''Eagle When She Flies'' is the thirty-first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

. It was released on March 7, 1991, by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. The album was produced by Steve Buckingham and Gary Smith, with Parton serving as executive producer. It continues Parton's return to mainstream country sounds following 1989's '' White Limozeen''. The album features collaborations with

Lorrie Morgan Loretta Lynn Morgan (born June 27, 1959) is an American country music singer and actress. She is the daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are also country music singers. ...

and

Ricky Van Shelton Ricky Van Shelton (born January 12, 1952) is an American retired country music singer. Active between 1986 and 2006, he charted more than 20 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts. This figure includes 10 Number One hits: "Somebod ...

, with additional supporting vocals provided by

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass music, bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after ta ...

and

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

. The album was a commercial success, becoming Parton's first solo album to peak at number one on the ''

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Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

chart since 1980s '' 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs'' and her last number one charted album until her 2016 album '' Pure & Simple''. It was certified Platinum in by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in 1992. The album spawned four singles, the most successful being " Rockin' Years" with

, which topped the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart. In support of the album, Parton embarked on the Eagle When She Flies Tour, her only concert tour of the 1990s.

Release and promotion

The album was released March 7, 1991, on CD, cassette, and LP. Dolly Parton's duet with Shelton, "Rockin' Years", topped the country charts, and the follow-up single co-written by

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

, "Silver and Gold", was a #15 country single. Rounding out the hit singles was the title song "Eagle When She Flies", which only reached a #33 peak, despite spending 20 weeks on the Billboard Country Singles chart. Her duet with Lorrie Morgan, "Best Woman Wins", appeared simultaneously on Lorrie Morgan's 1991 album '' Something in Red''. She co-wrote the song "Family" with Carl Perkins and "Wildest Dreams" with

Mac Davis Morris Mac Davis (January 21, 1942 – September 29, 2020) was an American songwriter, singer, performer, and actor. A native of Lubbock, Texas, he enjoyed success as a crossover artist and writing for Elvis Presley during his early career, pro ...

Critical reception

Frank King from ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

'' wrote, "Hot damn, she's back. Just when the world is ready to write off Dolly as a cupie doll incapable of anything but candy fluff pop albums and silly duets with Kenny Rogers, she wipes us out with an inspiring, heart-on-your-sleeve country classic. The guest list -

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...

- is impressive, but it's Dolly that shines from start to finish. Most of the 11 tracks are self-penned and drip with honest-to-goodness emotion. Makes a fella proud to slide on his cowboy boots and declare he finally likes Dolly for more than her pin-up appearance." Neal Broverman from ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'' described the album's song ''Family''-which contained the lyrics "Some are preachers / some are gay / some are addicts, drunks and strays / But not a one is turned away when it's family"- as "very progressive" for its time.

Commercial performance

The album also topped the U.S. country albums charts, Parton's first solo album to reach the top in a decade (and her last to do so until 2016) and reached #24 on the pop albums charts. The album spent 73 weeks on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It was her first solo studio album to reach number one album in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

after 1980's '' 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs.'' The album's single week at number one interrupted what would otherwise have been an unbroken run of over 14 months in the top spot for

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...

. The album sold 74,000 copies in its first week. It ended up being certified Platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. The album has sold 1.14 million copies as of July 2016.

Reissues

In 2009,

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

reissued ''Eagle When She Flies'' in a triple-feature CD set with '' White Limozeen'' and '' Slow Dancing with the Moon''.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes. *Dolly Parton – lead vocals *The Mighty Fine Band: **Mike Davis – organ **Richard Dennison – background vocals **Jimmy Mattingly – fiddle, mandolin **Jennifer O'Brien – background vocals **Gary Smith – piano, keyboards **Howard Smith – background vocals **Steve Turner – drums **Paul Uhrig – bass **Bruce Watkins – acoustic guitar **Kent Wells – electric guitar Additional musicians *Sam Bacco – percussion *Romantic Roy Huskey – upright bass *Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar, mandolin * Paddy Corcoran – acoustic guitar on "If You Need Me" *Glen Duncan – fiddle * Paul Franklin – steel, dobro *Steve Gibson – guitar, mandolin * Carl Jackson – acoustic guitar on "If You Need Me" *Joey Miskulin – accordion * Mark O'Connor – fiddle on "What a Heartache" *Allisa Jones Wall – hammer dulcimer Additional vocalists *Lea Jane Berinati – background vocals * Paddy Corcoran – harmony vocals on "If You Need Me" *Joy Gardner – background vocals *

– harmony vocals on "Silver and Gold" *Vicki Hampton – background vocals *

– harmony vocals on "Country Road" * Carl Jackson – harmony vocals on "If You Need Me" *The Kid Connection – additional background vocals on "Family" *

– harmony vocals on "If You Need Me" *

– harmony vocals on "Country Road" *Lewis Nunley – background vocals *John Wesley Ryles – background vocals *Lisa Silver – background vocals * Harry Stinson – harmony vocals on "Silver and Gold" *Dennis Wilson – background vocals *Curtis Young – background vocals Production *Joe Bogan – additional engineering * Steve Buckingham – producer *Ray Bunch – string arrangements *Robert Charles – assistant engineer *Richard Dennison – vocal supervision *Javelina East – string recording *Chrissy Follmar – assistant engineer *Carlos Grier – digital editing *Larry Jeffries – assistant engineer *Brad Jones – assistant engineer *John Kunz – engineering assistant, mixing assistant *Sean Londin – assistant engineer *Gary Paczosa – engineering, mixing *John David Parker – assistant engineer *Dolly Parton – executive producer *Denny Purcell – mastering *Gary Smith – producer Other personnel *David Blair – hair *Tony Chase – fashion, styling *Rachel Dennison – makeup *Sandy Gallin for Gallin-Morey Associates – management *Bill Johnson – art direction *Randee St. Nicholas – photographer *Jodi Lynn Miller – design assistant

Chart performance

Album Album (Year-End)

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Dolly Parton albums 1991 albums Albums produced by Steve Buckingham (record producer) Columbia Records albums Albums produced by Gary Smith (record producer)