Heartsongs: Live from Home (Columbia/Blue Eye CK 66123) was released on 27 September 1994. Dolly Parton recorded it in concert at Dollywood, her theme park, on 23 and 24 April 1994, and Steve Buckingham produced it with her. Before the recording she described the show as being about “my life and my roots and my growing up days,” and about the Scottish, Irish, English and Welsh music brought over to the Smoky Mountains that she grew up singing.
Her own songs make up much of the program: “Coat of Many Colors,” “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” “Smoky Mountain Memories,” “Applejack,” the title song and “To Daddy.” Emmylou Harris had taken “To Daddy” into the country top three in 1978, but Parton had never released it herself. Alongside them are older songs and hymns, including A. P. Carter’s “I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes,” “Mary of the Wild Moor,” “In the Pines,” “Wayfaring Stranger,” James D. Vaughan’s “Hold Fast to the Right” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” On “Barbara Allen,” Altan’s Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh sings in Irish. The last tracks are the “Cas Walker Theme,” the “Black Draught Theme” and “PMS Blues.”
The accompanists include Alison Krauss on fiddle and harmony vocals, Ron Block and Rob McCoury on banjo, Adam Steffey and Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Carl Jackson on guitar and harmony vocals, Roy Huskey Jr. on upright bass, and Rhonda Vincent, Darrin Vincent and Suzanne Cox on harmony vocals. David Lindley adds acoustic steel guitars, dulcimer, autoharp and clawhammer banjo. The album reached number 16 on Billboard’s country albums chart and number 87 on the Billboard 200.
Tracklist
- 1 Heartsong - Live 5:25
- 2 I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes alt version 2:52
- 3 Mary Of The Wild Moor - Live 4:06
- 4 In the Pines alt version 2:42
- 5 My Blue Tears - Live 2:47
- 6 Applejack - Live 3:34
- 7 Coat Of Many Colors - Live 4:21
- 8 Smoky Mountain Memories alt version 3:30
- 9 Night Train to Memphis alt version 2:21
- 10 What a Friend We Have in Jesus alt version 2:36
- 11 Hold Fast To The Right - Live 2:32
- 12 Walter Henry Hagan - Live 3:40
- 13 Barbara Allen - Live 5:24
- 14 Brave Little Soldier - Live 3:54
- 15 To Daddy - Live 2:55
- 16 True Blue - Live 3:06
- 17 Longer Than Always - Live 2:59
- 18 Wayfaring Stranger alt version 3:09
- 19 My Tennessee Mountain Home - Live 3:22
- 20 Heartsong (Reprise) - Live 2:20
- 21 Cas Walker Theme - Live 0:58
- 22 Black Draught Theme - Live 1:24
- 23 PMS Blues - Live 5:36
