Beyond The Candelabra

This week, pop superstar Beyoncé released her latest album, Cowboy Carter, to rave reviews. A lush and eclectic celebration of all things country music, Cowboy Carter features several collaborations with some of the genre’s most iconic stars including Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton.

Liberace was a great fan and casual friend of Parton’s who spoke highly of both her talent and her personality throughout the 1980s. Noting in his last book, The Wonderful Private World of Liberace, that Parton was a frequent guest and even one-time performer at his Tivoli Gardens restaurant in Las Vegas, Liberace effused: “I love that lady and her marvelous talent. Her version of ‘Winter Wonderland’ gives me goose bumps and a happy emotional charge. Dolly’s Christmas album with Kenny Rogers is one of my favorites and is played in all my homes during the holidays. Kenny and she make a perfect pair.”

In 1980, Dolly Parton’s deadpan talent for comedy would land her a leading role in the now iconic film 9 to 5 alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. A year later, both Parton and Liberace would appear as guest stars in Tomlin’s Emmy-award-winning special SOLD OUT! Lily Tomlin in Las Vegas. But according to Liberace, Parton’s blunt and disarming sense of humor wasn’t just reserved for movies and TV appearances. “Dolly Parton, I adore this woman,” he told Andy Warhol in 1984. “We were having dinner in my restaurant, and a guy came up to her while she was eating and said, ‘oh, excuse me for interrupting, Dolly, but I just want you to know that I’m from Tennessee.’ And she looked at him with a lovely smile on her face and said, ‘who gives a shit?’ He loved it.”

While I haven’t been able to find any mentions of Liberace in Dolly Parton’s own books or interviews, I hope she’ll eventually share some stories about their friendship from her perspective.

In the meantime, you can check out Liberace and Dolly’s appearances in Lily Tomlin’s Vegas special here!