Dolly Parton Jokes About ‘Old Town Road’ With Throwback Photo of Billy Ray Cyrus

Dolly Parton is going way back in time with a new throwback photo she shared on Instagram. The country music icon posted a black and white photo of Billy Ray Cyrus sharing a microphone with Parton, when Cyrus looks young enough to be just starting out his music career, making a reference to Cyrus’ current hit in the post.

“Before he took his horse down to the Old Town Road,” Parton quipped, using the smiley face emoji.

Parton and Cyrus have been close for decades. In addition to Cyrus joining Parton on her 1993 single, “Romeo,” Parton was also chosen to be the godmother for Cyrus’ famous daughter, Miley Cyrus, when Miley was born. Parton remains a fan of Miley, even though she doesn’t always understand some of the young woman’s antics.

“I think they just want to be part of that whole movement to make people think that they’re so free and all that. But I don’t really know how they feel inside. I know how I feel inside,” Parton told The Sun. “Miley, she does a lot of stuff for effect, and I think a lot of them do.”

Parton hasn’t spoken out about Miley’s split from actor Liam Hemsworth, but she did hint that she thinks Miley, and other stars of her generation, would be wise to not share their entire lives with the public.

“For me, I’m still an old timer,” Parton acknowledged. “Sometimes I think it’s just become kind of fashionable to speak out like that. I think some of them even say more than who they really are.”

Cyrus joined Lil Nas X for the surprise global hit, “Old Town Road,” this year, which spent a record-breaking 19 weeks at the top of the charts.

“This song has been a uniter not a divider,” Cyrus said of “Old Town Road.” “I’m giving God the glory now for allowing me the gift to be part of such a special song. It’s a unique moment in time where people from all over the world and all walks of life find they have more in common than they do different. It’s a moment we’ve all shared and I’m grateful for it.”

“Old Town Road” might have been controversial for some, but not for Cyrus.

“I just love making music,” Cyrus shared with PopCulture.com. “I love all styles of music and always have. For me, a whole lot of what I’m going through right now, I attribute a lot of it to some of the guys that really became my true friends, like Waylon Jennings.

“The first time I tweeted Lil Nas back after I heard that he was looking for me, I told him that Waylon had told me that definition of an outlaw is one who had been outlawed,” he added. “And welcome to the club.”

Photo Credit: Getty images / Michael Kovac