It’s always a pleasure when someone you think you know well surprises you with hidden talents, unexpected strengths and depth of character. It’s especially nice when that person was someone you really liked in the first place. In the case of Dolly Parton, it is even nicer still when you discover that she’s shared her success with so many people, truly earning her the title of “America’s Sweetheart.”
Historically, she has been known for her compassion and outreach to great organizations and causes, so naturally she was one of the first to step up the fund-raising efforts to help with the recent Smokey Mountain fires.
In the wake of the wildfires, which devastated the Smoky Mountain communities of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Parton first announced that families in the area who were affected by the fires would be provided with $1,000 per month–any family who lost their primary residence would be eligible for the program. She then announced that she would be joined in the effort by country luminaries such as Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers and Alison Krauss in “Smoky Mountains Rise”–a 3-hour telethon to raise money for the Dollywood Foundation’s “My People Fund.” The event aired on December 13th, and it was a tremendous success as 100% of the proceeds went to the efforts. They are still accepting donations at www.dollywoodfoundation.org.
Even casual fans probably know of Dolly’s upbringing in rural Tennessee, the fourth of twelve children who lived with their parents in a one-room cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Dolly began her career early on, singing and playing a homemade guitar in performances at her church. By her own account, she began writing songs at the age of seven, and to date she estimates she has written over 3,000 songs. Her first record company, Monument Records, tried to steer her toward pop music rather than country, as company executives didn’t feel her voice was suited for country music. Surprisingly, her first country single was one of the few songs she recorded that she hadn’t written, but the success of the song, “Dumb Blonde,” followed by her second single, “Something Fishy,” led to a stint as a featured performer on Porter Wagoner’s syndicated TV show, and the beginning of a fruitful professional relationship between Parton and Wagoner. The Country Music Association named Parton and Wagoner “Vocal Group of the Year” in 1968, and over the next few years, they released a string of top ten singles. Dolly finally found solo success in 1973 with her single, “Jolene,” and by 1975 she and Wagoner parted ways. Fittingly, one of Parton’s biggest songwriting successes, the monster hit “I Will Always Love You,” was written about her professional break-up with Wagoner.
After Dolly and Porter went their separate ways, she began to once again test the waters of pop music, and over the next decade, Parton topped both the country and pop charts, both as a solo artist, and in collaborations with artists like Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and others. During these years, Parton toured worldwide and began expanding her fan bases, appearing on television specials and 2 self-titled series as well as hit movies like “9 to 5” and “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”
Parton continued to write, for herself as well as other performers, and eventually she adapted her film “9 to 5” into a Broadway musical.
It’s another sign of Dolly’s versatility that she is in a very select group of performers who have been nominated for all 4 major entertainment awards, the so-called EGOT–Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. Of course, along the way Dolly has also earned countless music industry awards: 8 Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy; 25 Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum records; 3 American Music Awards; 7 Academy of Country Music Awards; 10 CMAs; a star on the Hollywood “Walk of Fame”; multiple songwriting Halls of Fame inductions; and in 2005 a National Medal of Arts awarded by then-President George W. Bush. This was followed in 2006 by Dolly receiving the “Kennedy Center Honors” for her lifetime contribution to music and the arts.
In 1986 she expanded her entertainment empire by buying a stake in an amusement park in her hometown of Pigeon Forge. At the time, the park was known as “Silver Dollar City,” but as part of the deal, the park was renamed “Dollywood.” When Parton came on board, the park was a modest regional amusement park, but by 2010, the park had doubled in size, and is currently the largest employer in the area, with over 3,000 people on the payroll. In the years since Dolly first came on board, the original amusement park has been joined by a water park, “Dollywood’s Splash Country”; a luxury resort, “Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort”; and a dinner theater experience, “Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner Show,” which boasts a four-course dinner served while diners watch 30 live horses and riders perform amazing stunts, along with special effects, musical numbers and more.
Parton has expanded her brand of wholesome family entertainment into Branson, Missouri, as well with the opening of a second location of the Dixie Stampede franchise. And it wouldn’t be surprising to see another location or two open in the future.
Dolly’s success hasn’t just touched the lives of those who are employed at her tourist attractions. In 1995 she launched “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” whose original purpose was to provide books to preschool children in her home county in eastern Tennessee. Each month the organization mailed high quality, age-appropriate books to children enrolled in the program. By 2000 the program was so popular she offered it to any community willing to partner with her. To date, there are over 1,600 offshoots of the original group, providing free books to over 1 million children every month. Readers interested in getting involved in the program, or even starting a local chapter, can visit www.imaginationlibrary.com. Her charitable endeavors also include efforts to preserve the American bald eagle via a sanctuary at Dollywood, which earned her an award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as work on behalf of a hospital and cancer center in Sevierville, Tennessee.
