Dolly Parton, the country music superstar from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most beloved entertainers in the world. Over a career spanning more than 60 years, she sold more than 100 million records, wrote more than 3,000 songs and won 11 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement honour. Yet she has always described herself first and foremost as a songwriter.
"It's my way of expressing myself. It's my therapy," she once said. Dolly Parton grew up in poverty in a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Tennessee's Smoky Mountains, the fourth of 12 children.
She performed on local radio and television as a child, recorded her first single at 13. After moving to Nashville the day after graduating from Sevier County High School, Dolly Parton scored her first solo hit with Dumb Blonde in 1966. In 1967, country star Porter Wagoner invited Parton to join The Porter Wagoner Show, giving her a regular role on his nationally syndicated television programme as well as a place in his touring stage show.
Her breakthrough came with the album Hello, I'm Dolly. Dolly Parton became a member of the Grand Ole Opry on January 4, 1969. She has described the Opry as the "church of my heart" and said performing there was a lifelong dream.
In one remarkable 1973 writing session, Parton penned two of her signature hits – Jolene and I Will Always Love You. Having written thousands of songs across her decades-long career, Parton said songwriting was her greatest form of self-expression. Known for her larger-than-life image, Dolly Parton combined rhinestones, wit and charm to sustain a career that crossed from country to mainstream pop.
She headlined festivals and became a global star with albums such as Here You Come Again. Parton also became known for memorable collaborations, notably with Kenny Rogers, whose duet Islands in the Stream became one of the defining hits of the 1980s. While Dolly Parton is best known for her decades-spanning music career, her work as an actor has also left a lasting impression on film audiences.
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