THE BIOGRAPHY OF DOLLY PARTON
Introduction
Dolly Parton Young Actress and country music legend Dolly Parton got her start in the industry in the 1960s performing with country superstar Porter Wagoner. After that, she went solo and had a string of hits including Joshua, Jolene, I Will Always Love You, Here You Come Again, and Islands in the Stream. Her distinctive voice and insightful lyrics have garnered her several accolades, including ten Grammys, and in 1999 she was welcomed into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She is a phenomenally talented singer-songwriter. On the big screen, she has been in 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Steel Magnolias, among others. A part of a larger chain of attractions, her Dollywood theme park was opened to the public in 1986. Recording and touring are still frequent activities for Parton.
Quick Facts
| FULL NAME | Dolly Rebecca Parton |
| BORN | January 19, 1946 |
| BIRTHPLACE | Locust Ridge, Tennessee |
| SPOUSE | Carl Dean (1966-present) |
| CHILDREN | None |
| ASTROLOGICAL SIGN | Capricorn |
The Formative Years of Dolly Parton
Birth and Childhood
In Locust Ridge, Tennessee, on January 19, 1946, to sharecropper and farmer Robert Lee Parton and Avie Lee Caroline, Dolly Rebecca Parton was born. Rural Appalachia was Parton’s humble upbringing. All twelve of her siblings were born before her mother turned thirty-five, and she was the fourth of twelve. Did her mom know she would want to be a star? Dolly Parton speculated that’s why her mom chose the name Dolly. As Parton put it, her family was “dirt poor,” and they had financial struggles from the start. Parton’s mother, who sang and played guitar, was one of Parton’s first musical influences. Additionally, she gained knowledge of music at a young age through her church performances. Prior to her reading abilities, she was already penning songs. The gift of her first guitar from a relative inspired Parton to start writing her own songs quickly. She began acting professionally at the age of 10, making appearances on local radio and television shows in Knoxville, about an hour away from her home. Parton didn’t perform at the Grand Ole Opry again until three years later. She finished high school in 1964 and immediately relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, with her sights set on a music career.An Analysis of Dolly Parton’s Career
Early Songs: Jolene and I Will Always Love You
The year 1967 was a watershed moment in Parton’s music career. Her collaboration with country music legend Porter Wagoner on The Porter Wagoner Show occurred during this period. The country music superstars Parton and Wagoner became an iconic duo, and they released a flood of famous singles. A thoughtful, visionary artist with a keen business sense—that was what some people took away from her charming attitude, small size (5 feet tall), and figure-hugging contours.
Dolly Parton has been able to amass millions of dollars in royalties by diligently guarding the publication rights to her song catalog since the beginning of her career. By collaborating with Wagoner, Parton was able to secure a recording contract with RCA Records. Parton was already a multi-hit artist when she had her 1971 No. 1 country single, Joshua, a bluegrass-influenced ballad about a love story between two lonely people. A string of No. 1 singles followed, including Jolene, a somber 1973 composition in which the protagonist begs another stunning lady to spare her lover, and I Will Always Love You, an homage to Wagoner released in 1974, the year they officially split ways as a career.
Though Elvis Presley expressed interest in recording a cover version of the song, Parton declined when Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s notorious manager, attempted to have her transfer half of the song’s copyright rights to Presley. Additional country songs during this time period included the transcendent Love Is Like a Butterfly, the thought-provoking The Bargain Store, the spiritual The Seeker, and the lively All I Can Do. She was honored with the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist Award in 1975 and 1976 for the diversity of her captivating music. Here You Come Again, Parton’s bubbly and melancholy tribute to a returning lover, was her first crossover hit in 1977. As a result of this single, the singer-songwriter not only won her first Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, but the song also topped the country charts and peaked at number three on the pop charts.
Dolly Parton has been fortunate to have numerous fruitful partnerships throughout the years. The duet she did with Kenny Rogers, Islands in the Stream, was another huge hit in 1983. They collaborated again four years later on the Grammy-winning album Trio with Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and herself.
Acting Career: 9 to 5 and Others
For Dolly Parton, the 1980s were probably the most successful decade of her career. She first appeared on screen in the Ellen DeGeneres–starring comedy 9 to 5 from 1980. Her role as a secretary in a film that highlighted the issue of discrimination in the workplace was one of three in which she and her two coworkers conspired to bring down their sexist and egotistical employer. Parton wrote and performed the score for 9 to 5, in addition to co-starring in the film. Once again, Parton’s title song was a smashing success, topping the pop and country charts. Its opening lyric is one of the most iconic in music history.
The song 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and won two Grammys for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The musical film The Best Little Whorehouse (1982) in Texas, which Parton co-starred with Dom DeLuise and Burt Reynolds, introduced her song I Will Always Love You to a new audience.
Parton co-starred with Sylvester Stallone as a country singer in the 1984 musical comedy Rhinestone, in which Stallone played a brash cab driver in New York City that Parton attempted to transform into a famous country singer. Steel Magnolias (1989), Straight Talk (1992), Unlikely Angel (1996), and Joyful Noise (2012) are just a few of Parton’s many film and television roles throughout the years. She also hosted a variety program in 1976 and again in 1987 and 1988.
Dollywood and Other Business Ventures
Dolly Parton began experimenting with different sounds and styles in the 1980s. She launched her own theme park, “Dollywood in Pigeon Forge,” Tennessee, in 1986 after throwing her substantial wealth into a number of businesses. Many people still go to the amusement park when they travel. Parton said she put money into the park because she always imagined returning to her hometown and doing something monumental that would create a lot of employment there if she became famous or accomplished what she set out to do. Dollywood boasts an annual visitor count of over three million now.
