Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman. After initial success as a songwriter for other artists, she released her debut album, "Hello, I'm Dolly", in 1967. Her career spans around six decades and more than 50 studio albums. Known as the "Queen of Country", Parton is regarded as one of the most successful and widely honoured female country music performers in history. She has received numerous awards, including 11 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award, as well as an honorary Academy Award in 2025.
Parton has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has achieved 25 number-one singles on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist (tied with Reba McEntire), and 44 Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist. She has had more than 110 charted singles over her career. Her 49th solo studio album, "Rockstar" (2023), became her highest-charting entry on the Billboard 200, peaking at number three. Parton has written over 3,000 songs, including "I Will Always Love You", "Jolene", "Coat of Many Colors", and "9 to 5". She has also acted in films such as "9 to 5" (1980), "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1982), "Rhinestone" (1984), "Steel Magnolias" (1989), "Straight Talk" (1992), and "Joyful Noise" (2012).
Her honours include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1984), the National Medal of Arts (2004), the Kennedy Center Honors (2006), the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2011), and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (2025). She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2021, she was included on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2023, she was ranked number 27 on Rolling Stone's list of the 200 greatest singers of all time. She is also associated with the Dollywood theme park and related entertainment ventures operated through The Dollywood Company.
Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Pittman Center, Tennessee. She was the fourth of twelve children born to Avie Lee Caroline (née Owens; 1923–2003) and Robert Lee Parton Sr. (1921–2000). Her middle name comes from a maternal great-great-grandmother. Her father worked as a sharecropper and labourer, while her mother cared for the large family and passed on Appalachian folk music traditions. Parton has often described her upbringing as very poor.
The family later moved to a small farm at Locust Ridge, where Parton spent much of her childhood. Music played an important role in her early life, and she began performing in church at an early age. She started playing guitar as a child and gave early public performances on local radio and television programmes in East Tennessee. After graduating from Sevier County High School in 1964, she moved to Nashville the following day to pursue a music career.
Parton began her professional career as a child performer and songwriter. She appeared on local programmes such as "The Cas Walker Show" and recorded her first single, "Puppy Love", at age 13. After signing with Combine Publishing, she wrote material for other artists, including the Top 10 country hits "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" and "The Company You Keep". She signed with Monument Records in 1965 and was initially marketed as a pop singer, though she later shifted toward country music. Her early recordings included "Dumb Blonde" and "Something Fishy", which appeared on her debut album "Hello, I'm Dolly".
In 1967, Parton joined Porter Wagoner's television programme, gaining wider exposure. She began releasing duet recordings with Wagoner, including "The Last Thing on My Mind", which became a Top 10 country hit. Her early solo releases initially achieved modest success, but she later gained recognition with songs such as "Just Because I'm a Woman" and "In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)". The duo was named Vocal Group of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1968. During this period, Wagoner also co-produced her work and had a financial stake in her publishing company.
By 1970, Parton achieved her first major solo success with "Mule Skinner Blues" and later her first number-one country single, "Joshua". Her breakthrough continued with "Coat of Many Colors" (1971) and a series of successful duets with Wagoner. In 1973, she released "Jolene", which became a major hit in the United States and later internationally. She left Wagoner's programme in 1974 to focus on a solo career, although they continued to collaborate briefly. In the same period, she wrote and released "I Will Always Love You", which reached number one on the country chart and later became widely known through other recordings.
From the mid-1970s, Parton expanded her audience beyond country music. Albums such as "Here You Come Again" (1977) marked a shift towards pop-oriented production and achieved crossover success. She received a Grammy Award for "Here You Come Again" and continued to chart on both country and pop lists with songs including "Heartbreaker", "Baby I'm Burning", and "9 to 5". The latter, written for the film "9 to 5" (1980), reached number one on both country and pop charts and earned an Academy Award nomination.
During the 1980s, Parton continued to achieve commercial success with both solo material and collaborations, including "Islands in the Stream" with Kenny Rogers. She also appeared in films such as "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1982). Although her contract with RCA Records ended in 1986, she remained active and soon released collaborative and solo projects across country, pop, and bluegrass styles.
In 1987, Parton released the collaborative album "Trio" with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, which received critical and commercial success and won a Grammy Award. She later returned primarily to country music with albums such as "White Limozeen" (1989). In the early 1990s, her song "I Will Always Love You" achieved global success through Whitney Houston's recording for "The Bodyguard" soundtrack (1992). Parton also collaborated with artists including Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette on "Honky Tonk Angels" (1993).
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Parton released a range of studio albums, including bluegrass-influenced projects such as "The Grass Is Blue" (1999) and "Little Sparrow" (2001), both of which received Grammy Awards in their respective categories. She also continued to collaborate with other artists and released material spanning folk, country, and acoustic styles. In 1999, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In the 2000s, Parton received further Academy Award nominations for songs including "Travelin' Thru" (2005). She released "Backwoods Barbie" in 2008, which became one of her highest-charting albums on the Billboard 200 at the time. In 2009, she issued a career-spanning box set titled "Dolly", followed by further studio releases and tours in the early 2010s, including "Better Day" (2011) and "Blue Smoke" (2014). In 2014, she performed at the Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom.
In the 2010s, Parton collaborated with a wide range of artists and continued to record and tour selectively. She also took part in various tribute performances and charity projects. In 2020, she released "A Holly Dolly Christmas" and participated in several benefit singles and pandemic-related releases.
In 2022, Parton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She later announced that she would reduce touring activity while continuing occasional live performances. In 2023, she released the rock-influenced album "Rockstar", which featured collaborations with numerous artists and became her highest-charting solo studio album on the Billboard 200.
In 2025 and 2026, Parton continued to release music and make selected public appearances, including collaborations and commemorative recordings. She also announced and later postponed a planned Las Vegas residency due to health-related procedures.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Parton
Studio albums
Hello, I'm Dolly (1967)
Just Because I'm a Woman (1968)
In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad) (1969)
My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy (1969)
The Fairest of Them All (1970)
The Golden Streets of Glory (1971)
Joshua (1971)
Coat of Many Colors (1971)
Touch Your Woman (1972)
My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner (1972)
My Tennessee Mountain Home (1973)
Bubbling Over (1973)
Jolene (1974)
Love Is Like a Butterfly (1974)
The Bargain Store (1975)
Dolly: The Seeker & We Used To (1975)
All I Can Do (1976)
New Harvest...First Gathering (1977)
Here You Come Again (1977)
Heartbreaker (1978)
Great Balls of Fire (1979)
Dolly, Dolly, Dolly (1980)
9 to 5 and Odd Jobs (1980)
Heartbreak Express (1982)
Burlap & Satin (1983)
The Great Pretender (1984)
Real Love (1985)
Rainbow (1987)
White Limozeen (1989)
Home for Christmas (1990)
Eagle When She Flies (1991)
Slow Dancing with the Moon (1993)
Something Special (1995)
Treasures (1996)
Hungry Again (1998)
Precious Memories (1999)
The Grass Is Blue (1999)
Little Sparrow (2001)
Halos & Horns (2002)
For God and Country (2003)
Those Were the Days (2005)
Backwoods Barbie (2008)
Better Day (2011)
Blue Smoke (2014)
Pure & Simple (2016)
I Believe in You (2017)
A Holly Dolly Christmas (2020)
Run, Rose, Run (2022)
Rockstar (2023)
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…shrink me down again