New York, NY (Top40 Charts) For his remix of the
Dolly Parton classic "
Jolene"--out now on RCA/SONY
Music Entertainment, electronic music producer, DJ and tastemaker DESTRUCTO (Gary Richards) leans into an emotional, sublime and melodic style of deep house bolstering Dolly Parton's unforgettable vocal while holding its country charm. For its video out today, DESTRUCTO continues to bring a modern vibe to an American classic.
For the "
Jolene" remix video, which made its premiere earlier today via NYLON, DESTRUCTO (Gary Richards) traveled to rural Colorado for a night in one of its oldest honky tonks. There is no traditional line dance as DESTRUCTO DJs. Instead we find Instagram dancing sensation Sam Steadman (@sammysteads) and friends getting down to the song.
Upon its release, the DESTRUCTO remix of Dolly Parton's "
Jolene" garnered acclaim among mainstream, country and dance music media:
"DESTRUCTO, the producer/DJ guise of Gary Richards, builds on the rhythmic elements that made "
Jolene" so compelling in its original form: the funky, minor-key guitar riff, the disco-lite beat, and brisk tempo are all ideal building blocks for remixing." - Rolling Stone
"Smooth synth waves roll over a hard-hitting beat as Parton's guitar picks and vocals help bring the funk. It's warm, but also cold, kind of like Parton's lover's adoration, and an altogether sophisticated and honorable take on the 1974 hit, which is probably why the country legend deigned to give it a rare nod of official approval." - Billboard
"From Diplo working with Zac Brown, Billy Ray Cyrus,
Thomas Rhett,
Blanco Brown, and more, plus
Blackbear collaborating with Kane Brown, the merging of the electronic and country lanes is busier than usual. Added to this re-emerging trend is HARD Festival founder and DJ DESTRUCTO (aka Gary Richards), who has created a festival-ready remix of Dolly Parton's 1974 hit 'Jolene.'" - CMT
"Dolly Parton has had her incredible catalog covered a thousand ways over the years, and that includes her immortal 1974 hit, 'Jolene.' But you've probably never heard it like this before. The long-reigning
Queen of Country has given the thumbs up to a blood-pumping electronic dance remix created by influential DJ, DESTRUCTO, and it puts off all the heat of some true dance-floor fire." -
Sounds Like Nashville
"DESTRUCTO used Parton's iconic vocals to his advantage in his rework, adding a four-on-the-floor beat and clubby bass tones to give it a mesmerizing house music edge. The song's original string guitar hook also twangs in the foreground, backed by bubbly synths." - EDM.com
"Jolene' in particular has been a get-on-the-floor-and-dance type of number for nearly 50 years now, but with DESTRUCTO's new, contemporary refitting, one of Dolly Parton's most memorable hits just got a breath of new life." - Dancing Astronaut
"Richards breathes new life into the track with a primed-and-ready dance floor approach by applying a rich and passionate deep house backdrop with sweeping builds and galloping basslines. Keeping Parton's extraordinary vocals and original guitar composition intact throughout the remix, the world-famous song tells the tale of a woman trying to keep her man from a younger love interest." -- Beatportal
Dolly Parton is the most honored and revered female country singer-songwriter of all time. Achieving 25 RIAA-certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 26 songs reach #1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. Recently, Parton reached #1 on the Billboard Christian Airplay Chart for the first time for her duet with Grammy award-winning Zach Williams of "There Was Jesus," for which they won a Grammy this year, making that her 11th Grammy win. She received her first Dove Award for short form video for her collaboration with for King & Country on the song "God Only Knows." Parton is the first artist to have topped the Billboard's Adult Contemporary, Christian AC Songs, Hot Country Songs, Christian Airplay, Country Airplay and Dance/Mix Show Airplay radio charts. Parton recently became the first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year given out by NARAS. She has 44 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over the past 50+ years.
