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Fans of country music legend Dolly Parton are eagerly awaiting the November 2024 release of 'Smoky Mountain DNA — Family, Faith & Fables,' the singer's latest album and one which explores her family's roots and legacy. Parton released her first album way back in 1966, and has never really looked back... until now. The new album features 37 tracks with vocals from Parton and various members of her extended family. It's perhaps relevant, then, to revisit the life and career of one of country music's most successful stars.
Click through and discover more about Dolly Parton, a country music icon.
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee. The fourth of 12 children, Parton was born into relative poverty and sought solace in the guitar, which she first started playing at age seven.
Parton began performing as a child. In 1964, soon after graduating high school, she set out to Nashville to pursue a career in music.
The following year, she signed with Monument Records. A single, a pop tune called 'Happy, Happy Birthday Baby,' charted but failed to make the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1966, Dolly Parton released her first country single, 'Dumb Blonde,' which appeared on her 1967 debut studio album, 'Hello, I'm Dolly.'
It was also in 1967 that the burgeoning country singer was invited by Porter Wagoner to join his organization. The deal included a regular spot on Wagoner's weekly syndicated television program 'The Porter Wagoner Show,' and in his popular road show.
Wagoner convinced his label, RCA Victor, to sign Parton. Her first single under the label was a duet with Wagoner, a remake of Tom Paxton's 'The Last Thing on My Mind.' The song heralded a six-year streak of virtually uninterrupted top 10 singles for the pair.
Meanwhile, the singer was finding her feet as a songwriter. 'The Fairest of Them All,' released in 1970, was the first of Parton's albums on which she wrote the majority of the songs without a co-writer.
In February 1971, Dolly Parton enjoyed her first number-one single, 'Joshua.'
'Joshua' was the first single and title track from the album 'Joshua.' The song was significant in so far as it was Parton's first single to reach the top of the US country charts.
Parton released her signature song, 'Coat of Many Colors,' in September 1971. It charted at number four. More solo success followed, in addition to her ever-popular duets with Wagoner.
A career turning point was reached in 1974 with the release of 'Jolene.' A huge hit for Parton, its success prompted the decision to leave Wagoner's organization.
'Jolene' was taken from the album of the same name. It also included 'I Will Always Love You,' which also reached the top of the country chart. Many years later, Whitney Houston recorded a pop ballad arrangement of the song for the 1992 film 'The Bodyguard.'
The mid-1970s saw Parton embark on a high-profile crossover campaign, embracing more of a pop sound in an effort to attract a wider, mainstream audience.
The move proved lucrative. Indeed, 1977's 'Here You Come Again' saw Dolly Parton enjoy her first million-seller, topping the country album chart and reaching number 20 on the pop chart.
Expressing her humorous side, the country singer posed as a Playboy bunny in 1978. The portrait appeared on the front cover of the magazine in October of that year to promote an exclusive interview with the star.
As if to underline her broader appeal, the theme song to the 1980 feature film '9 to 5' not only reached number one on the country chart, but in February 1981 it reached number one on the pop and the adult-contemporary charts, affording Parton a triple number-one hit.
In 1983, Parton performed a duet with Kenny Rogers called 'Islands in the Stream.' Written by the Bee Gees, it spent two weeks at number one in 1983 and is today regarded as one of the most endearing pop duets ever recorded.
Another Parton turn in front of the camera includes 1984's 'Rhinestone,' opposite Sylvester Stallone. The movie spawned two top 10 country hits for the actress.
Along with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton released 'Trio' in 1987 to critical acclaim. The collaboration went platinum in the US, and currently has total worldwide sales of approximately four million.
'Trio' produced four top 10 country hits, including 'To Know Him Is to Love Him,' which went to number one.
With a solid head for business, Dolly Parton purchased an interest in the Silver Dollar City theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and reopened the facility in 1986 as Dollywood. In 2023, Dollywood attracted 3.5 million visitors, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Parton was back in Hollywood for 1989's 'Steel Magnolias,' in which played a principal role.
Dolly Parton shared her life so far with the publication in 1994 of her autobiography, 'Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business.' Meanwhile, her recorded music during the mid-to-late-1990s remained steady and somewhat eclectic while winning a string of awards along the way.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Parton guest starred in many television series and appeared in several made-for-television movies. Notable appearances included playing opposite her goddaughter Miley Cyrus in several episodes of 'Hannah Montana.'
Dolly Parton toured extensively from 2005 onwards, appearing at venues around the world including London's O2 Arena, where her sold-out 2008 concerts were recorded and released as her second live DVD and album.
In 2006, she took time out from the concert stage to line up with Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg, Smokey Robinson, and Andrew Lloyd Webber as a Kennedy Center honoree.
Dolly Parton is one of the most-honored female country performers of all time. To date, she has garnered 11 Grammy Awards (including her 2011 Lifetime Achievement Grammy) and a total of 50 Grammy Award nominations. She has also been nominated for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award, among other accolades and nominations.
In 2016, she proudly accepted the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. The accolade, named after another country music legend, "recognizes an artist who has achieved both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, record sales, streaming numbers, and public representation at the highest level."
Sources: (Knoxville News Sentinel) (Dolly Parton Official Website) (Country Music Association) (Biography) (Britannica)
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Dolly Parton, a country music icon
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Fans of country music legend Dolly Parton are eagerly awaiting the November 2024 release of 'Smoky Mountain DNA — Family, Faith & Fables,' the singer's latest album and one which explores her family's roots and legacy. Parton released her first album way back in 1966, and has never really looked back... until now. The new album features 37 tracks with vocals from Parton and various members of her extended family. It's perhaps relevant, then, to revisit the life and career of one of country music's most successful stars.
Click through and discover more about Dolly Parton, a country music icon.