Dolly Parton had millions of fans in Texas, but relatively few direct ties to the state. One of the strongest was with a man who’s been helping to define the sound of Texas music for more than a half a century.
Ray Benson, the Grammy-winning bandleader of Asleep at the Wheel, first got to know Parton personally as a songwriting collaborator in the early ’90s, working together on a film project. That collaboration grew into a friendship that lasted for decades.
“She was incredible,” Benson said. “You know, from the day I started listening to country music, there was Dolly.”
In recent weeks, Parton had begun canceling appearances — playing down health concerns and saying she’d had some digestion problems and was dealing with dizziness and dehydration.
Then yesterday, Parton’s family announced her passing at the age of 80. The New York Times reports she’d been admitted to a cancer center in Nashville on Friday, unbeknownst to all except those closest to her.
Benson reminisced on the projects he had worked on alongside with, as he called her, “Dolly with a capital D.”
The film the two made was “Wild Texas Wind,” also starring Gary Busey. But Dolly and Ray also co-wrote six songs, including “You Better Leave That Cowboy Alone.”
