Dolly Parton is a singer, songwriter, record producer, author, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist, and she does it all well. Her career began as a songwriter in Nashville. Today she estimates she’s written more than 3,000 songs.
She’s known as The Smoky Mountain Songbird, The Queen of Country, Backwoods Barbie and the Leading Lady of Country, but, really, if someone says “Dolly,” you probably know who they’re talking about.
Parton’s signature platinum blonde hair, twinkling blue eyes, short stature, voluptuous figure and Southern accent may have played a part in her success. Mostly, though, her talent and pleasant personality were at the roots of her achievements. Come along and follow her career journey over the last 72 years.
Parton Made Her First Recording at 11
Dolly Parton rehearses at New York City’s Bottom Line music club in 1977. Suzanne Vlamis / AP Photo
At age 11, Parton and her uncle, Bill Owens, wrote “Puppy Love.” The song, relatable to her age, described the hot and cold emotions felt with young love. She and her grandmother, Rena Owens, rode a bus for 30 hours to a recording studio in Lake Charles, Louisiana, so Parton could record the single.
Parton described how the bus smelled on her website: “It was a combination of diesel fuel, Naugahyde, and people who were going places.” When she was 13, “Puppy Love” was released by Goldband Records.
Cupid Struck in Nashville
Dolly Parton, shown here with Maurice Gibb (left) and Robin Gibb (right) in 1984, met her husband in Nashville. Mario Suraini / AP Photo
After high school graduation and bolstered by her success to that point, Parton packed her bags and headed to Nashville, then known as the songwriting capital of the world.
As is the case with many of the city’s new inhabitants, she hoped her country singing music career would take off. As the legend goes on her first day in town, in 1964, she met Carl Dean at the Wishy Washy laundromat. She had vowed to singularly focus on her career and not include any men in that picture. However, Dean fully supported her dream, so two years later she married him. They are still a couple today.
Parton Joined “The Porter Wagoner Show”
Dolly Parton inducted Porter Wagoner, her former duet partner, into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002. M. Spencer Green / AP Photo
In late 1967, three years after moving to Nashville, Parton became a regular on “The Porter Wagoner Show,” a syndicated TV program. She replaced Norma Jean, who left the show to get married and move back to Oklahoma.
Country singer Wagoner was known for his jokes, rhinestone-studded suits and his pompadour. Parton and Wagoner began recording duets, including their No. 1 hit, “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me.”
Enjoy Some Parton-isms
Dolly Parton arrives at the Variety and Women in Film pre-Emmy celebration in 2018. Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP Photo
A look at Dolly Parton’s career wouldn’t be complete without some of her humorous sayings. Here are a few:
* “I’m not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I’m not dumb. I also know that I’m not blonde.”
* “I describe my look as a blend of Mother Goose, Cinderella and the local hooker!”
* “It takes a lot of money to make a person look this cheap!”
* “After Momma gave birth to twelve of us kids, we put her up on a pedestal. It was mostly to keep Daddy away from her.”
And a good motto for all of us: “I feel blessed that I still have little Dolly in my heart. I’m still the same girl that wants to squeeze every little drop out of life that I can.”