In 2014 the RIAA recognized her impact on recorded music with a plaque commemorating more than 100 million units sold worldwide. Her 2016 #1 album, "Pure & Simple," which topped the Billboard Top Country Albums and Americana/Folk Albums charts and debuted at No. 1 in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia, added to that massive tally. She has garnered eleven Grammy Awards and 50 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award and a 2020 win with for KING & COUNTRY for their collaboration on "
God Only Knows"; 10 Country
Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy of Country
Music Awards, also including a nod for Entertainer of the Year; four People's Choice Awards; and three American
Music Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted as a member of the coveted Country
Music Hall of Fame.
Last year, she released the Christmas album
Holly Dolly Christmas which went #1 on the Billboard Country and Holiday charts, as well released the bestselling coffee table book "Songteller: My Life in Lyrics." This year she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie for the film "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square." To date, Parton has donated over 169 million books to children around the world with her Imagination Library. Her children's book "Coat of Many Colors: was dedicated to the Library of Congress to honor the Imagination Library's 100 millionth book donation. In March of 2022, Parton will release the book "Run Rose Run" which she co-authored with
James Patterson, alongside an accompanying album of the same name with original songs inspired by the book. Parton also released her own fragrance line this year called "Dolly: Scent From Above." From her "Coat of Many Colors" while working "9 to 5," no dream is too big and no mountain too high for the country girl who turned the world into her stage.
Since 2011, DESTRUCTO (Gary Richards) has dominated the dance floor on his own terms. He went from the acclaimed Technology EP (2012) and Higher EP (2013) to high profile remixes for artists as diverse as Depeche Mode, Giorgio Moroder, Major Lazer, Rob Zombie, Digitalism and more. 2014 saw the precision-guided producer in the realm of g-house (where rap melds with house music) introduce his singular solo style with the West Coast EP, boasting collaborations with YG, Ty Dolla $ign, Problem, Too $hort, Warren G and Kurupt. Along the way, he's touched down for shows everywhere from Australia and Fiji to Tokyo and Ibiza in addition to crisscrossing the country on alongside the likes of D.R.A.M., E-40, iLoveMakonnen, Anna Lunoe, Wax Motif, REZZ,
Felix Da Housecat and more. Released in early 2017, the RENEGADE EP featured collaborations with E-40 and Too $hort,
Ty Dolla $ign & iLoveMakonnen,
Pusha T & Starrah, Problem and Freddie Gibbs. Latest releases "F*cking ShIt Up" featuring Busta Rhymes, "Boom" featuring Problem, "Bassface" (with remixes by DJ Koos, Golf Clap and Dillon Nathaniel), "
Loaded" featuring
Yo Gotti (with new remixes by Walker & Royce and SQWAD), "Shots To the Dome" with Gerry Gonza and "You're The One for Me" with TroyBoi are out now, with
Chris Lake x DESTRUCTO's "Y.O.D.O." out on Lake's
Black Book label. Most recently DESTRUCTO was tapped by
Dolly Parton to officially remix her legendary song "Jolene."
In addition to being a music producer and DJ, Richard is also a notable tastemaker in electronic music as a record label executive and festival founder. Having been handpicked by legendary producer Rick Rubin to handle A&R duties for the electronic music division at Def American Recordings and as a recording artist and producer/DJ himself, under the moniker DESTRUCTO, Richards knows firsthand how to identify and nurture new and developing talent. Richards launched the very first Electric
Daisy Carnival (EDC) in 1991, HARD Events festival in 2007 and music cruise HOLY SHIP! in 2012. These events helped launch the careers of many artists including Diplo,
Steve Aoki and Skrillex. After much success he sold a majority stake of his company Hard Events to Live Nation in 2012. In 2017, he joined LiveStyle where he launched in 2018 All My
Friends music festival and the FriendShip music cruise, two properties that went on to become staples in the live events scene. He has been included on the "50 Most Important People in EDM" list by Rolling Stone twice and featured on Billboard's annual Dance Power
Players list of DJs and execs for multiple years.
