Dolly Parton was born January 10, 1946 as the fourth of 12 children in Tennessee. What her family lacked in money was more than made up in love and support, and a young Parton was inspired by her upbringing and surroundings, sparking her love of music. By the age of 13, she was learning guitar, writing music and performing; upon high school graduation, she moved to Nashville and embarked on one of the most successful careers in musical history. Well beyond her country and pop career, she was a 2022 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
She pleaded with Jolene to stay away from her man. She shared her stories of growing up simple and poor, but loved, in her Tennessee mountain home, where her mother made her a coat of many colors. She’s a feminist who demands that standards shouldn’t be different for her just because she’s a woman – and is quick to let anyone know that just because she’s blonde doesn’t mean she’s dumb. This woman is nobody’s fool, and has become one of the most beloved entertainers of her time.
Throughout the 1960s, Parton wrote several songs that charted – for other artists. In 1967, she started a successful seven-year collaboration with country star Porter Wagoner, performing several top-ten singles with him, before deciding to go solo herself, eventually garnering worldwide fame and crossing genres, creating a diverse fan base across the globe.
Over the past six decades, Parton has written over 3,000 songs, many for other artists; she has released over 200 singles, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others, most famously Wagoner, Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris; she holds the record for the female artist with the most number one country singles (25); she chose to broaden her appeal and crossed genres to pop/disco in the 1970s, and has had two number one hits on the “Billboard” Hot 100; and she wrote a tribute to her mentor that has endured over half a century, and when sung by Whitney Houston, became one of the bestselling singles of all time, “I Will Always Love You.”
Parton’s contributions to the entertainment industry have been acknowledged multiple times, and she has been inducted into over a dozen Halls of Fame, both as a performer and a songwriter, has won 10 competitive Grammys out of 51 nominations, been a two-time Oscar nominee and is one of only seven women to win the Academy of Country Music Awards’s Entertainer of the Year (1978). She has accumulated numerous nominations and wins, but those aren’t what have given her fan loyalty.
With her upbeat personality, down-home honesty, trademark look and generous spirit, Parton has earned the adoration of many, some of whom don’t even care for country music. She’s never backed down from telling raw stories that have sparked controversy, with singles about double standards (“Just Because I’m a Woman”), a sympathetic take on an unwed pregnancy (“Down from Dover”) and women’s rights in the workplace (“9 to 5”). She’s a smart businesswoman, who founded the successful Dollywood Company in Tennessee, bringing an economic boost to her native state that she loves dearly. She is active with many charities, most notably her literacy program that provides free books to young children. She is known for her “look” and is very forthcoming about her plastic surgeries – “If I see something sagging, bagging or dragging, I’ll get it nipped, tucked or sucked” – but clearly prioritizes her faith and family over vanity.
When Parton was first nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she humbly declined, thinking it was just for “rock stars” and she didn’t want to take another deserving person’s place. With her crossover hits, her impressive songwriting catalogue and the number of artists across all genres who cite her as an influence, as well as her charity work, her ability to maintain a happy decades-long marriage and her successful business ventures, Dolly is the very definition of a “rock star.” We celebrate her latest accolade with a photo gallery ranking her 15 best songs.
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15. Just Because I’m a Woman (1968)
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Victor “My mistakes are no worse than yours just because I’m a woman.” Over 50 years ago, Parton was ahead of her time with her evisceration of the double standard that a man can feel pride in his sexual history, but a woman is shamed. She wrote it after her husband questioned her sexual history – as always, Parton delivers a classy and feminist response.
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14. Dumb Blonde (1966)
Image Credit: Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images She didn’t write this one (Curly Putman did), but she sang it with a tongue-in-cheek sass that we would all come to love. This was Parton’s first single to chart, making it to number 24 on the “Billboard” Hot Country Singles Chart, from her debut album “Hello, I’m Dolly.” She’s proven over and over again, “Just because I’m blonde/Don’t think I’m dumb/’Cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool.”
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13. Two Doors Down (1978)
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Parton wrote this while eating alone in her hotel room as she was dieting, and she could hear her band members “two doors down” having a good time eating a much better meal, turning the experience into a song about a despondent woman who finds a new romance when she joins the lively party “two doors down.” Although included on her album “Here You Come again,” Zella Lehr landed on the country charts with her version of the song first, so Parton re-recorded it with a more pop/disco feel. Parton’s upbeat version made it to the top 20 on the pop charts, while Lehr’s version made it to the top 10 on the country charts.
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12. My Tennessee Mountain Home (1972)
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Victor From her concept album of the same name, “My Tennessee Home” is a sweet ballad in which Parton reminisces about her idyllic childhood, painting a picture of growing up in rural Tennessee, where “life is peaceful as a baby’s sigh” and “crickets sing in the fields near by.” It might show her hillbilly roots, but it’s become one of her most well-known songs, and appeals to country folk and city folk alike.
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11. The Seeker (1975)
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Victor Parton has never shied away from expressing her faith, and wrote this song at a time when she wasn’t feeling “worthy,” but knowing God loves us anyway, she turned to him for guidance. No religion is mentioned, nor is God; it’s a song about a “poor sinful creature,” a “seeker,” talking to her “teacher,” asking him to “reach out and lead me.” With its broad spiritual appeal, it reached number two on the country charts, and continues to provide inspiration to anyone looking for a little guidance.
