Singer and Actress Dolly Parton's Growing Career
Sevier County Tennessee’s Country Music Pioneer
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, a small town in Sevier County located near the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. Dolly was one of 12 children born to Avie Lee Owens and Robert Lee Parton. Her family scarcely had enough money to feed everyone in the house, a one-room log cabin.
To remove herself from the financial hardships that her family continuously pushed their way through, Dolly exercised her imagination. It wasn’t long before she was creating songs in her head.
Dolly Parton Gets an Early Start at Success
At eight years old Dolly Parton was given her first guitar. Three years later she was singing on “The Cas Walker Show” on Knoxville, Tennessee’s WIVK radio. Today Sevier County continues to be a small town area with strong country roots. It is not hard to imagine what appearing on the radio in Knoxville, a larger city about an hours drive from Sevier County, must have felt like for the 11 year old.
Cas Walker was a shrewd and prominent business man who went on to own a grocery store in Knoxville. The fact that he noticed the young singer speaks volumes. While on the radio station, Dolly created a local following. She recorded her first song, “Puppy Love,” on Goldband Records the same year she started performing on “The Cas Walker Show.”
Two years later at the age of 13, Dolly made her first appearance at the Grand Old Opry. For country music singers, the Opry was the pinnacle. Before the rising country singer left the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, Tennessee she had made a new friend; his name was Johnny Cash.
Recordings by a Young Dolly Parton
Following the appearance came a string of recordings including “It’s Sure Gonna Hurt,” “Dumb Blonde” and “Something Fishy.” Parton released her first solo album titled Hello I’m Dolly with Monument Records in July 1967. Later that same year she appeared for the first time on the “Porter Wagoner Show.”
A hit television program throughout much of the South, Dolly’s regular appearances put her in front of thousands of loyal viewers. It also gave people a chance to become acquainted with Dolly’s effervescent personality.
Over the next nine years, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner would record several songs together. In 1974 Dolly recorded her massive hit “I Will Always Love You.” The song would be recorded by Whitney Houston years later as part of the Bodyguard movie soundtrack. That second recording would net Dolly Parton millions of dollars in songwriter royalty proceeds.
Before her professional partnership with Porter Wagoner ended in 1976, Dolly had won her first Country Music Association (CMA) Female Vocalist of the Year Award. It was a remarkable start, but, for Dolly Parton, life as a singer and performer would only get better.
The Country Music Singer Launches Out on Her Own
In 1976 Dolly Parton started her own television show, aptly named “Dolly.” A year later she recorded “Here You Come Again.” Her country accent was all over the song. She sang with soul, straight from her heart and listeners rewarded her with another hit. Over the next four years, Dolly Parton would have at least one song in the country music top 10.
The string of record hits was followed by Dolly Parton’s entrance into the major motion picture industry. 9 to 5, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias are some of the popular films that the singer appeared in.
Ever mindful of her small town roots back in Sevier County Tennessee, Dolly Parton opened Dollywood, one of the leading amusement parks in the Southern part of the United States. The park continues to operate and has expanded to include a water park in addition to the roller coasters, animal shows, down home cooking, crafts, festivals and stage performances. Occasionally Dolly Parton herself shows up at the park to entertain and mingle with visitors.
Dolly Parton Continues to Perform
Dolly Parton continues to perform and write music. She has been nominated for and won several awards including two Oscar Awards, won seven Grammy Awards, five Academy of Country Music Awards, three American Music Awards and the Johnny Mercer Award.
Dolly has also been inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has also received the United States Library of Congress Living Legend Award.
October 1994 she released her autobiography, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business under HarperCollins. The book earned Dolly a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Sources:
Official Dolly Parton Website. 24 August 2009.
Country Music Television. Dolly Parton Biography. 24 August 2009.
Country Music Singer Dolly Parton
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