ArizonaRealCountry.com 37 July 2019 • Dolly Rebecca Parton is the fourth of 12 children born to Robert and Avie Lee Parton on January 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Her family was so poor that grain was all her father had to give the doctor who delivered her. • Her first exposure to music came from family members, including her mother, who sang and played guitar. At an early age, she also learned about music while performing in church. Parton received her first guitar from a relative and soon began to pen her own tunes. Just the Facts DOLLY PARTON • Dolly Parton’s fame-boosting run on The Porter Wagoner Show was far from her last taste of television. As her songs were topping the charts, fans could also tune in to see her on her own variety show, Dolly! The program ran from 1976-77 and the show boasted a nearly six-figure budget per episode, making it the highest- cost production of any show made outside of Nashville at the time. The show saw Parton and fellow country music legend Kenny Rogers work together for the first time. Other guest stars included Ronnie Milsap, KC & The Sunshine Band and Captain Kangaroo. • Her dad was most proud of her nonprofit work. Parton founded the charity Imagination Library, which provides free books to preschoolers, in 1995. She has said that the organization is a way to honor her late father, who couldn't read. The program donates more than 10 million books to children annually. • In 1977, Parton had her first crossover smash with the bouncy, bittersweet ode to a returning lover, "Here You Come Again." The song reached the top of the country charts as well as number 3 on the pop charts, and also marked the singer/songwriter's first Grammy Award, specifically for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female. More emotionally driven number 1 country hits followed including "It's All Wrong, But It's Alright," "Heartbreaker" and "Starting Over Again." • In 1978, Dolly Parton was on the cover of Playboy, becoming the first country singer to pose for the infamous men’s magazine. However, being the fierce boss lady that she is, she had some VERY specific terms for Hugh and crew – specifically, no nudity. Unwilling to completely shed her wholesome image, the country music sweetheart refused to “do the whole dirty deal.” And they did what she said. • Dolly perhaps reached the apex of her mainstream success in the 1980s. She not only starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the 1980 hit comedy 9 to 5, which marked her film debut, but also contributed to its soundtrack. The title song, with one of the most memorable opening lines in popular music history, proved to be another number 1 hit for Parton on both the pop and country charts and earned her an Academy Award nomination. Parton next starred with Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1982. The following year she scored another major smash with "Islands in the Stream," her duet with Kenny Rogers. • Around this time, Parton branched out in a new direction. She opened her own theme park called Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 1986. The wholesome Dolly- themed site in the heart of the Smoky Mountains remains a popular travel destination to this day and is the largest employer in Sevier County. Parton's brother Randy and sister Cassie, along with her nieces, star in the regular Dollywood show "My People." Although she has owned her namesake theme park Dollywood for more than 30 years, you won’t find her on any of the 27 rides there. • Country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus also has the Dixie diva to thank for helping launch his career. The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer toured as the opening act for Parton in the early ‘90s and had such respect for her that he made her the godmother of his daughter, Miley Cyrus. • You’ve likely seen her strumming her guitar and heard her timelessly uplifting cheery voice, but did you know that Dolly Parton is basically a one-woman band? That right, the vibrant entertainer can essentially play the whole gamut of instruments – 10 to be exact. The banjo, fiddle, piano, autoharp and electric guitar are just some of the instruments that the hit-maker can play. • Just when we thought Dolly Parton had done it all, she went and took on Broadway. The unstoppable showbiz maven wrote the music and lyrics for 9 to 5: The Musical, based on the film. The musical opened in 2009 and raked in a record-breaking 15 Drama Desk Award nominations and four Tony nods. • The TV movie Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors, a biopic about the singer's childhood, aired in 2015. It starred Alyvia Alyn Lind as young Dolly and Sugarland star Jennifer Nettles as Parton's mother. The next year, Parton had her first number 1 country album in more than 25 years with the set Pure & Simple, supported by a North American tour. The 2016 holiday season also saw the airing of the biopic sequel Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love. • Dolly Parton’s custom of constantly wearing long sleeves has piqued the interest of fans for years as the reasoning behind her sartorial selection has risen to mystical status. Apparently, we haven’t seen Parton in a strapless gown for decades because her arms are covered in secret tattoos. Comedian