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10. Down from Dover (1970)
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Victor Parton is a talented storyteller, and she has never backed down from telling the hard stories, even at times when she was told such controversial songs would never get air play. In 1970, the story of an unwed girl pregnant and waiting on her lover to come back “down from Dover” was not a commercial success. But this heart-wrenching tale, masterfully song, is considered by many to be one of her best.
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9. Love Is Like a Butterfly (1974)
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Victor Parton has often spoken of her love of butterflies, and they’ve become her symbol over the years; she even has tattoos of the beautiful insect and a butterfly forms the “W” in “Dollywood.” This song in which she compares love to a butterfly (“soft and gentle as a sigh”) reached number one on the country charts (her third consecutive at the time) and became the theme song for her syndicated variety show in the 1970s.
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8. Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That (1989)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Columbia Almost 20 years after her first number one hit, Parton achieved her 22nd number one country hit with this tune written by Bob Carlisle and Randy Thomas and produced by Ricky Skaggs. In what could be a boot-tappin’ anthem for scorned women everywhere, Parton practically growls the title lyrics, along with great lines like, “all decked out like a cowgirl’s dream” and “you could stop traffic in a gunny sack.”
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7. The Bargain Store (1975)
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Victor The prolific songwriter used the metaphor of a bargain store for a woman who has had her heart broken, but is willing to open herself up to someone willing to accept her baggage. However, the line “The bargain store is open, come inside/You can easily afford the price” was mistaken as an allusion to prostitution, and many radio stations refused to play it. Once again, Parton defied the critics, and took this song to number one despite the controversy.
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6. Here You Come Again (1977)
Image Credit: Paul Natkin/Getty Images Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote this song for Brenda Lee; when she passed on it, music history was made when Parton snatched it up. Parton was looking to expand her audience, and with the addition of steel guitars to the tune, she created her first crossover hit. “Here You Come Again” not only made it to the top of the country charts, it was her first single to chart on the “Billboard” Hot 100, making it to number three. It also garnered Parton her first Grammy, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
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5. Islands in the Stream (1983)
Image Credit: Paul Natkin/Getty Images Parton teamed with Kenny Rogers for what is probably the greatest country/pop crossover duet of all time. Written by the the Bee Gees, the lyrics, the tempo, the chemistry between Parton and Rogers all come together to create an upbeat, catchy tune about lovers who are “Islands in the Stream.” This was each singers second song to reach number one on the pop charts, and also made it to the top spot on the country and adult contemporary charts – and led to several successful collaborations between the two artists.
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4. Coat of Many Colors (1971)
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Victor When Parton was a child, her mother stitched her a colorful coat made from rags, while reciting the biblical story of Joseph and his Coat of Many Colors. Excited about her beautiful “new” coat, a young Dolly proudly wore it to school, only to be made fun of by the other children. But she “tried to make them see/One is only poor, if they choose to be.” Parton wrote the song while on tour with Porter Wagoner, jotting down the lyrics on the back of a dry cleaning receipt from one of his suits. The receipt and a similar coat made by her mother now have a place of pride at Dollywood, and the song is a favorite of Parton’s. In 2011, the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry, and a TV movie based on the song was made in 2015.
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3. 9 to 5 (1980)
Image Credit: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Tapping her acrylic fingernails against one another to simulate the clacking of a typewriter, Parton had one of her biggest hits with her take on “a way to make a livin’.” It was also the first of several for Parton: she made her acting debut in the film of the same name (performing alongside veteran actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin), she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and it was her first number one single on the “Billboard” Hot 100. With the song also making it to the top of the country charts, she became only the second female to have a song reach the top of both the pop and country charts, and she earned Grammys for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, as well as a nod for Song of the Year.
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2. Jolene (1973)
Image Credit: Courtesy of RCA Victor Parton infamously based this song on a bank teller flirting with her husband, and took the name from a young autograph-seeker. “Jolene” became her second single to top the country charts, and its relatable theme makes it one of her most enduring hits – and most covered. Dozens of artists, including Olivia Newton-John, Reba McIntire, The White Stripes and Miley Cyrus, have covered the song, and others have written “answer songs.” Parton received two Grammy nominations in the 1970s for the song; she won in 2017 for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her rendition with Pentatonix.
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1. I Will Always Love You (1974)
Image Credit: David Redfern/Redferns Written for her longtime mentor and partner Porter Wagoner with whom she was severing professional ties, Parton showed how to leave a relationship with dignity and class. And it’s had a powerful impact on music history over the years. Parton made it to the top of the country charts twice with her version, with the original recording in 1974, and again in 1982 as part of the soundtrack from “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas;” in 1995, a duet with Vince Gill peaked at number 15. But it was a recording by Whitney Houston that sealed this song’s place in music – and film – history. Recorded as part of the soundtrack for the 1992 film “The Bodyguard,” Houston’s version broke records at the time, remaining on the “Billboard” Hot 100 for 14 weeks and the R&B chart for 11 weeks, and becoming the bestselling single of all time by a solo female, and remains in the top ten of bestselling singles of all time. The song won Houston Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, the latter of which was presented by Parton and David Foster. Ironically, Elvis Presley had wanted to cover the song, but Parton would have had to sign over half her rights, and she refused. The savvy businesswoman held out, and she’s profited quite handsomely from the Whitney Houston version.
