Reference
- Parton, DollyBorn in Sevier County, Tennessee, the fourth of twelve children, she was a child television star, and moved to Nashville immediately after graduating from high school. Her breakthrough came when she joined singer Porter Wagoner (1927- ) on his television show in 1967. A string of hits followed, but their duo ended acrimoniously in 1974. Shrewdly manipulating her "dumb blonde" image, she went on to become an international celebrity well beyond country music, as a pop singer (for example of 1976's "Jolene"), songwriter (her "I Will Always Love You" became a record-breaking hit for Whitney Houston) and actress (debuting in the 1980 film 9 to 5, whose theme song she also wrote and sang). She returned to country music with Grammy award-winning Trio (1987, with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt), which was followed by albums such as Eagle When She Flies (1991), Hungry Again (1998) and Backwoods Barbie (2008). Her marriage to builder Carl Dean has lasted since 1966, and remains intensely private. She published her autobiography, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, in 1994.
- Dolly Parton's Official WebsiteLATEST NEWS, TOUR SCHEDULE & HISTORY
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Perspectives
The Words and Music of Dolly Parton
This insightful biography provides a closer look at one of the entertainment world's biggest stars, with a focus on what got her to the top--and what has kept her there. * Rare photographs of Parton's early career from legendary photographer Les Leverett, retired staff photographer for the Grand Ole Opry * Interviews with many of Parton's collaborators over the years, including producers, engineers, and other artists * A discography of Dolly Parton's albums and hit songs and a list of her awards
The Faith of Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton has entertained, educated, and inspired millions of fans for over five decades. Whether she's writing songs, performing live, recording new albums, acting in or producing new movies and TV programs, expanding her wildly successful Dollywood amusement park, helping children around the world learn to read with her Imagination Library nonprofit, or donating millions of dollars to schools, charities, and people in need, the Queen of Country Music has never been shy about crediting her Christian faith for her success. "A belief in God is essential," Dolly shares. "You have to believe in something bigger than yourself. We grew up believing that through God all things are possible." Growing up in the little mountain church where her grandfather preached, Dolly started singing hymns and playing guitar at services when she was only six. Consequently, she has never been shy about discussing her faith and relationship with God. "People say, 'Well, I am surprised that you talk about your faith,' and I say, 'Why not? That's who I am. That's what keeps me going,'" she explains. Tennessee native, Dolly fanboy, and award-winning writer Dudley Delffs now spotlights ten faith lessons as evidenced in Dolly's life, music, interviews, and attitude. The Faith of Dolly Parton focuses on the ways Dolly's life can inspire us all to be more authentic, to trust God during hard times, to stay grounded during the good times, and to always keep our sense of humor. Sometimes poignant, sometimes funny, frequently surprising, and always true to Dolly's down-home spirit of joyful generosity, this book will delight her millions of fans as well as anyone seeking a fresh faith-filled role model.
Dolly on Dolly
"Nobody knows Dolly like Dolly," declares Dolly Parton. Dolly's is a rags-to-riches tale like no other. A dirt-poor Smoky Mountain childhood paved the way for the buxom blonde butterfly's metamorphosis from singer-songwriter to international music superstar. The undisputed "Queen of Country Music," Dolly has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and has conquered just about every facet of the entertainment industry: music, film, television, publishing, theater, and even theme parks. It has been more than fifty years since Dolly Parton arrived in Nashville with just her guitar and a dream. Her story has been told many times and in many ways, but never like this. Dolly on Dolly is a collection of interviews spanning five decades of her career and featuring material gathered from celebrated publications including Rolling Stone , Cosmopolitan , Playboy , and Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. Also included are interviews which have not been previously available in print. Dolly's feisty and irresistible brand of humor, combined with her playful, pull-up-a-chair-and-stay-awhile delivery, makes for a fascinating and inviting experience in down-home philosophy and storytelling. Much like her patchwork "Coat of Many Colors," this book harkens back to the legendary entertainer's roots and traces her evolution, stitching it all together one piece at a time.
