BAD WOLVES Release New Version Of 'Jolene' Featuring DOLLY PARTON

BAD WOLVES have released a new version of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" through Better Noise Music. The new recording pairs the band's hard-rock take on Parton's 1974 iconic hit, this time with Dolly's own vocals included. This new version was made with the support and approval of Parton's estate. Like the original cover version released on August 31, proceeds will be donated to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library — committed to improving early childhood literacy around the world.

Before Dolly's passing, BAD WOLVES shared their cover of "Jolene" with the iconic singer and her team. Since the release of the original cover, Dolly's team helped bring her voice to the track, supplying previously recorded stems mixed for this release by Kent Wells.

Earlier this month, BAD WOLVES and Better Noise Music joined Dolly's team at NOZ Studios to hear the finished track together for the first time. The session inspired the band to pay it forward. They invited students from Nashville's School Of Rock to appear alongside them in the official music video, which can be seen below.

Better Noise Music chairman Allen Kovac states: "BAD WOLVES and the kids from the School Of Rock performed 'Jolene' with raw passion, heavy grit, and zero compromise. This is the same independent spirit Dolly Parton used to build the Imagination Library from the ground up.

"Having witnessed the challenges her own father faced with illiteracy, Dolly didn't wait for someone else to fix the problem, she used her platform to make a difference. She found a way to start sending free books to children to promote literacy and a love of reading because it was important to her. Right now, Dolly's foundation, the School Of Rock and BAD WOLVES are calling on every artist to honor Dolly's legacy by using their platform to support this effort and make a difference in children's lives. Leverage your independent strength to help give the next generation the future they deserve."

BAD WOLVES founder, drummer and songwriter John Boecklin adds: "Being able to raise money for Dolly's charity is an honor, and being able to work with the kids from the Nashville School Of Rock was an amazing experience."

Angie McCreight, owner of Nashville School Of Rock, comments: "At School Of Rock, our mission is to enrich lives through performance-based music education while building a passionate community of students and instructors.

"Dolly Parton has long been a favorite artist within our school — not only because of her extraordinary musical legacy, but also because of the joy she has brought to generations of fans and her enduring commitment to education.

"Supporting the Imagination Library through this project is a meaningful way to celebrate Dolly, give back to a cause she champions, and express our deep admiration for her legacy.

"Our students were thrilled to be part of creating this video, and their energy, enthusiasm, and genuine desire to support the cause made the experience especially rewarding.

"Dolly Parton will always be a rock star at the Nashville School Of Rock, and we are proud to honor her legacy through the power of music and the next generation of performers."

BAD WOLVES' "Jolene With Dolly Parton" is available today on all major streaming and download platforms. Every stream and every download puts more books in the hands of more kids. The official music video is also available now on music video platforms.

Launched in 1995, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is the world's leading early childhood book-gifting program and the flagship initiative of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since its founding, the program has gifted more than 300 million free books to children across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland. Each month, the Imagination Library mails over three million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children's homes. Every enrolled child receives one book per month from birth to age five, at no cost to families.

Inspired by her father's inability to read and write, Dolly created the Imagination Library in her hometown of Sevier County, Tennessee, to inspire a love of reading from the earliest years. In true Dolly fashion, she soon shared that dream with other communities that wanted to give their children the same opportunity to Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More.

The program is made possible through the continued support of Dolly's estate and The Dollywood Foundation, which invest in the partnerships, resources and systems that empower thousands of local program partners. These local partners build awareness and provide the funding needed to cover the wholesale cost of the books and mailing for children in their communities. Together, this unique partnership helps place books into the homes — and hearts — of millions of children around the world.

When BAD WOLVES' cover of "Jolene" was first announced in August, Boecklin stated: "Our singer is a big fan of Dolly and had posted a bunch of videos of her covering 'Jolene'. So, we decided to make a heavy metal cover version for our next album. On hearing our version, our label CEO Dan Waite sent the finished demo to Dolly's manager, Danny Nozell, with a request for Dolly to guest feature on our version. We heard back that Danny had played the track to Dolly, and that Dolly loved our version, and that Dolly was going to go into the studio and add her vocals very soon. We then sent over the stems for Dolly's studio engineers to work with. Like everyone, we were devastated of this week's news of Dolly's passing. We will honor Dolly's incredible legacy by donating proceeds from 'Jolene' to the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library."

Dolly Parton's manager Danny Nozell said in a separate statement: "Dolly was a champion of artists pushing musical boundaries. She listened to the BAD WOLVES arrangement of 'Jolene' weeks ago, gave it her full blessing, and was incredibly excited to collaborate on it. Releasing this track on Monday as a tribute — with proceeds directly supporting her beloved Imagination Library — is exactly what Dolly and her team wanted."

Original BAD WOLVES singer Tommy Vext left the band in 2021 and was replaced by Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz. Daniel later exited BAD WOLVES to join FALLING IN REVERSE as the latter act's bassist, and BAD WOLVES recruited Sara "Killboy" Skinner as their new singer earlier this year.

Eight and a half years ago, BAD WOLVES released their cover of THE CRANBERRIES' "Zombie" only four days after the January 2018 passing of the latter band's frontwoman Dolores O'Riordan, with all proceeds from track donated to her three children. THE CRANBERRIES' singer was set to record her vocals on the song the day of her tragic death.