Dolly Looks Back To 'Imagine'

Singing Superstar On CMA Awards, New CD And Single

(CBS)  For more than 30 years, there's been no bigger country music star than Dolly Parton. The seven-time Grammy winner has a new album entitled "Those Were The Days." It is a collection of songs from the '60s and '70s made famous by artists she admires.

"I put down a bunch of songs I loved from that time," Parton told The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler. "I tried to pick songs that fit the times, but also flow well together and fit my voice well. I had to put my flavor into them so they become sort of like mine."

To create it, she invited several of the artists who wrote or made these songs famous to sing with her. "I got a chance to sing with a lot of the old original artists. I made a lot of new old friends, and a lot of new, new friends," she said.

Among them are Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Kris Kristofferson, Judy Collins and Tommy James. She also asked recent chart-topping artists like Norah Jones, Keith Urban, Nickel Creek, Lee Ann Womack, Joe Nichols and Alison Krauss to join her in the studio.

Next for her is performing with Elton John this Tuesday night at the Country Music Association Awards.

"I am so excited," Parton said. "We are going to do some of his songs that he wrote from some of his albums and then we will combine our talents on 'Imagine,' " Her rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" is the first single off her CD.

"This is a song I always liked and, especially now, it's got a lot of hope and inspiration. We all wish we could live in peace and imagine a world with better things. And if we can't do it for real, we can imagine," Parton said.

The video for the single was recently filmed in New York, and it includes shots of Central Park's Strawberry Fields in tribute to John Lennon. "Imagine" will hit radio right after the Nov. 15 awards show and the video will be added to national outlets at the end of the month.

On Jan. 19, Parton will turn 60 but there are no signs of slowing down.

In August 2005, she launched her "Vintage Tour," which includes concert dates in the United States and Canada through the end of 2005. Produced by House of Blues, Parton is performing songs from "Those Were the Days" as well as her classics. On The Early Show, she performed her hit single "9 To 5" and "Imagine."