Dolly Parton Biography

Dolly Parton is a cultural icon whose powerful vocal and songwriting skills have established her as a presence on the pop and country music charts for decades.

Who is Dolly Parton?

Born January 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, Dolly Parton was one of 12 children. After high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue music and immediately found success with country star Porter Wagoner, before embarking on a solo career marked by hit songs like "Joshua," "Jolene," " The bargain shop", "I always will". Love You", "Here You Come Again", "9 to 5" and "Islands in the Stream", among many others. A highly-skilled singer/songwriter known for thoughtful storytelling and distinctive vocals, she has won many major awards and was included in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. She has also starred in such films as 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, and opened her Dollywood theme park in 1986. Parton continues to record and tour regularly.

Early life

Country music icon and actress Dolly Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Parton grew up poor in rural Appalachia. She was one of 12 children, and money was always an issue for her family. His first exposure to music came from family members, including his mother, who sang and played the guitar. At a young age, he also learned about music while performing at church.

Parton received her first guitar from a relative and soon began writing her own songs. At age 10, he began acting professionally, appearing on local television and radio shows in Knoxville. Parton made her Grand Ole Opry debut three years later. With a career in music, he moved to Nashville after finishing high school.

Success of Porter Wagoner and Soloist

Parton's singing career really began to take off in 1967. Around this time, she teamed up with Porter Wagoner on The Porter Wagoner Show. Parton and Wagoner became a popular duo and the pair recorded a host of country hits together. Much to her shapely curves, petite stature and warm personality, which to some belied a thoughtful and visionary artist with a strong business sense. Since her first career, Parton has protected the publishing rights to her catalog of songs, earning her millions in royalties.

Parton's work with Wagoner also helped her land a contract with RCA Records. After having had several charting singles, Parton scored her first No. 1 country hit in 1971 with "Joshua," a bluegrass-inspired song about two lonely figures finding love. More No. 1 hits followed in the mid-'70s, including "Jolene," a haunting single in which a woman begs another beautiful woman not to take her man, and "I Will Always Love You" &#x2014 ; a tribute to Wagoner when the two broke up professionally. Other country hits from this era included the ethereal "Love Is Like a Butterfly," the provocative "The Bargain Store," the spiritual "The Seeker," and the upbeat "All I Can Do." For the scope of her compelling work, she won the Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist in 1975 and 1976.

In 1977, Parton had her first crossover hit with the bittersweet, bittersweet ode to a returning lover, "Here You Come Again." The song reached the top of the country charts, as well as number 3 on the pop charts, and also scored the singer/songwriter's first Grammy Award, specifically for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female. More emotionally driven No. 1 country hits followed, including "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right," "Heartbreaker," and "Starting Over," a ballad penned by disco star Donna Summer.

Film Debut and No. 1 Hit: 'from 9 to 5'

Parton perhaps reached the height of her mainstream success in the 1980s. She not only starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the hit 1980 comedy 9 to 5, which marked her feature film debut, but she also contributed to its soundtrack. . The title song, with one of the most memorable opening lines in popular music history, proved to be another No. 1 hit for Parton on both the pop and country charts and earned her an Academy Award nomination. Parton then starred with Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1982, which helped introduce a new generation to her song "I Will Always Love You." The following year he had another big hit with "Islands in the Stream," his duet with Kenny Rogers.

Around this time, Parton branched out in a new direction. He opened his own theme park called Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1986. The amusement park remains a popular tourist destination to this day.

 'I will always love you'

Over the years, Parton has enjoyed many other successful collaborations. He recorded the Grammy-winning album Trio with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt in 1987. In 1992, his song & # x201C; I Will Always Love You & # x201D; It was recorded by Whitney Houston for the movie The Bodyguard. Houston's version catapulted Parton's song into a new stratosphere of popularity, with the single sitting atop the charts for 14 weeks and becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. & # x201C; When Whitney did it, I got all the money for publishing and writing, and I bought a lot of cheap wigs, & # x201D; she told Anderson Cooper when he asked her how she had spent her royalties from the song. Then in 1993 Parton joined Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette for Honky Tonk Angels. Parton revisited her song, "I Will Always Love You", in 1995 as a duet with Vince Gill.

