The Life and Career of Dolly Parton
Songwriting for Others and Her Solo Debut
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In the mid 1960s, she began writing songs for other singers, and these songs reflected her humble background and the evangelical-Christian beliefs of her family. The success of her track, “Put It Off until Tomorrow,” which was recorded by Bill Phillips, enabled Parton to put out her own material. Her singles, “Dumb Blonde” and “Something Fishy”, peaked in the top twenty-five spots on the country charts, and later appeared on her 1967 debut, Hello I’m Dolly.
"The Porter Wagoner Show"
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This record caught the attention of country entertainer, Porter Wagoner, and sparked the beginning of a professional relationship between the two that would last several years. The pair performed many duets together, and Parton even appeared as a regular on his television program, “The Porter Wagoner Show.”
Porter Wagoner Albums
Their first single together was “The Last Thing on My Mind,” which reached number six on the country charts. The pair recorded multiple albums together, such as Just Between You and Me, Porter Wayne and Dolly Rebecca and Once More, which generated a number of top ten hits.
Solo Career
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Parton continued working on her solo career as well. She released several records, like Just Because I’m a Woman, and In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad), but they received lackluster success in comparison to her efforts with Wagoner.
Solo Hits
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Things turned around when she released a cover of the Jimmie Rodgers’ track, “Mule Skinner Blues,” which reached number three on the charts. Her first number one single, “Joshua,” began a series of solo hits, including “Coat of Many Colors,” which later became a trademark song. 1973’s “Jolene” from the album of the same name and 1974’s “I Will Always Love You,” written in tribute to Wagoner, also became mega successes.
Pop Music
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In the mid-1970s, Parton not only starred in her own variety show, “Dolly!” but also attempted to branch out into pop music. This began with the albums, All I Can Do in 1976, followed by New Harvest…First Gathering, which contained pop and R&B covers. The latter topped the country charts, but was a mainstream disappointment.
Crossover Success
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Her first crossover success was the Grammy-winning, Here You Come Again. It was her first album to sell over a million copies. The title track hit number one on the country charts and number three on the pop charts.
Duets with Kenny Rogers
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Parton’s commercial success grew with pop-oriented hits that still found country chart success. Examples include the duets with Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream” and “Real Love.”
Acting
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Following a number of television appearances in the late 1970s were several film roles in the ‘80s. Parton’s first feature film was “Nine to Five,” for which she wrote the Oscar-nominated hit of the same name. These were followed by roles in movies such as, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” “Rhinestone” and “Steel Magnolias.”
Back to Country Music
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In 1987, the critically acclaimed album, Trio, with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, generated four top 10 country hits, and was followed by the negatively reviewed and poorly selling record, Rainbow. Parton then decided to concentrate on country music, which resulted in White Limozeen, an effort that put her on the country charts at number three.
"I Will Always Love You"
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In 1992, her commercial fortune significantly increased with the massive success of Whitney Houston’s version of Parton’s song, “I Will Always Love You.” Next up were collaborative efforts such as 1994’s Honky Tonk Angels with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette and 1999’s Trio II again with Harris and Ronstadt. These were followed by several Grammy-winning bluegrass albums.
Oscar Nomination and Own Record Label
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2005 saw the release of the cover compilation, Those Were the Days, and an Oscar nomination for the song “Travelin’ Thru” that appeared on the soundtrack to the film, “Transamerica.” Her first single on her own label, Dolly Records, would be “Better Get to Livin,’” which was later featured on the 2008 record, Backwoods Barbie.
Husband
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Since 1966, Parton has been married to Carl Thomas Dean, though he shuns the spotlight and rarely appears with her at events.
Legacy
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While she is a philanthropist and a shrewd business woman, Dolly Parton is, above all, a singer-songwriter. So it is little wonder that her authentic and heartfelt songs, along with her voluptuous figure and flamboyant sense of style, have made her one of the most successful country artists of all time.
