How the Dallas Cowboys landed Dolly Parton for their Thanksgiving Day halftime show

It took a while, but for the Dallas Cowboys great things are worth the wait.

Dolly Parton will take the stage during halftime of the annual Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game at AT&T Stadium. Since 1997, the Cowboys have used their holiday halftime concert as a national showcase to kick off The Salvation Army’s iconic Red Kettle Campaign.

The halftime show is a passion project for Charlotte Jones, the Cowboys’ chief brand officer and executive vice president. Jones knows a superstar the caliber of Parton will put on a fantastic show for the more than 90,000 fans who will attend the Commanders-Cowboys game while also bringing additional awareness for The Salvation Army’s campaign.

“We are so excited to have the privilege of hosting Dolly on Thanksgiving Day and for several years we’ve approached her team about the possibility of coming,” Jones said before the Cowboys-Chargers game on Monday night in Los Angeles. For years, because of scheduling conflicts, it never aligned. But earlier this year when she came to town for the ACMs at The Star in Frisco, everything came together in terms of working with her people and the conversations that had been planted along the way.”

Parton co-hosted the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards show with Garth Brooks in May.

“It all materialized when she was in Frisco in May and saw everything,” Jones said. “She got really excited about it. She’s launching her new album in November and everything coincided nicely. And now we’re thrilled she’s actually coming for Thanksgiving Day to AT&T Stadium with all her rhinestones and all her personality and all her flair.

“We’ll see a show that nobody has seen before because she has this effort with her new Rockstar album, so expect to see a lot of sparkle and everything in The Dolly Way.”

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will perform alongside Parton.

“The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are probably the most excited they have been in a long time for an artist,” Jones said. “They, along with everyone in our organization — as well as football fans around the country — have so much respect for Dolly. It really is going to be a great show.

“Honestly, I don’t know who is more excited: the cheerleaders or my dad [Jerry Jones]! He’s like, ‘We have really landed it this time!’

“We’re all very happy, but what makes it even more special is the fact that everything culminates in support of The Salvation Army. The halftime show Dolly will perform is the launch of the annual Red Kettle Kickoff and is used to raise awareness for the millions of people in need across the country and what The Salvation Army does to provide Thanksgiving and Christmas and shelter for so many.”

For 27 seasons, the Jones family has dedicated the Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving halftime performance as the kickoff for The Salvation Army’s campaign. Although performers from a broad musical spectrum have taken the stage over the years at Texas Stadium and later AT&T Stadium, country music has prominently been featured.

The first Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day concert in 1997 starred Reba McEntire, followed by Randy Travis in 1998 and Clint Black in 1999.

Last year’s show featured pop-rock superstars with a hometown tie: Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It was the second time the Jonas Brothers spent their holiday performing for The Salvation Army. The brothers previously performed at halftime of the Cowboys’ win over the Seahawks in 2008. Thanksgiving Day has also included these artists with ties to North Texas: Jessica Simpson (2000), LeAnn Rimes (2002), Kelly Clarkson (2007), and Selena Gomez (2013).

Jones, the first woman to serve as chair of The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board, came up with the idea of turning the team’s Thanksgiving halftime into a spectacle akin to the Super Bowl’s halftime show. And while Jones always dreams big, she could not have imagined over 27 years ago that her idea would help the Red Kettle Campaign raise an estimated $3.56 billion (and counting).

“We’re just so grateful that Dolly Parton supports The Salvation Army, as do the artists we’ve partnered with over the years,” Jones said. “And we’re grateful for the generosity of Cowboys who show their support every time they place a donation into one of the red kettles that will be popping up around our community during the holidays. Thanks to Dolly, this year we can reach a really broad national audience which will help The Salvation Army continue to ‘Do the Most Good’ for people who need a helping hand.”

Thanksgiving Day halftime performers

Here is the full list of Cowboys halftime performers on Thanksgiving Day: Jonas Brothers (2022), Luke Combs (2021), Kane Brown (2020), Ellie Goulding (2019), Meghan Trainor (2018), Thomas Rhett (2017), Eric Church (2016), Luke Bryan (2015), Pitbull (2014), Selena Gomez (2013), Enrique Iglesias (2011), Keith Urban (2010), Daughtry (2009), Jonas Brothers (2008), Kelly Clarkson (2007), Carrie Underwood (2006), Sheryl Crow (2005), Destiny’s Child (2004), Toby Keith (2003), LeAnn Rimes (2002), Creed (2001), Jessica Simpson and Billy Gilman (2000), Clint Black (1999), Randy Travis (1998) and Reba McEntire (1997).

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