Dolly Parton

Dolly Rebecca Parton is the fourth of twelve children, and was born in 1946 on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Pittman Center, Tennessee. From a very early age she displayed her singing skills, which she inherited from her mother, who taught her popular ballads. Although her family did not have plenty of money, far from it, the places where she spent her childhood made her so happy that, already a celebrity, she created the Dollywood theme park, which evoked that blissful arcadia of the her earlier years. The music and the Pentecostal faith in which she was raised helped to accept what she played naturally.

At just 10 years old, Dolly already had some appearance on local radio and television, where she attracted attention with her songs. So after finishing high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville, the capital of country, with the idea of ​​carving out a musical career, which she quickly took off. She wrote songs for her uncle Bill Owens, and many of her early hits were sung by stars of the day. She was immediately noticed by Porter Wagoner, who signed her to his syndicated television show “The Porter Wagoner Show”, and it wouldn’t be long before it became clear who the real star of the show was; of course she would get her own show, “Dolly”. In 1966 she married Carl Dean, who had a company that paved streets and highways, a wise choice since the marriage has lasted over time, Dolly’s fame did not make a dent in the relationship. He has always kept a discreet background. Since they have not been able to have children, they have paid special attention to their nephews, in addition to committing themselves to multiple charitable works; of special relevance is his support for works that have to do with childhood literacy.

To the credit of songs composed by Dolly, there are more than 3,000, some as popular as the mythical “I Will Always Love You”, made popular by Whitney Houston in the movie The Bodyguard . Other very popular songs are “Coat of Many Colors”, “Jolene”, “Here You Come Again”, “Wildflowers” or “Sacrifice”. Also “Nine to Five”, heard in the film How to Eliminate Her Boss , which marked her film debut alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin ; the song would be nominated for an Oscar. Dolly wouldn’t make movies her main career, and she wouldn’t have as much of a screen presence as, say, Barbra Streisand ,The funniest house in Texas , with Burt Reynolds , and Steel Magnolias , being part of a female cast where Julia Roberts stood out . Less celebrated was her collaboration with Sylvester Stallone on Rhinestone .

Awards abound everywhere, including 11 Grammys out of 50 nominations. And her popularity is attested by the gold and platinum records she has accumulated in her long career, with songs that delight those of her generation, as well as young artists like Miley Cyrus , who considers her a godmother who has inspired her so much. She started out in country, but she’s combined this unmistakable imprint with her forays into more straight-up pop and bluegrass tunes.