Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in a two-room log cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Pittman Center, Tennessee. The fourth of twelve children born to Avie Lee Caroline Owens and Robert Lee Parton Sr., Dolly grew up in poverty in East Tennessee's Smoky Mountains. Her father worked as a sharecropper and tobacco farmer, while her mother, despite poor health, maintained the household and shared Smoky Mountain folklore and ancient ballads with her children. Parton has credited her father for her business acumen and her mother's family for her musical abilities. She began performing publicly at age six in church, started playing a homemade guitar at seven, and received her first real guitar from her uncle at eight. After graduating from Sevier County High School in 1964, she moved to Nashville the next day to pursue her music career.

Songwriting Success and Breakthrough

Parton's initial success came as a songwriter rather than a performer. After signing with Combine Publishing, she co-wrote several charting singles with her uncle Bill Owens, including Top 10 hits for Bill Phillips. In 1965, she signed with Monument Records but was initially pitched as a bubblegum pop singer. The label eventually allowed her to record country material after her composition "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" reached number six on the country chart in 1966. Her first country single, "Dumb Blonde," charted at number 24 in 1967, followed by "Something Fishy" at number 17. These songs appeared on her debut album, "Hello, I'm Dolly," launching a career spanning six decades.

Rise to Stardom and Crossover Success

In 1967, Porter Wagoner invited Parton to join his syndicated television show, leading to a six-year partnership that produced numerous Top 10 duets. Her 1974 breakthrough single "Jolene" topped the country chart and reached number seven in the UK, while "I Will Always Love You" became a country chart-topper that year. Notably, Parton refused to sign over half the publishing rights when Elvis Presley wanted to record the song—a decision that ultimately netted her millions in royalties. Beginning in the mid-1970s, Parton pursued a strategic crossover campaign, working with pop producer Gary Klein on her 1977 album "Here You Come Again," which became her first million-seller and reached number 20 on the pop chart. Her 1980 theme song for the film "9 to 5," in which she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, reached number one on country, pop, and adult-contemporary charts simultaneously, earning an Academy Award nomination.

Enduring Legacy and Cultural Impact

Parton has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She holds the record for 25 number-one singles on the Billboard country chart (tied with Reba McEntire) and 44 career Top 10 country albums—a record for any artist. Her songwriting prowess is legendary; she has composed over 3,000 songs, including classics such as "Coat of Many Colors" and "Jolene." Whitney Houston's 1992 rendition of "I Will Always Love You" for "The Bodyguard" soundtrack became a global phenomenon with over twelve million copies sold. Parton has received eleven Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, nominations for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award, and numerous lifetime achievement honors including the Kennedy Center Honors (2006) and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2011).

Business Ventures and Philanthropy

Beyond music, Parton built a business empire through The Dollywood Company, which operates the Dollywood theme park—the 24th-most-popular in the United States with three million annual visitors—along with Splash Country water park and dinner theaters. She founded the Dollywood Foundation to address education and poverty relief in East Tennessee. In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after initially declining, and in 2023 released her first rock album, "Rockstar," which became her highest-charting Billboard 200 album at number three. Her 2025 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recognition underscores her decades of philanthropic work and cultural influence as one of entertainment's most beloved and respected figures.