“The Dollywood Company,” of which Parton is a co-owner, owns and runs the Dollywood theme park as well as several other assets and entertainment venues. Waterpark Dollywood’s Splash Country, dinner show Dolly Parton’s Stampede, and cabins in the Smoky Mountains at Dollywood are just a few of the attractions. An estimated $165 million is Parton’s share in the Dollywood theme park, of which she owns half.
Pop Albums and Subsequent Works
The Bodyguard (1992) featured a rendition of I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton, which Whitney Houston performed. After Houston covered the song, it skyrocketed in prominence, becoming one of the best-selling songs of all time and topping the pop charts for 14 weeks. Parton’s original song had already achieved enormous success before this. Parton collaborated with Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn the following year on the album Honky Tonk Angels. In 1995, Parton and Vince Gill gave their rendition of her now-iconic I Will Always Love You a second appearance. With the assistance of Alison Krauss and Patty Loveless, Parton proceeded to investigate the music of her Appalachian heritage with The Grass Is Blue (1999). Parton received her sixth Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 1999 for this album. Shine from Parton’s 2001 album Little Sparrow was nominated for another Grammy that same year, and the same year she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Dolly Parton released Backwoods Barbie in 2008, continuing her record of songs on the subject. Two country songs, Jesus & Gravity, and Better Get to Livin’, were featured on the album. Better Day was Parton’s 2011 CD, which featured recordings of her songs from the Broadway musical version of the 9 to 5 film. In August 2020, Parton unveiled A Holly Dolly Christmas, her initial Christmas album in three decades, with notable vocalists like as Michael Bublé, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, and Willie Nelson. Amid the autumn of 2022, after receiving a nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Parton announced that she would be releasing her debut rock album, suitably named Rockstar. With guest appearances from a slew of rock stars and original compositions, this album dropped on November 17, 2023.
Literary works
Between her 1994 autobiography Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business and her 2012 book Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You, Dolly Parton has penned and published a number of books.In 2022, she collaborated with bestselling novelist James Patterson to pen the suspenseful book Run, Rose, Run, which centers around a country music hopeful.
Coat of Many Colors, a biopic about the upbringing of Dolly Parton, was broadcast in 2015 on television. Dolly Parton’s mother was played by Jennifer Nettles, while Alyvia Alyn Lind was Dolly’s younger self.
In 2020, A&E broadcasted a two-hour documentary titled Biography: Dolly, which chronicles Parton’s remarkable life story. The documentary explores her upbringing in poverty, her early experiences in Nashville, and her numerous chart-topping songs.
Awards
Parton’s career, which has lasted over seven decades, has earned her several prizes and lifetime honors. In 1999, she was honored with induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Additionally, in 2001, she was recognized for her achievements and entered into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Finally, in 2022, she received the prestigious honor of being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Parton was first upset that her music didn’t fit the rock category and didn’t think she deserved a Rock & Roll Hall nomination. However, after hearing that other artists from outside of rock had been honored and that people get a say in who gets inducted, she decided to accept.
As one of five artists honored at the 2006 Kennedy Centre Honors, Parton was singled out for particular appreciation for her artistic achievements throughout her life. There was a 50th Annual CMA Awards ceremony in 2016, where Parton was presented with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Among Parton’s many accolades are ten Grammys and the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the same organization. Parton was honored with another Grammy during the 2019 ceremony in February. Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and Kacey Musgraves were among the performers who joined her onstage for a medley of her songs. Nominated for the 54th Grammy in November 2023, Parton’s The Last Thing On My Mind will compete for Best Country Solo Performance at the 2024 Grammys in February.
For Best Original Song, Parton has received two nominations from the Academy Awards. The 1980 single 9 to 5 was her first, while the 2005 film Transamerica’s Travelin’ Thru was her second.
Dolly Parton’s Personal Life
Joining Carl Dean in 1966, Parton entered into matrimony. The Wishy Washy, a laundromat in Nashville, was where the lovers first crossed paths. They re-committed themselves to one another on their golden wedding anniversary. As far as Dolly Parton is concerned, her husband is not the type to desire to be publicly acknowledged; she has always valued and respected his need for privacy. There are no children in Parton’s family. God has a plan for everything, Parton stated in an interview in 2017, referring to her charitable work with youngsters. It was likely God’s will for her not to have children, she said, so she could be the mother to everyone’s children. Actress and singer Miley Cyrus counts Parton as her godmother.
Net Worth
Charity Endeavors
Dolly Parton has utilized her wealth to give back to the community by contributing thousands to hospitals, providing equipment and resources for classrooms, and offering scholarships for children. Many of her philanthropic gifts remain anonymous.
After years of collaborating with nonprofits, Parton finally launched her own foundation, the Dollywood Foundation, in 1996. In an effort to increase early readers’ proficiency in reading, she established Dolly’s Imagination Library, which distributes over ten million books to kids every year.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding towns were ravaged by devastating wildfires in 2016, and Dolly Parton was instrumental in raising $12.5 million to aid the victims and rebuild the area. She counseled Oprah and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as they initiated a comparable effort following the Maui fires of 2023.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dolly Parton gave $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, which went towards funding the early stages of developing the Moderna vaccine. Parton updated her hit song Jolene to include the words “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine.” She then publicly pushed her fans to get vaccinated and recorded a video of herself getting the shot.