An author who wrote one of Dolly Parton‘s favorite books reveals the singer wrote an entire album based on the novel — which has never been released.
Bestselling novelist Kim Michelle Richardson is coming forward to reveal the existence of a 15-track album of never-before-heard material inspired by her 2019 bestseller, “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.”
According to the author, Parton was so moved by the novel that she wrote and recorded an entire album based on the story — and then gave the recordings to Richardson.
An Unexpected Gift
Interviewed by Kentucky’s WDRB+WAVE, Richardson recalled that she was thrilled to learn that Parton was a huge fan of her book, reportedly keeping a copy on her nightstand and even recommending it in a 2021 interview with People.
A few years later, Richardson opened her mail and discovered an unexpected gift: a 15-track album from Parton, inspired by “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.”
“I was stunned,” Richardson admitted.
‘Some of Them Will Become Anthems’
GettyAccording to Richardson, Parton left her in complete control of what to do with those recordings, with no strings attached.
Following the beloved singer’s passing at age 80, Richardson said that “we’re working on things now” and plans to release the album soon — in the wake of the upcoming release of her first posthumous single, “Bound to Ride.”
She insisted that the album represents some of Parton’s finest work. “Dolly’s voice is very strong in there,” Richardson said of the songs. “At times, it sounds like a very young Dolly. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry … some of them will become anthems, I feel.”
A Parallel to Her Imagination Library
In a letter Parton wrote to Richardson, accompanying the recordings, she said that the story of the titular book lady mirrored her own efforts with her Imagination Library.
Parton launched Dolly’s Imagination Library in Sevier County, Tennessee, in 1995, initially as a local effort.
The program was conceived as a tribute to her father, Robert Lee Parton, who could neither read nor write.
The Imagination Library mails free books to children from birth to age five, and was eventually expanded nationwide. In 2006, Parton expanded the program to Canada, to the U.K. in 2007, in Australia in 2013, and to the Republic of Ireland in 2019.
More Than 300 Million Books Gifted
Since it’s launch, Dolly’s Imagination Library has given out more than 300 million books to children.
“Well, we never thought it would be this big,” Parton once told NPR, admitting her humble idea had far exceeded her initial expectations.
“We didn’t really think that far beyond it. I just wanted to do something great for my dad and for my home county and, at the most, maybe a couple of counties over,” she explained.
Reading, she added, had empowered her as a young girl, and the magical experience of escaping into a book had never left her.
“I still love a real book in my hands. I love the smell of a book. I love the feel of a book. There’s just something magical about a book, a real book,” she said.
“I think that if you can read, it gives you wings to fly anywhere you want to go.”
