Dolly Parton turns the page on chapter 79

One of the greatest country music icons, whose career spans decades, is turning the page on chapter 79 this weekend. 

The one and only Dolly Parton, a true philanthropist, is best known for her singing, songwriting and acting, not to mention the countless brands under her shiny rhinestone belt. 

Our world was graced with this blonde bombshell on January 19, 1946, in Sevier County, Tennessee. Dolly was one of 12 children, raised in a poor family, where her love for performing provided the ultimate escapism. Her big break came some 20 years later when she joined ‘The Porter Wagoner Show’, which rocket shipped her solo career.  

It was the year of 1971 when the airwaves shared Dollys first #1 hit, Joshua, and belters kept pouring out of the vibrant star for many years to come. One of her most famous tunes is of course ‘Jolene’ and all these years later, she is even credited as the sole songwriter of ‘Jolene’ on Cowboy Carter, Beyoncés chart-shattering country album in Spring 2024. 

She’s also been seen across our screens collaborating with god-daughter, Miley Cyrus, both sharing unique sounds and bold personalities. Their special bond highlights versatility and creativity, blending talent between country and pop music. 

The albums discography of the vibrant Dolly Parton includes 49 studio albums, four collaborative albums, nine live albums, six soundtrack albums, one extended play and approximately 222 compilation albums globally!!

And we simply cannot write a piece on this wonderful woman without mentioning the toe-tapping tune that is ‘9-5’. It reached number one on the Billboard Country chart in January 1981, was certified gold by the RIAA just a month later, indicating shipment of 1,000,000 physical copies. With this song, she became only the second woman to top both the U.S. country singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100 with the same single. Fast forward to September 2017 where it was certified platinum, solidifying her fan-base across generations and continents!

Her cultural influence extends far beyond entertainment, but is one force to be reckoned with within the world of country music itself. She has received numerous accolades over her 58-year career, including induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and multiple Grammy Awards. One performance that is engraved in fans minds and hearts is of course, her last performance with Keny Rogers, singing the iconic ‘Islands In The Stream’ – take a moment to absorb this magic below:

Beyond the blonde beehive, Hollywood teeth and unmistakable sound, Dolly is a savvy businesswoman (clearly working beyond 9-5…) She launched the smoky mountain destination, Dollywood back in the mid 80’s, a theme park celebrating the best of life with rides, slides, music, food and laughter, a spot that visitors around the world flock to for their dose of Dolly. 

The Dolly brand has immersed far beyond a theme park too, with Dolly wines, a cosmetics line, a cookbook, and of course, going back to 1995 with the launch of the imagination library, a programme that has distributed over 200 million free books to children worldwide, promoting literacy and education. 

📖 EXPLORE HER IMAGINATION LIBRARY HERE 📖

We could wax lyrical about all the shiny moments of Dollys career, but her talent also shone beyond the bright lights and stage presence, where in songwriting she saw huge success. The karaoke classic by Whitney Houston, ‘I Will Always Love You’ was a huge #1 hit, written by Dolly Parton.

She has also put pen to paper for Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr and Kenny Rogers, confessing that she “loves to write songs for men” in her 2020 book Dolly Parton, Storyteller: My Life In Lyrics. Listen to ‘I Will Always Love You’ below:

DOLLY ON STAGE:

• Performed at The Grand Ole Opry when she was just 13 years old
  
• Inducted into The Opry in 1969
  
• In 1977 she won the CMA award for Entertainer of the year
  
• She hit the road for numerous tours throughout the 80s, 90s and early noughties
  
• 180 thousand flock to the the pyramid stage at Glastonbury in the summer of 2014
  
• Performed “Rockin” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022
  
• Hit the stage with dallas cowboy cheerleaders for Thanksgiving NFL game in 2023

DOLLY BEHIND THE CURTAIN:

• Launched Dollywood in 1986
  
• Founded The Imagination Library in 1995
  
• Launches Dolly Records in 2007
  
• Released Doggy Parton pet apparel brand in 2022
  
• Dolly Scent Beauty launch in 2021
  
• Dolly Wines & Good Lookin’ Cookin’ cookbook launch in 2024

It’s not just the airwaves of CountryLine and fans across the world that’ll be celebrating the stars 79th birthday, as The Opry has lined up a very special show on Saturday 18th, aptly named ‘Opry Goes Dolly’.

The show will feature performances by Opry members, Bill Anderson, Don Schlitz and Rhonda Vincent, rising superstars Ashley Cooke and Chapel Hart plus a few surprise acts. Whilst Dolly won’t be there in person, they’ll be honoring her with tributes throughout their FIRST Opry 100 show at the legendary Opry House.

While her appearances may have dwindled and the hairstyles a little less flamboyant, there is no denying her extraordinary legacy, unmatched contribution to country music and incredible effort to wear rhinestones and killer heels well into her late 70s!!

We want to wish Dolly, a true country music icon (in every single sense of the word), a blissful happy birthday.