Ricky Skaggs Recalls Dolly Parton Prayer Before 1989 No. 1 Comeback Album

Q: What secret inside Dolly Parton's backyard chapel sparked one of the greatest comebacks in country music history?

The “secret” was not an object but a private ritual of faith: Dolly Parton led Ricky Skaggs into a tiny chapel rebuilt in her Nashville backyard, where the two knelt at the altar and prayed for God to bless the album, its musicians and its singers before recording *White Limozeen*. Skaggs said the chapel itself was deeply personal to Parton. It had been reconstructed from the remains of the East Tennessee church she attended as a child, carefully taken apart, numbered piece by piece, and rebuilt behind her home. Inside were simple features that echoed an old mountain Baptist church, including a small piano and altar. That prayer became the spiritual spark Skaggs says stayed with him. Soon afterward, he helped guide Parton back to a more traditional country sound after her pop-leaning 1987 album *Rainbow* had faltered. Parton had asked him to produce the record after he teased her about making a “real country album” again. The result was one of the defining comebacks of her career. Released in 1989, *White Limozeen* reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, produced the No. 1 singles “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That” and “Yellow Roses,” and earned gold certification. For Skaggs, the chapel moment also revealed what drove Parton beyond the music: a private, lived faith that matched the generosity and humility for which she was widely known.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 2

Ricky Skaggs said Dolly Parton led him into a childhood church rebuilt in her Nashville backyard, where they prayed at the altar before recording 1989’s “White Limozeen.”
The prayer came as Parton was trying to return to traditional country after 1987’s “Rainbow” stalled at No. 18 on Billboard’s country albums chart and produced no Top 40 country single.
Skaggs said Parton asked him to produce the record after his band appeared on her TV show “Dolly,” a request he called one of the most shocking moments of his career.
“White Limozeen” reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums, earned Gold certification and delivered two No. 1 country hits, helping restore Parton’s chart standing.
Reflecting after Parton’s Aug. 25 death at 80, Skaggs said the moment shaped his own pre-show prayer ritual and underscored the faith and quiet philanthropy he sees as central to her legacy.