March 25, 2025 • 8 mins
The world's BEST Dolly Parton impersonator Kelly O’Brien joins Jonesy & Amanda for a chat and LIVE PERFORMANCE!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
And Amanda gem Nation.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Well, it's not every day we're joined by Country Royalty.
And if you can't get Dolly Parton, you get the
very very very next best thing, and that is Kelly O'Brien,
the world's number one Dolly Parton impersonator tribute act. She
joins us this morning, looking incredibly like Dolly Parton. Hello Kelly,
good morning, Amanda and Jonesy.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
How are you very well?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
So are you Australian?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I am Australian. If I have a bit of an
English twang, that's because I left in two thousand and two.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
And how did the Dolly things start?
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Do you know what?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
I started competing at all? Remember the Merrickville Like the
rosel clubs around Sydney, the biggest one was Marrickville, and
I remember the prize money was one hundred thousand dollars.
I'm not joking. And so that's when I decided to
start impersonating different people. So I would do Kylie, Dolly,
I did a bit of Judy Garland, I could do
(00:58):
Liza Minelli and I would kind of, you know, morph
in between each of those characters. But everybody loved Dolly
the most, and I think it's because I'm five foot tall.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I grew up near in Adelaide, in McLaren Vale, and
we sang a lot of country, so the voice was
always quite countrified. And yeah, Dolly just seemed to fit
the mix. And so by the time I left Sydney.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Did you win the hundred thousand?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
No, I came forth, but I still won ten thousand.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Which was good. Who won some magician who who?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Yeah, exactlyturageous.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
But I look at you and you look exactly like Dolly.
It's quite it's quite.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Uncanny, that's right.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
And if you like, I can just do the voice
mornon as well.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
And you have been sanctioned by Dolly Parton and her family,
so you've got the full stamp of approval.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
Yes, which has been amazing.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And just recently I was shortlisted for one of fifteen
out of I think eighteen thousand people to audition for
her new musical on Broadway as well, which is super exciting.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
So you're still in the mix for that. Yes.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
And when you met we've interviewed Dolly on our show,
Very nice lady.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
What did she say when you met her? What did
you Well?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
It was out the back of the O two in London.
It was twenty and eleven, so it was a while
ago now, And I was dressed as her, of course,
and I walked up to her and we were exactly
the same height, and she said, oh my goodness, it's
like looking into a mirror.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Was great.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
She's an amazing woman.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Well, I think it's time that we will Killy.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
You are at the number one Dolly Partner I personator,
so it would be odd if we didn't get you.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yes, we just said okay, goodbye, thanks for coming on
to radio.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
As sure as it would be odd if I asked
you the question are they real?
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Which one my fingernails?
Speaker 5 (02:48):
Of course, because they are quite convincing.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
I bounced off them a bit earlier.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Well this could you do? Would you do that for us?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
I'd love to.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Okay, Tom will set up a little medley for Kelly's
and I know you're.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Going to be performing all over the place. We'll give
those details afterwards. But I can't wait to hear you.
And that's going to happen.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
The world's best Dolly parton impersonator is joining us. She's
here right now and she's going to perform.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
For us next.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
And if you want the best impersonator in the world
of Dolly Parton, you get Kelly.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
O'Brien in she is with us right now? Are you
in full character now as Dolly?
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Well, I think I should be right because it's such
a beautiful day and I wanted to well, I wanted
to treat you both, you know, because you work so
hard on the radio. I've been listening to you since
I arrived here in Sydney. You know, you look a
lot different Jones. I mean you look younger than I thought.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
You would, because he sounded like an old coat.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
A little bit.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Yeah, and is Amanda not as pleasant as you would amage?
Speaker 4 (03:48):
It's more beautiful in real life.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
She could be my sister, aren't you sweet? Well, a
couple of things are missing, but still.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I do my best. The fingernails, yeah, that must be
you have no fingernails.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Kelly is going to be performing as Dolly and all
over the place and put all the details on us.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Well, you're ruining the magic. Now, you're breaking down the
fourth wall. Time. Kelly doesn't exist. It's all Dolly.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
It's all Dolly, and let's hear those pipes.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Who Well, of course I think I should start out
with a little bit of Jolie. You know that old
hussey that took my husband. Well, Jolie, Jolie, Doolie, jolly well,
I'm begging of you, please don't take I'm mad. Your
(04:34):
beauty is beyond compel, with fleaming locks of albin hair.
