Bad Wolves are preparing to release their heavy rendition of Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene,” but what was initially intended as a collaboration with the country legend has since become the source of unexpected controversy within the band.
The group are scheduled to release their version of the 1974 hit on August 31, with proceeds now set to benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library following Parton’s passing earlier this week at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer.
According to Bad Wolves founder and drummer John Boecklin, the cover was originally conceived with Parton herself contributing vocals.
The idea reportedly came about after the band’s new vocalist repeatedly shared videos of himself performing “Jolene.” The group subsequently decided to put its own heavy spin on the song, eventually sending the finished demo to their label CEO Dan Waite, who passed it along to Parton’s manager Danny Nozell.
Boecklin said the response was extremely positive, with Parton reportedly hearing the track and planning to record her vocals.
“Our new singer is a big fan of Dolly and had posted a bunch of videos of her covering ‘Jolene.’ So, we decided to make a heavy metal cover version for our next album. On hearing our version, our label CEO Dan Waite sent the finished demo to Dolly’s manager Danny Nozell with a request for Dolly to guest feature on our version.”
He continued:
“We heard back that Danny had played the track to Dolly, and that Dolly loved our version, and that Dolly was going to go into the studio and add her vocals very soon. We then sent over the stems for Dolly’s studio engineers to work with. Like everyone, we were devastated of this week’s news of Dolly’s passing. We will honor Dolly’s incredible legacy by donating proceeds from ‘Jolene’ to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.”
Boecklin also explained that the decision to donate the song’s proceeds to the literacy organization was intended to continue Parton’s charitable work.
“With ‘Jolene,’ being able to use our platform to help deliver critical funding to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, we know that we can contribute to Dolly’s vision of giving access to books and improving literacy.”
However, the decision to release the cover has not received universal support within Bad Wolves.
Guitarist AJ Rebollo, who joined the band as a touring member in 2023 and remained with the group through its recent lineup changes, announced his departure on August 28. Rebollo specifically pointed to the decision to release “Jolene” despite opposition from multiple members of the band as the final breaking point.
According to Rebollo, the band had informed the label that they did not want to release the song following Parton’s passing, particularly because her planned contribution could no longer happen.
“We, as an entity, told the label we had no interest in releasing the cover after learning of Dolly’s unfortunate passing as her collaboration on the song was no longer a possibility, and we felt it would (understandably) be interpreted as somewhat of a capitalization on her passing from an outside perspective. They went ahead and posted that we were releasing it anyway, despite efforts from more than one member, myself included, to oppose it.”
Rebollo said the disagreement represented a much larger issue with the band’s relationship with its label, Better Noise, claiming that members have increasingly felt that decisions were being made for them.
“With the label completely disregarding numerous decisions we make out of passion, and ultimately just unknowingly exhausting the band’s attempts to fully enjoy being here, I am no longer happy here. The amount of hate, negativity, and harassment we receive on a daily basis due to decisions made outside of our control has taken a massive toll on our sanity.”
Despite his objections, Rebollo acknowledged that directing the song’s proceeds toward Parton’s Imagination Library was a positive decision.
“While the donation to her Imagination Library is an incredible choice to do something good with the profits, I can’t help but feel there is ill intent behind the decision to release the song.”
The situation bears an unfortunate resemblance to Bad Wolves’ history with their hugely successful cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie.”
That track was originally intended to feature guest vocals from Dolores O’Riordan, who passed away before she could record her contribution. Bad Wolves subsequently released their version and donated approximately $250,000 in profits to O’Riordan’s family.
The “Zombie” cover would eventually achieve 3x platinum status in the United States.
While the circumstances surrounding “Jolene” are eerily similar, the latest situation has also resulted in a significant personnel change for Bad Wolves, with Rebollo now stepping away from the group.
For the band, “Jolene” will nevertheless arrive on August 31 as planned, with its proceeds benefiting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in an effort to honor the legacy of the artist who was originally expected to appear on the track herself.
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