TR Dallas: My encounter with "down-to-earth" Dolly
Westmeath country music singer Tom Allen, aka TR Dallas, has shared his affectionate memories of the late Dolly Parton, whom he met in the late '70s and saw perform on several occasions.
Dolly, a beloved musical icon and philanthropist, died on Tuesday of this week, August 25, at the age of 80.
In 1978, she performed in Dublin's RDS at a time when she was enjoying success with her hit single Here You Come Again. On the afternoon of her performance, Tom Allen travelled to Dublin for an encounter with her.
"I went up in that afternoon and got to meet with her. I was after joining the Mainliners Showband at the time, and I couldn't stay for (Dolly's) concert because I had to go play with them in Mayo.
"She was a lovely, lovely person. She invited me to go for dinner with them but I couldn't go because I was working that night," he told the Westmeath Independent.
"I remember it was an absolutely beautiful day, and she sat and chatted for maybe 20 minutes or half an hour. She was getting ready for rehearsals at the time. Fr Brian D'Arcy came along also.
"It was lovely to meet her. She was a very down-to-earth person who loved life and never forgot where she came from."
While he didn't get to witness that concert in 1978, Tom did attend a number of Dolly Parton shows in the years that followed.
"She was a tremendous songwriter, apart from being a fabulous singer. Once you heard her voice you knew exactly who it was," he said.
"She was different. She never seemed to be in bad form, she always had a smile on her face, and she wrote some incredible songs.
"She wrote songs that everybody could understand. It wasn't about using big words or anything like that. They were all songs about life, and about things that happened."
Tom went on to record two of her compositions himself. "I had a hit with one of her songs in 1984, called The Last One to Touch Me," he said.
"Then in latter years I recorded another one called Why Can't We, which is a song that kind of tells us about the world we're living in, with all the wars and all the rest. Her question in the song is why can't we love one another, why can't we be happy."
He said the global outpouring of appreciation for her in the aftermath of her passing was "very genuine" because she touched so many lives and helped so many people.
"She sold millions of records, wrote thousands of songs, and gave away 300 million books to kids all over the world. She gave millions of dollars to her family and friends and neighbourhood, to help people get by.
"She made millions and she gave away millions. She was so decent, just a normal human being, the same as you or I. She loved life, loved people, and had a great sense of fun."
Tom is no stranger to rubbing shoulders with country music legends, having also met the late, great Johnny Cash and toured with him for three weeks at one stage.
"Touring with Johnny Cash was a great experience. Like Dolly, he was very down-to-earth," said Tom.
TR Dallas continues to perform, and will be on stage in Roscommon Arts Centre, along with Gerry Guthrie, next Thursday, September 3. He also has an upcoming performance in Athlone's Shamrock Lodge Hotel on Saturday, September 5.