Please don't take him just because you can. Your beauty
is beyond compel, fleaming locks of robin hair, with ivy
skin and eyes of them. We're green. I've got it now.
(04:58):
Your smiling is like a breath of spread. If it's
just sharflech my reign. Well, I cannot compete with you.
Julie Well, Jolie, Jolie, Jolie, Jolie. When I'm begging of you,
please don't take my man. Jolie, Jolie, Jolie.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
And Jolie, well.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Please don't take him even though you can. All right, Jonesy,
let's sing this one together in the stream. That is
what we are, no one in between.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
How can we be wrong?
Speaker 4 (05:46):
Share away with me to another world, and we rely
on each other. Oh, thank you roll a love and
to another a huh. I love that. But of course
it wouldn't be a real morning show if we didn't do.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
This one guys, Well, good.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Morning, go to them, jumble out of bed, at the
stumbat to the kitchen for my shelf, a cup of
ambition and yawn and stretch, trying to come to live well.
I jump in the shower and the blood start pumping out.
On the street. The traffic's nuts, jumping with folks like
me on the job from nine to five. Yeah, working
(06:27):
nine two five one a way to make the lead
and barely gets here. Bye, it shall taken, and don't
get it. They'll just use your mind. They'll never give
you credit. It's enough to drive you crazy. If you
live nine two five for service and devotion, you run,
(06:51):
Thank god, I but didn't serve a fair promotion. Want
to move ahead, but the box won't seem to let me.
I swear sometimes that that is how to get me.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
But you wanted the best, You got the best, the best.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You don't want to record by singing along.
Speaker 5 (07:13):
I didn't want to record you feel like I ruined
the sanctity, even got the mouth quiver.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
I do have the mouth quiver because you got to
have everything, really to do it properly.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Oh, you are extraordinary. You are extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
You've got everything to do it proper.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
You do, and we're going to put all the details
on our socials. Is where people can come and find you.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
That was brilliant, Dolly Parton Kelly for us.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Will you know she's a lovely guy.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I don't know what she's gone. She was here before
and then she just nicked off.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I know, maybe she's hiding under the table or something.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
For tickets to check out Dolly Parton tickets dot com
dot au.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Dolly, thank you, thank you so much, and thank you
for singing.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
You called that singing. I'm not so sure.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I don't know about that.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Thank you do.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Lee
And Amanda gem Nation.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Well, it's not every day we're joined by Country Royalty.
And if you can't get Dolly Parton, you get the
very very very next best thing, and that is Kelly O'Brien,
the world's number one Dolly Parton impersonator tribute act. She
joins us this morning, looking incredibly like Dolly Parton. Hello Kelly,
good morning, Amanda and Jonesy.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
How are you very well?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
So are you Australian?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I am Australian. If I have a bit of an
English twang, that's because I left in two thousand and two.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
And how did the Dolly things start?
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Do you know what?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
I started competing at all? Remember the Merrickville Like the
rosel clubs around Sydney, the biggest one was Marrickville, and
I remember the prize money was one hundred thousand dollars.
I'm not joking. And so that's when I decided to
start impersonating different people. So I would do Kylie, Dolly,
I did a bit of Judy Garland, I could do
(00:58):
Liza Minelli and I would kind of, you know, morph
in between each of those characters. But everybody loved Dolly
the most, and I think it's because I'm five foot tall.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I grew up near in Adelaide, in McLaren Vale, and
we sang a lot of country, so the voice was
always quite countrified. And yeah, Dolly just seemed to fit
the mix. And so by the time I left Sydney.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Did you win the hundred thousand?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
No, I came forth, but I still won ten thousand.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Which was good. Who won some magician who who?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Yeah, exactlyturageous.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
But I look at you and you look exactly like Dolly.
It's quite it's quite.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Uncanny, that's right.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
And if you like, I can just do the voice
mornon as well.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
And you have been sanctioned by Dolly Parton and her family,
so you've got the full stamp of approval.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
Yes, which has been amazing.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And just recently I was shortlisted for one of fifteen
out of I think eighteen thousand people to audition for
her new musical on Broadway as well, which is super exciting.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
So you're still in the mix for that. Yes.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
And when you met we've interviewed Dolly on our show,
Very nice lady.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
What did she say when you met her? What did
you Well?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
It was out the back of the O two in London.
