My Dolly Parton Story

The first time I heard Dolly Parton’s music was as a child. I used go into our living room and play my parents’ records. My Dad, a country music fan, owned a few Dolly Parton albums: Jolene, Best of Dolly Parton, and Trio, her first collaboration with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. I can still remember playing those records and listening to Jolene, I Will Always Love You, and Travelin’ Man. At 7 or 8 years old, I was no music critic, but the catchiness and raw emotion of those songs drew me to them. It was also around this time that the movie 9-to-5 came out, and the title song played frequently on the radio, a very appealing and popular song to this day.

A few years later, I had forgotten all about Dolly and country music. I was in a new phase of life where Top 40 was king. Like most white suburban kids at the time, Def Leppard’s Pyromania, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and Madonna’s self-titled debut album all captured my attention. By comparison, country music seemed corny and outdated. Pop and rock were where it was at.

I didn’t give Dolly Parton’s music much thought again until 1992.  I don’t remember what led me to see it, but I went to see a little movie called Straight Talk, starring Dolly Parton and James Woods. The script was a bit predictable, but it was a pleasant enough movie. The songs though—those were fantastic! I later learned Dolly Parton wrote most of them herself. I remember buying the soundtrack. My favorite song was Light of a Clear Blue Morning, an upbeat song that was part pop, part gospel and part country. It was only last month that I learned this was an old song she had recycled. I listened to this album for a few months and then moved on, as is my custom to this day.

Over the years, I heard about Dolly here and there, but never really followed her career. In the early 2000s, I went to the Smoky Mountains on vacation and drove by Dollywood and a few other Dolly-themed venues but never stopped. I was told at that time that she had a program where she provided books to every child born in Sevierville, her hometown, something that surprised and impressed me. It was only after her death that I learned her Imagination Library actually sends books to kids around the world.

Fast forward to Covid. I learned about Dolly helping to fund the vaccine. It was around this time that many other stories of her charitable acts came to light.  I began to see Dolly not as just a country music artist who dabbled in acting, but as a wealthy philanthropist with a big heart.

When the news broke a month ago of Dolly’s passing, I, like many others, found myself reading many posts and news articles about the late singer. Having been to the Smoky Mountains many times, I was intrigued by stories of her impoverished upbringing. I began to read more about her. I read a wonderful biography titled Ain’t Nobody’s Fool by Martha Ackmann, as well as series of stories about her family written by her older sister, Willadeene. What I came to find out is that Dolly Parton was more complicated, intelligent, giving, and talented than I had ever imagined.

As I read the many stories that inspired her songs, I listened to more of her music. I listened to many songs I had never heard before, as well as those I had heard, like Coat of Many Colors, with a whole new appreciation. Even my kindergartner now frequently requests her music, citing the "ones that are stories" like Crackerjack, about her childhood dog, as her favorites.

While I still am unsure whether “destiny” is really a thing, more than ever, I am convinced that Dolly’s life was pre-ordained. Below are a list of facts about Dolly that I only recently learned. I hope you enjoy discovering them as much as I did.

• Dolly began singing on television at the age of ten on the Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour, a local Knoxville TV program. For her singing, she earned $5 a week, which was more than her father made in a day at the time.
• Dolly recorded her first song, “Puppy Love” at the age of 13. She co-wrote it with her uncle, Bill Owens, who drove her to Lake Charles, Louisiana to record it.
• When Dolly was in high school, she used to ride around town with her friends and play guitar in the back of her best friend’s station wagon, composing songs.
• At Dolly Parton’s high school graduation, each student had to stand up and announce their post-high school plans after receiving their diploma. When Dolly announced that she planned to go to Nashville and become a country music star, there was dead silence followed by a few snickers.
• Dolly packed up her clothes and moved to Nashville the day after her high school graduation. She stayed with her Uncle Bill and his wife until she found work and moved out.
• The same day Dolly moved to Nashville, she met her husband, Carl Dean, outside of a wishy-washy (Tennessee lingo for “laundromat”). She knew he was different right away because he looked at her eyes (not her chest) and genuinely wanted to know who she was.
• Dolly and Carl got married secretly after two years of dating. Dolly’s career was just starting to blossom, and her recording company didn’t want her to be tied down.
• Dolly got her first big break singing on the Porter Wagoner show. She and Porter had a very contentious relationship and fought constantly. Years later, when Porter was having a difficult time financially, he asked Dolly if she would purchase his catalog. She did. Once back on his feet, Porter asked Dolly if he could buy back his catalog. Dolly said no, you cannot buy it back, but I will give it back to you. And she did.
• Dolly knows how to play ~20 different instruments and has written more than 3,000 songs without knowing how to write a single note of sheet music.
• Elvis Presley wanted to record I Will Always Love You, but his manager insisted Elvis get 50% of the publishing rights. Dolly was heartbroken to turn down Elvis, but she knew this was her biggest hit song, and she didn’t want to share any of the publishing. Fifteen years later, Dolly would earn around 10 million dollars in royalties from that song after Whitney Houston made it a big hit.
• Dolly and her husband Carl never had any children, but Dolly was aunt to many nieces and nephews. They called her Aunt Granny.
• Dolly has done collaborations with many artists outside of country music, including Post Malone, Pitbull, Beyonce, and Galantis.
• Dolly would likely have been a billionaire were it not for the massive amounts of money she donated to various causes.