Dolly Parton | Artist
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman born 1946 in Pittman Centre, Tennessee. She is known primarily for her decades-long career in country music but has also been successful for her forays into pop music and movie appearances. Born "dirt poor" in a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River, the fourth of twelve children, Parton went on to become a country music legend, selling more than 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female artists of all time. Dolly's mother Avie Lee, who had Welsh ancestors, passed on many old ballads that immigrants from the British Isles brought to southern Appalachia in the 18th and 19th century. When she was eight, her uncle bought her first real guitar and she began performing on local radio and TV programs in the East Tennessee area. By ten, she was appearing on TV and Radio on The Cas Walker Show in Knoxville, Tennessee. At 13, she recorded the single "Puppy Love" on a small Louisiana label, Goldbrand Records, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry where she first met Johnny Cash. After graduating from High School in 1964, Parton moved to Nashville the very next day. Her initial success came as a songwriter, having signed with Combine Publishing shortly after her arrival, with her frequent songwriting partner, uncle Bill Owens. She wrote several charting singles during this time, including two Top 10 hits: Bill Phillips's "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" and Skeeter Davis's "Fuel to the Flame". Her songs were recorded by many artists during this period, including Kitty Wells and Hank Williams Jr. She signed her own recording contract with Monument Records in 1965 at age 19 and her big break soon came when country music entertainer Porter Wagoner gave her a regular spot on his weekly national television program The Porter Wagoner Show, and in his road show. As a recording artist Parton made her 1967 debut album Hello I'm Dolly, and went on to release over 70 studio albums, plus live albums, movie soundtracks, and countless hit Singles. Many of her early works were with Porter Wagoner, while her later pop-oriented collaborations include working with Kenny Rodgers, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. A collection of standout albums includes Coat of Many Colors (1971), My Tennessee Mountain Home (1973), Jolene (1974), The Grass is Blue (1999), and the 1987 collaboration Trio, with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. Outside of her work in the music industry, Parton also co-owns The Dollywood Company, which manages a number of entertainment venues, including the Dollywood theme park, the Splash Country water park, and a number of dinner theatre venues including The Dolly Parton Stampede and Pirates Voyage. She has founded a number of charitable and philanthropic organisations, chief among which is the Dollywood Foundation, which manages a number of projects to bring education and poverty relief to East Tennessee where she grew up.
Artist Website: dollyparton.com
Featured Albums: Dolly Parton
Related Artists: Porter Wagoner, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris
Video Clips: Jolene, The River Unbroken, My Tennessee Mountain Home
