As the Queen of Country celebrates her 73rd birthday this week, what better time to take a look back at this show-stopping moment from the early 2000’s when she included the classic rock smash hit, “Stairway To Heaven”, from Led Zeppelin IV (1971), on the ‘Dollywood Live & Well Tour’.
It may be one of the most notoriously difficult songs to recreate, but that definitely didn’t scare Dolly! She openly embraces the mystical, otherworldly nature of the track, while giving the music a sexy bluegrass update with lap steel guitars, violins and banjos.
Starting with the infamous riff played delicately on the acoustic guitar, Dolly brings a whole new perspective to the song as she tells us the story with the compassion and attention to detail that make her a country music superstar.
Lacking none of the power of the electrified original, the track really starts to peak at about 4mins 30secs in when the band fearlessly tackle the bridge and breakdown. Complete with a choir of backing vocalists, prepare to be awestruck as the full force sinks in.
Covering “Stairway To Heaven” is a brave and bold move, even for an artist like Dolly Parton. But she certainly goes above and beyond to deliver this epic re-imagining of possibly the most well-known rock song of all time.
For more of your Led Zepplin faves, head over to our I Like: Led Zepplin playlist, featuring everything from "Whole Lotta Love" to "Black Dog" to satisfy your psychedelic desires.
