00:00Well, thank you so much for joining us. First of all, you've performed across Kent and other parts of the
00:06UK as Dolly.
00:07Tell us a bit about how she inspired you to do what you're doing now.
00:11Dolly is such an inspiration. I've grown up listening to Dolly, wanting to be Dolly.
00:19And of course, being able to deliver a song and put the wig on and be Dolly is just a
00:27great honour.
00:30And moving forward, it's going to be a real hard pair of shoes to fill, isn't it?
00:35Absolutely. Did you ever manage to meet her in person?
00:39Unfortunately, I didn't. No, I have seen her live. I did go to San Diego, but unfortunately, I didn't get
00:46to meet Dolly.
00:47She was a bit poorly at the time. So, of course, I really am saddened with that because any hope
00:54of me meeting Dolly has obviously been taken away now.
00:58Absolutely. And, you know, with her passing on, how does that kind of change how you operate and, you know,
01:04with taking on the mantle of being a Dolly Parton tribute act?
01:07Tell us a bit about it from your perspective.
01:09Yeah, well, it comes with a lot of expectations now, I suppose, from fans, as Dolly Parton tributes.
01:16We're all going to be looking to, you know, to be the best or the closest to Dolly that we
01:22possibly can be with, you know, her stories, her songs, the jokes and the whole Dollyism and the full Dolly
01:31package.
01:31You know, you know, we have to deliver a real good Dolly show.
01:35So, we all do. But now it just comes with a heavy burden. You've got to be, we've got to
01:42be the close Dolly, you know, so moving forward, that's what we're all going to, I suppose, aspire to be.
01:49We're never going to fill our shoes.
01:52Well, you know, Dolly Parton, known the world around for her music, but she did so much outside of that
01:57as well, funding medical research, donating to wildlife victims, and, of course, her charity work, like the Imagination Library, helping
02:03millions of children learn how to read.
02:05So, while we're remembering Dolly for her music, how important is it we remember her for her generosity as well?
02:12Well, it's very important. Dolly would be a multi, multi-millionaire if she didn't give it all away.
02:19And, of course, as you mentioned there, because her father couldn't read or write, it was so important for her
02:25to get books into the hands of children.
02:27And that's what I'm part of over here in the UK, too.
02:30So, the UK Imagination Library and my local boroughs and around Kent as well, I am Dolly and I will
02:36go and be part of, you know, delivering or handing the books out to the children.
02:41And to actually see that and engage with the local communities and see what she's doing and changing the faces
02:49of our local communities, not just her own, what she's done back at home, is just so important.
02:54And she's such a well-loved and she loved so much.
02:58She had so much to give Dolly.
02:59She wasn't just a song.
03:00She wasn't just a couple of hits.
03:02She really was.
03:05She was everything.
03:06Just a remarkable lady.
03:10She's just a true legend, isn't she?
03:11She really is an angel and she's got her wings.
03:14And, yeah, she's back with her Jesus.
03:19I see.
03:19Well, those are all the questions I have.
03:21Thank you so much for joining us.
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