A year in the making, this album of era-defining songs from the 1960s and 1970s is an astonishing collection of indispensable classics, performed in Dolly Parton's signature style with a top-notch list of friends.

Parton, who produced the album, invited several of the artists who wrote or made these songs famous to sing with her. Renowned musicians Roger McGuinn (of the Byrds), Kris Kristofferson, Judy Collins, and Tommy James make appearances on Those Were the Days. She also asked recent chart-topping artists Norah Jones, Keith Urban, Nickel Creek, Lee Ann Womack, Rhonda Vincent, Joe Nichols, and Alison Krauss to join her in the studio.

The Country Music Hall of Famer, Grammy winner, and Oscar nominee said, "I am really very proud of this album. I love all of these songs and all of the artists who performed, it just felt special from the moment the concept came to my mind. I knew I had to produce it myself in order to get all of my ideas across exactly as I wanted them to be presented. I really hope people enjoy it. I know I enjoyed making it."
Recorded in Nashville, Those Were the Days retains the bluegrass-inspired sound that earned her two Grammys and a new generation of fans for her previous four albums on Sugar Hill Records. The album includes a group sing featuring a menagerie of Grand Ole Opry legends. Capping off the album is Parton's unique version of "Imagine."

Those Were the Days is the forty-first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on October 11, 2005, by Sugar Hill Records and Blue Eye Records. The album is a collection of covers of 1960s and 1970s folk and pop songs performed in a bluegrass style, some featuring the artists who originally recorded them. Parton supported the album with The Vintage Tour from August through December 2005.

Judy Collins – "Both Sides Now"
David Foster – "Imagine"
Mary Hopkin – "Those Were the Days"
Yusef Islam – "Where Do the Children Play"
Tommy James – "Crimson and Clover"
Norah Jones – "Where Have All the Flowers Gone"
Alison Krauss – "The Cruel War"
Kris Kristofferson – "Me and Bobby McGee"
Roger McGuinn – "Turn, Turn, Turn"
Moscow Circus – special guest "Those Were the Days"
Joe Nichols – "If I Were a Carpenter"
Nickel Creek — "Blowin' in the Wind"
Mindy Smith – "The Cruel War"
Dan Tyminski – "The Cruel War"
Keith Urban – "Twelfth of Never"
Rhonda Vincent – "Both Sides Now"
Porter Wagoner – guest vocals on "Those Were the Days"
Lee Ann Womack – "Where Have All the Flowers Gone"

David Angell – strings
Monisa Angell – strings
Sam Bush – mandolin
David Davidson – strings
Richard Dennison – toy piano, Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer
Stuart Duncan – fiddle
Terry Eldridge – acoustic guitar
Conni Ellisor – strings
David Foster – piano
Dave Fowler – bass
Jim Grosjean – strings
Andy Hall – dobro, harp
Jim Hoke – harmonica
Paul Hollowell – piano
Tom Howard – strings
Yusef Islam – acoustic guitar
Tommy James – electric guitar
Jack Jezioro – strings
Viktor Krauss – bowed bass
Anthony LaMarchina – strings
Bob Mater – drums, percussion
Jimmy Mattingly – fiddle
Roger McGuinn – electric guitar
Tony Rice – acoustic guitar
Danny Roberts – mandolin
Carole Robinowitz – strings
Pam Sixfin – strings
Terry Smith – bass
Tony Smith – percussion
Bryan Sutton – acoustic guitar
Joey Schmidt – accordion
David Talbot – banjo
Chris Thile – mandolin
Ilya Toshinsky – banjo, dulcimer, mandolika
Alan Umstead – strings
Catherine Umstead – strings
Gary Vonosdale – strings
Mary Kathryn Vonosdale – strings
Dr. Ming Wang – Er-hu
Jay Weaver – bass
Kent Wells – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string accent, 6-string bass

Background vocals

Richard Dennison, Terry Eldredge, Andy Hall, Vicki Hampton, Jamie Johnson, Jennifer O'Brien, Danny Roberts, David Talbot, Chuck Tilley, Kent Wells
The Opry Gang (Jack Greene, George Hamilton IV, Jan Howard, George Jones, Brenda Lee, Mel McDaniel, Jimmy C. Newman, Jeannie Seely, Pam Tillis, Billy Walker)
Choir (Robert Bailey, Lisa Bevill, Drew Cline, Lisa Cochran, Angela Cruz, Kim Fleming, Duane Hamilton, Vicki Hampton, John Mark Ivey)
Children's choir/Kid Connection, Inc. (Kristin Bauer, Callie Cryar, Phoebe Cryar, Katherine Stewart, Emily Webb, Anna Wilson)