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Son of a Legend: Belles and Dolly Parton Rewrite the Story of ‘Jolene’

Country music has always thrived on the art of storytelling, passing tales down like heirlooms, reshaping them with each new voice brave enough to carry the thread forward.

With “Son of Jolene,” rising artist Belles doesn’t just borrow from the past, she dares to continue one of the most iconic narratives the genre has ever known. And in a full-circle moment that feels almost too poetic to script, she does it alongside the very woman who started it all: Dolly Parton.

Released with both reverence and a sly wink, “Son of Jolene” picks up where Parton’s 1973 masterpiece “Jolene” left off, not musically, but mythologically. The fiery-haired temptress who once threatened to steal a man is no longer just a cautionary figure whispered through the decades. In Belles’ hands, Jolene becomes legacy. And legacy, as it turns out, has a son.

USA TODAY Acoustic: Country singer Kelli Belles debuts 'Son of Jolene'

Singer Kelli Belles wrote a song about Jolene's son — the famed character from Dolly Parton's 1973 hit — on a whim.

Then Parton heard it and not only signed off, she sang harmonies on the song.

"It is so crazy and unbelievable and I'm just so grateful," Belles said following a USA TODAY Acoustic performance.

The rising country artist was on her headlining tour with fellow country music artist Trevor Martin in 2024 when the idea first hit. Martin's mother, named Jolene, had come to a show.

"I was in the van the next day and I just turned to him and I was like, you should write a song about being the son of Jolene," she said.

Music Spotlight artist Belles collaborates with Dolly Parton for ‘Son of Jolene’ release

I have interviewed hundreds of singer-songwriters, including Kelli Belles, and if you ask them who the one person they would like to collaborate with is, nearly all will name “Dolly.”

Kelli Belles is a third-generation entertainer. When I found out that Dolly Parton was actually going to sing with her on a song she had written, I had to learn the story behind it.

Last year, when Belles was on tour, Trevor Martin opened for her. She learned that his mother’s name was Jolene. She told him, “You should write a song about being the son of Jolene. Maybe you have a messed-up love life because your mom’s name is Jolene.”

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