Parton explored the music of her Appalachian roots with The Grass Is Blue (1999) with a little help from talents like Alison Krauss and Patty Loveless. The record won a Grammy (Parton's sixth) for best bluegrass album in 1999. Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and won another Grammy the following year for the song "Shine" from the 2001 album Little Sparrow.

Continuing to write and record, Parton released Backwoods Barbie in 2008. The album featured two country singles, "Better Get to Livin'" and "Jesus & Gravity". Parton got into a public feud with satellite radio jock Howard Stern around this time. She was upset after he aired a segment in which previous spoken recordings were doctored to make it look like he was making obscene statements.

Lifetime honors and screen projects

In 2006, Dolly Parton received special recognition for her lifetime contributions to the arts as one of five artists featured at the annual Kennedy Center Honors. He also earned a second Academy Award nomination for the song "Travelin' Thru," which was featured on 2005's Transamerica soundtrack.

Over the years, Parton has continued to work as an actress in a variety of film and television projects including Rhinestone (1984), Steel Magnolias (1989), Straight Talk (1992), Unlikely Angel (1996), Frank McKlusky, I.C. (2002) and Happy Noise (2012), after having hosted his own variety show in 1976 and 1987-88. At the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards in 2016, Parton was honored as the recipient of the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

In early 2018, just before the music icon's 72nd birthday, a press release from Sony Music revealed that he was still setting records and garnering accolades. In addition to receiving gold and platinum certification for some of her songs, Parton was honored with the Governors' Award at the 32nd Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards. Additionally, she was recognized in the 2018 Guinness World Records edition for her achievements of most decades with a Top 20 hit on Billboard & # x2019; Hot Country Songs chart (six) and more hits on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist (107).

After being honored by the Grammys with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, Parton received another tribute during the awards show in February 2019, with the likes of Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Kacey Musgraves joining her on stage to sing. a mix of their hits

Books and biopics

After writing so many of her own hits, Parton penned the songs for a new musical based on her hit workplace comedy, 9 to 5. The Show, which stars Allison Janney (who won a Tony for the role). , ran on Broadway for several months in 2009.

Parton has shown no signs of slowing down. In 2011, she released Better Day, which did well on the country album charts. In 2012, Parton published her book. DREAM MORE: Celebrate the dreamer in you. She is also the author of the memoirs. Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business (1994).

"I think I've been around so long that [my audience] has gotten to know me, they know I'm not judgmental. They know I like everyone. I want to be accepted by myself, and I not only accept but celebrate the difference in everyone." -Dolly Parton

The TV movie Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors, a biopic about the singer's childhood, aired in 2015. It starred Alyvia Alyn Lind as young Dolly and Sugarland star Jennifer Nettles as Parton's mother. The following year, Parton had her first No. 1 country album in over 25 years with the Pure & Simple set, supported by a North American tour. The 2016 holiday season also saw the broadcast of the biopic sequel Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.

In June 2018, Netflix announced that they would be producing a Dolly Parton anthology series, set to premiere in 2019. Each of the eight episodes will be based on one of Parton's songs, with the iconic performer slated to executive produce and appear in select episodes.

Philanthropy

Dolly Parton has worked with charities in support of numerous causes over the years and established her own Dollywood Foundation in 1996. With the goal of improving literacy among young children, she created Dolly's Imagination Library, a program which donates more than 10 million children's books annually. "They call me the Book Lady. That's what little kids say when they get their books in the mail," she told The Washington Post in 2006. "They think I bring them in and put them in the mailbox, like Peter Rabbit or something like that. & # x201D;

Although many of her charitable contributions are anonymous, Parton has used her success to give back to her community by providing scholarships for children, donating thousands to hospitals, and providing technology and supplies for classrooms.