When asked about the late Dolly Parton, Margo O’Donnell speaks with the kind of fondness that is reserved for the most special people in our lives.
Both known as ‘Queens of Country’ in their own right, Dolly and Margo’s enduring friendship began in the late 1990s.
The two remarkable women first bonded over their rural upbringings and shared love of country music, and continued to be there for each other up until Dolly’s sad passing last month.
Indeed the world of entertainment has been in mourning since the news of Dolly’s death on August 25 at the age of 80. One of country music’s greatest ever stars, Dolly sold more than 100 million records and was the voice behind ‘9 to 5’, ‘Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You’, later famously covered by Whitney Houston.
Dolly possessed many rare musical talents: an instantly-recognisable voice, a natural ability to play a number of instruments, and a profound storytelling style that drew people into her world through her songs.
But it was more than her talent alone that made Dolly stand out. Her quick wit, humble background from growing up in rural Tennessee, and immense kindness and generosity made Dolly feel like someone we all knew and loved.
And somebody who knew and loved her very much was Donegal’s own Margo.
Margo on stage in Letterkenny. Photo: by Eoin Mc Garvey.
recognisable musicians
Margo O’Donnell has had a career spanning decades and is one of Ireland’s most distinguished musicians. She grew up in Kincasslagh in west Donegal and recorded ‘Bonny Irish BoyDear God’ in 1968, which was to be her first single.
She always had a love for music along with her brother Daniel. They have both become household names and have an impressive catalogue of hits, and millions of records sold between them.
Speaking to Country Beat, Margo reminisced fondly on her bond with Dolly, her enthusiasm for the next generation of country singers and her own career highlights.
Margo first got to know Dolly’s uncle Louis Owens through a friend in New York.
“He got in touch with me, and he had known that I had recorded some of Dolly’s songs,” explained Margo. “And he looked back at my history and he said to me that he felt that Dolly and I kind of came from the same kind of background. And I was honoured.”
Margo recorded with Louis’ family band at Dollywood theme park and played London’s Wembley with Dolly’s younger sister Stella Parton in 1974.
It was years later that Margo first met Dolly in Nashville and they recorded together for the first time in 1998.
“We did our very first recording together, a Dolly song called ‘God’s Coloring Book’,” said Margo. “And she wrote it. She was explaining to me that she wrote it sitting on her front porch in East Tennessee when she was very young.
“And actually, when I went there and I looked at the landscape, I could actually see what she was writing about, and the words that she wrote. I could see God’s colouring book in front of me.”
They continued to work together on recordings, but Margo describes their relationship as personal rather than professional.
The sadness in Margo’s voice is palpable as she speaks on Dolly’s passing.
“The day I heard she was gone, it was as if there was a big void and an emptiness,” said Margo. “Even though I knew she hadn’t been well, and she was struggling really since [her husband] Carl passed. But I was just shocked like everybody else when I heard the news, even though I was aware she wasn’t in good health.”
Dolly made several trips to Ireland in her lifetime, including in 1990 when she famously performed her song ‘Coat of Many Colors’ in Páidí Ó Sé’s pub in Ventry, Kerry.
Margo and Dolly having a blast recording songs together.
‘She loved Ireland’
Margo informs me that Dolly and her friend Judy Ogle also travelled to Donegal while she was in Ireland. Dolly paid a visit to a church in Inver in the south of the county.
“She loved Ireland and she believed that Ireland was part of her,” said Margo. “Her father’s ancestry came from the British Isles.”
Dolly Parton’s ‘Imagination Library’ was launched in 1995 and has gifted over 300 million books to children in five countries since its inception, including in Ireland.
“She was one of God’s good people, you know,” said Margo. “Look at what she did for the children with the books. I actually sat on the front porch with her father Lee, and he was telling me about his family and he said, ‘I couldn’t read nor write’. And he added, ‘But Dolly is going to take care of all that. She’s going to take care of kids’.
“He then said, ‘There’s something special about Dolly, that she can read between the lines, and she knows exactly what to do to make people feel special’.”
Dolly’s loss has been felt worldwide. However, her music will live on and inspire artists for years to come.
“It will affect everybody because Dolly was a musician as well,” said Margo. “Dolly was able to do it all; from creating the song and sound to playing the music.
“Just look at Paul McCartney from The Beatles; he was totally overwhelmed by Dolly.
“And if you were in her company, God Almighty, but you felt so special, and she made sure you did.
“Dolly Parton will never ever be forgotten, never. And the legacy she leaves behind will go through young artists’ lives from here on in.
“I mean, everybody loved her, and she was good to everyone. Her legacy will remain and it will be all for good reasons.”
Margo O’Donnell and Dolly Parton were lifelong friends.
‘A gift from God’
Now settled in Castleblayney, Margo has taken a step back from touring. However, she still makes special appearances and will be performing at the ‘Big Tom Weekend’ in Castleblayney this month.
“He was a wonderful kind man as well,” said Margo.
“I’ll always sing because I believe when I came into this world, God gave me this gift, and it’s only He that will take it when I go.”
“As long as Daniel [O’Donnell] is out there and he’s singing, I’ll always have an interest in it because he’s done so powerfully well,” she added.
At 75, Margo is happy to hand the reins over to the next generation of country singers.
And she is impressed and optimistic at the young talent emerging in Ireland.
“We need to nourish those people,” she said. “We need somebody to carry on where we have left off, and we have a golden opportunity to do that with the young people that are loving country music at this present day.
“And although the country music may change in the way it’s played, or sung, or portrayed, a good song is always a good song.
“In 100 years’ time, the songs that the likes of me, and Big Tom, Philomena Begley, Susan McCann, and Daniel have been singing, the young artists will be doing them their way. We need to help our young people as much as we possibly can, and that’s one thing that I will always believe in.”
Margo and Dolly recorded songs together.
Margo has had many remarkable milestones in her life and career. She has performed in some of the world’s most iconic venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and the Royal Albert Hall in London.
“I think the night that I was awarded with ‘Donegal Person of the Year’ is the top of my achievements,” Margo reflected. “That, and the fact that I recorded with Dolly and Daniel and Big Tom.
“Everything I have and all the good things that have happened to me happened to me because of the people. To them, I will be eternally grateful.”
And out of all the people she’s met, Dolly Parton has left her mark on Margo.
“The memories I have, I couldn’t even begin to tell you how wonderful the memories are,” said Margo. “Sometimes when I think back on them, I feel a pang of sadness, but still and all, I’m glad that I have them. And nobody can take those memories from me.
“I know that there was nobody that touched the world as much as Dolly Parton, and certainly she touched my life and made my personal life richer because our paths had crossed.”