In 1989 Parton appeared in the film adaptation of the stage play, “Steel Magnolias,” and her performance, as well as the film itself, received much critical acclaim. To some it may have seemed surprising that Parton was able to hold her own acting alongside much more experienced actresses such as Sally Field and Shirley MacLaine. Digging a little deeper, though, it seems that this was the role Parton was born to play, as she is the very definition of a Steel Magnolia. Throughout her career, it has always been easy to view Parton as simply a pretty face and voice, and yet, hidden in plain sight has always been the ultimate feminine feminist–a woman totally in charge of her career and her destiny. Parton has been able to build a multi-faceted entertainment empire, one that will certainly be around long after Dolly herself has gone to her reward. Unlike many entertainers who are hugely successful and somehow manage to die broke, Parton’s combination of song royalties, tourist attractions, film and television residuals, etc., will continue to bring her millions for years to come. As of 2016, Parton’s fortune is estimated at $650 million, making her, not only one of the most successful country performers of all time, but one of the highest net worth entertainers alive.
An interesting insight into Parton’s business acumen concerns another music legend, Elvis Presley. In 1974 the King was very interested in recording a version of “I Will Always Love You,” and contacted Parton. During the course of negotiations, Elvis’ manager, the colorful and crafty Colonel Tom Parker, made it known to Parton that whenever Presley covered a song, it was standard procedure for Presley to be assigned half of the rights to that song. Dolly refused, and in the following years, this decision was worth millions to Parton. Whitney Houston’s version of the song became one of the best-selling singles of all time, selling over 20 million copies. Turning down Parker’s offer shows an amazing amount of foresight and confidence in her own talent. It’s hard to imagine too many other songwriters who wouldn’t have leapt at the chance to work with Elvis, even in light of the unfavorable terms offered by the Colonel. That Dolly was able to resist the Colonel’s Faustian deal shows how much Steel really is under that beautiful southern Magnolia.
Dolly’s business empire also included a film and television production company, Sandollar Productions, which she co-owned with Sandy Gallin, her former manager. The company produced an Academy Award winning documentary, “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt,” as well as the highly successful TV series, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and films including “Father of the Bride” and “Sabrina.” Currently Parton’s newest TV production company is “Dixie Pixie Productions,” which has produced 2 highly popular autobiographical TV movies, “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors” and “Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love,” both of which focus on the importance faith and family played in Parton’s early years.
Parton’s private life has occasionally been the subject of rumor and innuendo, but in fact Parton has been married to Carl Dean since 1966. The couple is rarely photographed together, and according to Dolly, her husband has only seen her perform once in all the time they’ve been together. The couple has no children, although she and Dean did help raise some of Parton’s younger siblings in Nashville. Parton is also godmother to pop singer Miley Cyrus. Their recent appearance together on an episode of NBC’s “The Voice” caused a sensation, as Dolly and Miley teamed up with the a cappella group “Pentatonix” for a stunning rendition of Parton’s solo hit “Jolene.” No doubt Miley is taking note of her godmother’s business acumen as the younger star broadens her own entertainment business into all aspects of film, television and music.
In 2016 Dolly embarked on a North American tour in support of her 43rd studio album, “Pure and Simple,” a pared-down reworking of some of her greatest hits. The tour is her most far-reaching in 25 years, with venues all across the U.S. and Canada. The tour kicked off in North Carolina in June, with stops in venues such as the Hard Rock Rocksino and Horseshoe casinos in Ohio, Grand Casino Hinckley in Minnesota, and wrapping up in Oklahoma with 2 performances at the WinStar World Casino. Fans attending the show can expect to see many of their favorite songs, including at least a few that haven’t been “heard live for decades,” according to Dolly’s website. She’ll also be performing a few new songs from the “Pure and Simple” album, ensuring that fans both new and long-time will be satisfied. While no further tour information has been announced for 2017 or further, fans that missed the “Pure and Simple” tour can take hope in something Parton said in an interview that touched on her 70th birthday. The interviewer asked when Dolly was planning on retiring. Dolly replied, “I’ll never retire. I wouldn’t know what to do. I’m excited every day. I still love it”.
And judging by her continued success, her fans still love her too.
By Terry Parrett
