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When you work for Dolly Parton, you stay busy.

The country music star and American icon, 76, has a lot going on. On this November day, it’s a movie premiering, a round of interviews, more Doggy Parton merchandise and an upcoming rock album — plus a New Year’s Eve special with goddaughter Miley Cyrus.

So her creative director, Steve Summers, does not have time for a formal interview. “We’ll do it on the go,” I was told before arriving in Nashville, Tennessee.

“I’m on the phone,” Summers, 58, whispers after he pulls up to the curb and I get into his car at the airport. “I’ve got a reporter for PEOPLE in the car now. Don’t say anything crazy — he’s writing a story about me,” he then jokes to his 22-year-old son Jaxx, who doesn’t miss a beat: “That’s a good story,” he says.

It is. Summers is in charge of anything involving Parton’s clothing and aesthetic — how she looks on tour, on magazine covers, at last month’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, on the Home Shopping Network selling perfume — falls under his purview. (Even her pajamas come from Summers’ studio. “It’s my job to always keep Dolly’s integrity,” he says. “She just wants to look appropriate.”)

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