like, ‘I think, if anybody would be the “Queen of Christmas,” that would be [the Virgin] Mary.’ And then someone else uses my quote against me. Christmas is for all, and I just happen to really love Christmas.”
Hold your horses, Mariah. Let’s not forget that you launched a legal effort to trademark “Queen of Christmas.” If successful, that would’ve meant no one else could have used the title — while Carey could have, including with her clothing, makeup, jewelry, and all her other merchandise.
As NPR reported last month, she lost that bid. The same report noted that Parton previously said she would gladly let Carey be considered the holiday’s queen.
Carey then responded with this tweet:
Why don’t Parton and Carey settle the matter with a duet or press conference or something? They clearly don’t have any animosity toward one another. As Christmas freaks, it’d surely make them both happy — and it would be a gift to all the confused celebrants of both Christmas and pop music.
are they spiritual singers?