Jennifer Saunders claims to be one of the few who have seen the inkings and described them as “the most beautiful angels and beautiful butterflies and baskets of flowers in pastel-colored tattoos.” • Part of the beauty of Dolly Parton is that where other stars adamantly stay mum on what they consider hush- hush subjects, the va-va-voom vocalist approaches them in a refreshingly honest and witty manner. One of those topics that she doesn’t shy away from is plastic surgery. Of her famous figure, the voluptuous star has been fearlessly upfront. “If I see something saggin’, baggin’, or draggin’, I’m gone have it nipped, tucked, or sucked!” she famously said. • In early 2018, just before the music icon's 72nd birthday, a Sony Music press release revealed that she was still setting records and sweeping up accolades. Along with receiving gold and platinum certification for some of her songs, Parton was to be honored with the Governors' Award at the 32nd Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards. Additionally, she was recognized in the Guinness World Records 2018 edition for her accomplishments of most decades with a Top 20 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart (six) and most hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist (107). • In June 2018, Netflix announced that they would produce a Dolly Parton anthology series, to premiere in 2019. Each of the eight episodes will be based on one of Parton's songs, with the iconic performer slated to executive produce and appear in select episodes. • The soundtrack to the Netflix Original film Dumplin’ was released on November 30, 2018, features songs either written or recorded by country star Dolly. Parton performs on every song on the album and wrote six of the 12 tracks exclusively for the film, with the remaining six being re-recordings of some of Parton's earlier hits, including a string version of "Jolene." • Although it’s hard to imagine any disliking her these days, he magnanimous Dolly Parton was once the target of school bullies. Her schoolmates were allegedly jealous that she had appeared on a local TV show and went so far as to lock her in a coat closet. Her 1971 hit “Coat of Many Colors” was inspired by that episode and has been used ever since as an anthem to teach school children against the detriments of bullying. Her experience growing up also spurred her to invest a lot into her anti-bullying campaign. • She started recording with a small music label at age 13 and moved to Nashville the day after graduating high school. The next day, she met Carl Dean at a laundromat called the Wishy Washy. The two got married two years later in 1966 and have been going strong ever since. Dean, who runs an asphalt road-paving business in Tennessee, is known for avoiding the limelight. On their 50th anniversary, the two renewed their vows. • She modeled her look after the "town tramp." Parton got the inspiration for her big, blonde hair and pouty red lips from a local lady of the night. • In 1967, at the age of 19, she got her big break on The Porter Wagoner Show. Parton spent eight years on the show before striking out on her own, prompting Waggoner to sue for breach of contract. The rift famously inspired Parton's hit song "I Will Always Love You" and the two remained estranged for many years. They reconciled in 2007, shortly before Waggoner died of lung cancer. Parton was with him the day he passed. • When asked about the inspiration for her hit song “Jolene” Parton told NPR a redheaded bank teller with a "terrible crush" on her husband inspired the song. "He just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention," Parton said. "It was kinda like a running joke between us... I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money.'" • Dolly Parton’s 1974 hit “I Will Always Love You” is one of her most iconic tracks ever. However, decades before Whitney Houston’s Grammy-winning cover of the song for The Bodyguard soundtrack, it was the King himself, Elvis, who wanted to record a cover of Parton’s song. The only catch, the Queen of Country would have to surrender half of the publishing rights to her song. Although it was one of the hardest decisions of her career, she said no. The move paid off though as Parton has said the deal with Houston left her with “enough money to buy Graceland.” DID YOU KNOW? The world's first cloned sheep was named after Dolly Parton in 1996. At age 10 Dolly Parton was already a child performer on local radio and television. Dolly Parton has long gushed about the tender and devoted love she shares with her husband Carl Dean. Her song “Love is Like a Butterfly” even describes the beauty of the love they share. However, before she was a happily married lady, Parton was smitten with another tall, handsome fella. She first laid eyes on “the Man in Black” Johnny Cash as a young teen at a concert of his at Nashville’s Grand Ole’ Opry. Hands down the songbird from Sevier County has won more awards than any other female country music singer, ever. She’s the proud owner of nine Grammys, 11 ACMs, 24 Billboard awards and dozens more. She’s also the second-most nominated female artist in Grammy history. All that hard work has landed her on more than a dozen Halls of Fame including the Grammy Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriter Hall of Fame.