Ex-Bad Wolves Guitarist Shares New Statement on Dolly Cover

Former Bad Wolves guitarist AJ Rebollo has issued a followup statement, clarifying his past comments on the band’s Dolly Parton cover of “Jolene” and his decision to exit the band as a result. Allen Kovac, the founder of the group’s label, Better Noise, also weighed in.

Late last week, it was revealed that Bad Wolves were planning on issuing their cover of “Jolene.” Rebollo issued a lengthy statement that was critical of the decision making to release the song in the wake of Parton’s death last week at the age of 80 and cited it as the “final nail in the coffin” for his time with the group.

But in a new statement on Instagram, Rebollo confessed that after some internal conversations, he learned that some assumptions he’d made weren’t entirely true and that he felt the need to clarify matters further. He also expressed that his intent was solely to announce his exit and that he did not intend for the narrative to shift away from the song’s release and ultimate philanthropic goal.

What Did AJ Rebollo Say in Clarifying His Stance on Bad Wolves’ Dolly Parton Cover?

While Rebollo initially called out the band’s label for moving forward with releasing the Dolly Parton cover and sharing that the group had “blatantly expressed our opposition,” he has now noted that the label proceeded with the cover with the blessing of Dolly Parton’s team.

In addition, Bad Wolves founding member John Boecklin had also given the go ahead for the release, something that Rebollo was not aware of when making his past comments.

The guitarist cited the communication within the band having been an ongoing issue that contributed to his decision to leave, but he also owned his role in not following up with management to confirm his speculation.

In the new statement, Rebollo put the spotlight back on the song and the good it will do with the band donating the proceeds to Parton’s Imagination Library organization.

Read Rebollo’s complete statement directly below.

I would like to follow up on my post the other day regarding my leave from Bad Wolves and say once again that this was NOT in any way a call to arms against Bad Wolves, or Better Noise. I would like to clarify some discrepancies regarding the flow of information and try to shift the focus to the positives here.

My stated stance and beliefs surrounding the matter were never meant to take away from the GOOD that will undeniably come from this — that being the fact that the proceeds from the cover of ‘Jolene’ will go to Dolly’s Imagination Library. The point was to state my decision to leave, nothing more, nothing less, but I am now aware of the fact that my words have caused something far greater than the original intent.

At the end of the day, the band and label did, in fact, have the blessing of Dolly’s team to move forward with the cover, despite the fact that Dolly could no longer be involved, as previously planned. On top of that, John [Boecklin], who is the head of Bad Wolves pertaining to all things business related, and the contractually-obligated owner of the band, did dive the green light to move forward with the release when the time came. This is something that was unknown to me, which inadvertently made my statement regarding the band being a united front in opposing the release, frankly false.

The communication within this band has always been a hindrance, but I also acknowledge the fact that I dropped the ball on gathering all necessary information, when I honestly could have done so just calling Allen Kovac (chairman of Better Noise) directly. I will absolutely take full responsibility for that.

No, regardless of any disagreements I may have had with the label prior, or me leaving the band, there is no denying the fact that the proceeds from this track will bring about something great for Imagination Library and the kids who will receive books from the foundation. After a lengthy and very productive conversation with Allen Kovac, I see how my statement is unintentionally taking away from a cause that is far greater than any disagreement.

I am not retracting my departure, but I would like to, once again, encourage everybody upset by this to acknowledge the fact that Dolly’s team, wanted this decision to come to fruition. So at the end of the day, it is no one else’s place to oppose that.

I did not intend for this to spark some sort of outright conflict. In a time where people tend to see things as black and white in regards to politics, social issues, etc., we should not constantly allow ourselves to be blind to the positive that can undoubtedly coexist among the discourse.

What Did Better Noise Chairman Allen Kovac Say in Response?

The Instagram post also came with a statement from Better Noise chairman Allen Kovac, who praised Rebollo for his decision to clarify his previous comments.

Kovac’s comments read as follows:

It takes immense courage to publicly stand up, acknowledge a mistake, and set the record straight—especially in today’s fast-paced media landscape. I want to fully commend AJ for having the integrity and bravery to address the misinformation regarding the Bad Wolves and Dolly Parton collaboration.
Mistakes happen, but it is the accountability afterward that defines someone’s character. By issuing this correction, AJ is ensuring that the focus remains entirely on what matters most: honoring a music legend and supporting the incredible work of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. I fully support him in resetting this narrative and thank him for his honesty.”

All is well over here. Keep the negativity to yourselves.

About Bad Wolves Cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’

Bad Wolves went ahead and released their cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” on Monday (Aug. 31). The band previously shared in a press release that they’d recorded a cover of the hit weeks prior to Parton’s death, further revealing that the country icon actually intended to appear on the track with them.

“Our new singer [Sara “Killboy” Skinner] is a big fan of Dolly and had posted a bunch of videos of her covering ‘Jolene.’ So we decided to make a heavy metal cover version for our next album,” drummer John Boecklin said.

READ MORE: Best Rock + Metal Covers of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’

“On hearing our version, our label CEO Dan Waite sent the finished demo to Dolly’s manager Danny Nozell with a request for Dolly to guest feature on our version. We heard back that Danny had played the track to Dolly and that Dolly loved our version and that Dolly was going to go into the studio and add her vocals very soon.”

Parton’s manager issued a quote on Bad Wolves’ cover, stating,

Dolly was a champion of artists pushing musical boundaries. She listened to the Bad Wolves arrangement of ‘Jolene’ weeks ago, gave it her full blessing and was incredibly excited to collaborate on it. Releasing this track on Monday as a tribute – with proceeds directly supporting her beloved Imagination Library – is exactly what Dolly and her team wanted.

Check out the cover below.

Bad Wolves, “Jolene”

See the most-played cover songs in rock and metal in the gallery below.