Home for Christmas (Dolly Parton album)

Home for Christmas is the thirtieth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on September 11, 1990, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Gary Smith, with Parton serving as executive producer. It is Parton's second Christmas album, following 1984's Once Upon a Christmas with Kenny Rogers. Unlike Once Upon a Christmas, which featured a number of original songs, Home for Christmas is made up of ten Christmas standards. The album's release was accompanied by an ABC television special, Dolly Parton: Christmas at Home. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1994.

Home for Christmas
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 11, 1990
RecordedJuly 1990
StudioNightingale Studios (Nashville)
Genre
Length31:50
LabelColumbia Nashville
Producer
Dolly Parton chronology
White Limozeen
(1989)
Home for Christmas
(1990)
Eagle When She Flies
(1991)
Parton's Christmas chronology
Once Upon a Christmas
(1984)
Home for Christmas
(1990)
A Holly Dolly Christmas
(2020)

Release and promotion

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The album was released September 11, 1990, on CD and cassette. It also received a limited LP release exclusively in the Netherlands.

There were no singles released from the album. Instead, Parton promoted the album's release with a television special titled Dolly Parton: Christmas at Home. It aired December 21, 1990, on ABC.[1] The special features footage of Parton in the studio recording the album, visiting and singing with her family at the Tennessee Mountain Home where she grew up, as well as performances filmed at a church and various other locations in the Smoky Mountains.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]

Thom Floyd from AllMusic gave the album two out of five stars. He criticized the album's production as "a bit too slick," but said that Parton's "irrepressible charm" makes it a "reasonably enjoyable holiday record."[2]

Commercial performance

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The album debuted and peaked at number 74 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, spending a total of two weeks on the chart. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 27, 1994.

Track listing

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Personnel

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Adapted from the album liner notes.

  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 7, 9)
  • The Mighty Fine Band:
    • Michael Davis – keyboards (tracks 1, 3, 6, 10), percussion (track 8)
    • Richard Dennison – background vocals (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 10)
    • Jimmy Mattingly – fiddle (tracks 2–4), mandolin (tracks 7–9)
    • Jennifer O'Brien – background vocals (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 10)
    • Gary Smith – piano (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 10), Hammond B3 organ (track 5), keyboards (track 6)
    • Howard Smith – background vocals (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 10)
    • Steve Turner – drums (tracks 1–3, 5–8, 10), percussion (tracks 2, 4, 8–9)
    • Paul Uhrig – acoustic bass (tracks 1–2, 7–9), bass (tracks 3, 5–6, 10)
    • Kent Wells – acoustic guitar (tracks 1–2), electric guitar (tracks 3, 5–7, 10)
    • Robert Williams – dobro (tracks 4, 8)

Additional musicians

  • Stuart Duncan – mandolin (track 4), fiddle (track 9)
  • Carl Jackson – acoustic guitar (all tracks)
  • Michael Johnson – gut string guitar (track 3)
  • Jack Smith – steel guitar (tracks 3, 5, 7)
  • Alisha Jones Wall – Hammered dulcimer (tracks 7–8)

Additional background vocals

  • Bob Bailey (tracks 5–6)
  • Bobby Jones & Nashville (tracks 5–6)
    • Theresa J. Comer, Everett Drake, Nuana Dunlap, Gary E. Jenkins, Bobby Jones, Lenoria Ridley, Lawrence D. Thomison, Harry Watkins, Angela Wright
  • The Christ Church Pentecostal Choir (track 10)
    • Jason Beddoe, Coby Coffman, Al Coleman, Melissa Coleman, Joy Gardner, Landy Gardner, Vicki Pointer, Rebekah Rayburn, Tanya Sykes, Mark Warren
  • Carl Jackson (track 7)
  • The New Salem Methodist Church Congregation (tracks 1, 10)
  • Our Kids (tracks 4, 8)
    • Trent Ashcraft, Alyson Chance, Hannah Dennison, Vanessa Hollowell, Jake Hoover, Crystal Hunt, Amy Johnson, Gretchen Johnson, Cole Kiracofe, Ian Kiracofe, Bryan Seaver, Rebecca Seaver, Austin Smith, Brandon Smith, Tiffany Smith, David Turner, Katie Turner, Derek Wells, Dustin Wells

Production

  • Michael Davis – recording assistant
  • Richard Dennison – production assistant
  • Chrissy Follmar – recording assistant
  • Brad Jones – recording assistant
  • Mark Kiracofe – production assistant
  • John Kunz – recording assistant
  • The Mighty Fine Band – arrangements
  • Gary Paczaosa – recording, mixing
  • Dolly Parton – executive producer
  • Denny Purcell – mastering
  • Gary Smith – producer

Other personnel

  • Dennis Carney – photography
  • Tony Chase – styling
  • Rachel Dennison – makeup
  • Cheryl Riddle – hair

Charts

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Chart (1990) Peak
position
US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)[3] 37
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[4] 74
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[5] 29

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[6] Gold 500,000^
Summaries

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Christmas at Home". IMDb. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Owens, Thom. "Home for Christmas - Dolly Parton - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "American album certifications – Dolly Parton – Home for Christmas". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 25, 2020.