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Growing up near Neyland Stadium and being exposed to the real Rocky Top as well as the color of bright orange, Dolly Parton has a lot of familiarity with the University Tennessee.
And now the country music star has partenered with UT athletics on a new album, Rockstar with her rendition “of Rocky Top,” as well as merchandise.
“My East Tennessee roots run deep, and I am so proud to be partnering with the Vols on a line of merchandise,” says Parton. “I’ve performed ‘Rocky Top’ so many times live in my concerts through the years, and I know how much that song means to Vols fans. I am thrilled to have the chance to include my version of the song on a special edition of my new Rockstar album as part of this partnership.”
The 2-CD set is available for preorder here. Additionally, in a deal facilitated by IMG, leading gameday apparel company LivyLu launched a cobranded merchandise collection pairing two of East Tennessee’s most beloved franchises—Dolly Parton and the UT Vols. The apparel collection will be available via regional retail locations and online platforms, with select items available on Shop.UTSports.com and UTVolShop.com.
“Dolly Parton is one of the most influential and best-selling artists of all-time and we are proud to partner with such an icon,” said Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White. “Her new album “Rockstar” debuts in November and includes a custom Vols version, including Dolly’s exclusive live rendition of Rocky Top. This venture, along with becoming the first collegiate team to partner with her on an exclusive merchandise line with our Tennessee Dolly Parton Collection just further demonstrates the power of our iconic brand.”
Parton has a long association with the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In 2009 Parton delivered the commencement speech to the graduating class, where she was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane and musical letters. In both 2011 and 2014 Parton brought her world tours to the campus arena.
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