She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs
Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs. In this affectionate, sharply insightful book, Sarah Smarsh draws on her own experience growing up in rural Kansas to craft a resonant portrait of Parton's cultural importance, above all for the often unheard women who populate her songs: struggling mothers, pregnant teenagers, diner waitresses with deadbeat boyfriends. At once candidly intimate and searchingly analytical, She Comes By It Natural captures the enduring appeal of this singular star.
Gone Dollywood : Dolly Parton's mountain dream
Dolly Parton isn’t just a country music superstar. She has built an empire. At the heart of that empire is Dollywood, a 150-acre fantasy land that hosts three million people a year. Parton’s prodigious talent and incredible celebrity have allowed her to turn her hometown into one of the most popular tourist destinations in America. The crux of Dollywood’s allure is its precisely calibrated Appalachian image, itself drawn from Parton’s very real hardscrabble childhood in the mountains of east Tennessee. What does Dollywood have to offer besides entertainment? What do we find if we take this remarkable place seriously? How does it both confirm and subvert outsiders’ expectations of Appalachia? What does it tell us about the modern South, and in turn what does that tell us about America at large? How is regional identity molded in service of commerce, and what is the interplay of race, gender, and class when that happens? In Gone Dollywood, Graham Hoppe blends tourism studies, celebrity studies, cultural analysis, folklore, and the acute observations and personal reflections of longform journalism into an unforgettable interrogation of Southern and American identity.
Dolly Parton, the legend
- Dolly Parton, the legendWe've been singing along for decades with Dolly Parton, the poor girl from the Great Smoky Mountains who became the glitzy queen of country glamour. She's still at it 24/7, still writing her legacy one song at a time, without a thought for the "R" word.
Dolly Parton reveals why she wrote hit song 'Jolene' | 60 Minutes Australia
- Dolly Parton reveals why she wrote hit song 'Jolene' | 60 Minutes Australia60 Minutes reporter Ray Martin speaks exclusively to the Queen of Country music, Dolly Parton (2013).
The Library That Dolly Built: Celebrating the People Who Made Dolly's Dream Come True
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A feature-length documentary focusing on the history, impact and future of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a global book gifting program. With guest narrator, actress and author, Danica McKellar and the music of Dolly Parton.
Online Resources
- Dolly PartonDOLLY PARTON ALREADY KNOWS HOW she will spend her 75th birthday on Jan. 19, 2021: As she does every year to mark the occasion, she will write a song. "It's a commemorative thing to write something on my birthday--it's what I do and what I am," she says. "I just think it's my gift to myself."
- Icon and Identity: Dolly Parton's Hillbilly Appeal"They portray mountain people like we are all these dumb barefoot hillbillies. I think country people are the smartest people in the world, and I've been everywhere."--Dolly Parton (1) Asheville, NC, 2008.
- Making sense in the city: Dolly Parton, early reading and educational policy-makingIn this paper, we present a case study of a philanthropic literacy initiative, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a book‐gifting scheme for under 5s, and consider the impact of the scheme on literacy policy in the English city where it was introduced. We bring four lenses to bear on the case study. First, we analyse the operation of the scheme in the community it was intended to serve; second, we consider the case study as an early literacy intervention aimed at promoting reading development; then we consider it from the perspective of theories about marketing and branding; and finally, we analyse it from the perspective of new philanthropy theory. We use these lenses to help us make sense of the current pressures on educational policy‐making in English cities, as city officials struggle to manage competing political agendas, to initiate reforms in situations where they have significant responsibilities but reduced power, and to maintain the distinctiveness of the places they represent. We argue for the need to reassess our understandings of the ways that literacy policies are made at the local level within this rapidly changing context.
Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? (1973-1983)
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowDefining country music is debated as never before, and the argument sparks a vibrant era. Dolly Parton crosses over to mainstream success. Willie Nelson finds creative freedom in Texas. Emmylou Harris influences a new generation of artists.