It was twenty and eleven, so it was a while
ago now, And I was dressed as her, of course,
and I walked up to her and we were exactly
the same height, and she said, oh my goodness, it's
like looking into a mirror.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Was great.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
She's an amazing woman.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Well, I think it's time that we will Killy.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
You are at the number one Dolly Partner I personator,
so it would be odd if we didn't get you.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yes, we just said okay, goodbye, thanks for coming on
to radio.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
As sure as it would be odd if I asked
you the question are they real?
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Which one my fingernails?
Speaker 5 (02:48):
Of course, because they are quite convincing.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
I bounced off them a bit earlier.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Well this could you do? Would you do that for us?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
I'd love to.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Okay, Tom will set up a little medley for Kelly's
and I know you're.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Going to be performing all over the place. We'll give
those details afterwards. But I can't wait to hear you.
And that's going to happen.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
The world's best Dolly parton impersonator is joining us. She's
here right now and she's going to perform.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
For us next.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
And if you want the best impersonator in the world
of Dolly Parton, you get Kelly.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
O'Brien in she is with us right now? Are you
in full character now as Dolly?
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Well, I think I should be right because it's such
a beautiful day and I wanted to well, I wanted
to treat you both, you know, because you work so
hard on the radio. I've been listening to you since
I arrived here in Sydney. You know, you look a
lot different Jones. I mean you look younger than I thought.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
You would, because he sounded like an old coat.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
A little bit.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Yeah, and is Amanda not as pleasant as you would amage?
Speaker 4 (03:48):
It's more beautiful in real life.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
She could be my sister, aren't you sweet? Well, a
couple of things are missing, but still.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I do my best. The fingernails, yeah, that must be
you have no fingernails.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Kelly is going to be performing as Dolly and all
over the place and put all the details on us.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Well, you're ruining the magic. Now, you're breaking down the
fourth wall. Time. Kelly doesn't exist. It's all Dolly.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
It's all Dolly, and let's hear those pipes.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Who Well, of course I think I should start out
with a little bit of Jolie. You know that old
hussey that took my husband. Well, Jolie, Jolie, Doolie, jolly well,
I'm begging of you, please don't take I'm mad. Your
(04:34):
beauty is beyond compel, with fleaming locks of albin hair.
Please don't take him just because you can. Your beauty
is beyond compel, fleaming locks of robin hair, with ivy
skin and eyes of them. We're green. I've got it now.
(04:58):
Your smiling is like a breath of spread. If it's
just sharflech my reign. Well, I cannot compete with you.
Julie Well, Jolie, Jolie, Jolie, Jolie. When I'm begging of you,
please don't take my man. Jolie, Jolie, Jolie.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
And Jolie, well.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Please don't take him even though you can. All right, Jonesy,
let's sing this one together in the stream. That is
what we are, no one in between.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
How can we be wrong?
Speaker 4 (05:46):
Share away with me to another world, and we rely
on each other. Oh, thank you roll a love and
to another a huh. I love that. But of course
it wouldn't be a real morning show if we didn't do.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
This one guys, Well, good.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Morning, go to them, jumble out of bed, at the
stumbat to the kitchen for my shelf, a cup of
ambition and yawn and stretch, trying to come to live well.
I jump in the shower and the blood start pumping out.
On the street. The traffic's nuts, jumping with folks like
me on the job from nine to five. Yeah, working
(06:27):
nine two five one a way to make the lead
and barely gets here. Bye, it shall taken, and don't
get it. They'll just use your mind. They'll never give
you credit. It's enough to drive you crazy. If you
live nine two five for service and devotion, you run,
(06:51):
Thank god, I but didn't serve a fair promotion. Want
to move ahead, but the box won't seem to let me.
I swear sometimes that that is how to get me.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
But you wanted the best, You got the best, the best.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You don't want to record by singing along.
Speaker 5 (07:13):
I didn't want to record you feel like I ruined
the sanctity, even got the mouth quiver.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
I do have the mouth quiver because you got to
have everything, really to do it properly.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Oh, you are extraordinary. You are extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
You've got everything to do it proper.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
You do, and we're going to put all the details
on our socials. Is where people can come and find you.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
That was brilliant, Dolly Parton Kelly for us.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Will you know she's a lovely guy.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I don't know what she's gone. She was here before
and then she just nicked off.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
I know, maybe she's hiding under the table or something.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
For tickets to check out Dolly Parton tickets dot com
dot au.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Dolly, thank you, thank you so much, and thank you
for singing.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
You called that singing. I'm not so sure.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I don't know about that.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Thank you do.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Lee
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