In my Memorial Service activities for the Black Alumni of Amherst College, I read a list that includes the names of the White Friends of the Black Alumni. In my blogging activities, I do not have such a list. However, I do have a separate blog where I list the people I call the Righteous. For what it is worth in this World, Dolly Parton will be added to my List of the Righteous. And in remembering her, I encourage everyone to listen to one of her greatest musical collaborations.
Why Dolly Parton meant so much to Black communities: Black stars remember a one-of-a-kind icon
Story by Haniyah P.
• 13h •
6 min read
Through her career, personality and philanthropy, Dolly Parton built a legacy that transcended music, race and genre.
This week, communities are grieving the death of country icon, community champion, and philanthropist Dolly Parton. Throughout her career, the 80-year-old style icon became a beloved figure in pop culture. However, the “Jolene” singer held a special place in the hearts of Black communities for a number of reasons. While many recognized her for bold, often bedazzled, sartorial choices and her country catalog, Parton was known for giving back, especially to underserved communities.
For instance, after Whitney Houston covered her 1974 song “I Will Always Love You,” Parton used some of the $10 million she received in royalties to invest in a Black neighborhood in Nashville. Purchasing a commercial complex in the area, the country singer said she considered it “the house that Whitney built.” Similarly, she was a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd, and reportedly spent years donating band uniforms to high schools in Tennessee.
“Dolly, you were the barometer. The North Star, bold and brilliant. talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself. I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship. I’m honored that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever. Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.”
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of the incomparable Dolly Parton. Dolly was a true trailblazer. Through her extraordinary talent, kindness and generosity, she opened doors and inspired generations around the world. We share this special memory from 1977, when we had the honor of meeting Dolly in England on the same day we also met Queen Elizabeth II. Thank you, Dolly, for the music, the joy and the light you shared with us all. May you rest peacefully in the loving arms of the Lord, reunited with your husband Carl and the many loved ones who made their journey to Heaven before you. Our prayers are with Dolly’s family, friends and everyone whose life she touched.”
Jill Scott
“Ms Dolly did THAT!! From movies, song writing, amusement park, hotels, charity, SINCERITY, unabashed foxiness, humor…. EVERYTHING. The neighbor I never saw but adored. Sent ❤️ every time I passed her house. Ms Dolly is on my inspo wall. Rest well dear lady; Did GREATNESS HER WAY,’ she wrote on X.
Barack Obama
“It’s hard to imagine many people having a bigger impact than Dolly Parton. Born in a one-room cabin, she earned 11 Grammys and an Emmy, built a business empire, helped millions of kids learn to read, and — as if that wasn’t enough — helped accelerate the research that led to the Moderna COVID vaccine. What a life. Michelle and I are thinking of Dolly’s family and her many, many fans,” former president Barack Obama wrote.
Dionne Warwick
“I will certainly miss her laugher, jokes and her being. Rest well and in total peace my friend. My heart is heavy,” Dionne Warwick shared.
Yvette Nicole Brown
“She has been my blueprint for how to use your fame and wealth for good. I, of course, am not on her level — or even close — in either measure but I try to model Dolly’s goodness and activism in all that I do and in every issue and charity that I support,” Brown wrote. “She did life right. I am inconsolable over this loss.”
“The bastion of compassion, of altruism, authenticity, artistry, and love has left this life. You knew who you were… always… without apology, without a co-signer, without needing permission. And oh, how you were blessed with talent,” Viola Davis wrote on Instagram. “No words to describe your reach through generations. No words to describe your love force. No words to describe the lives you touched, saved, entertained, and shifted. God will be at the gates to welcome you with the most glorious tribute. Your family, colleagues, friends, fellow artists… will keep you alive and speak your name… forever. Rest well, Dolly Parton. WHAT A LIFE!!!!!”
“Dolly taught us that you can be anything and do anything and to do it with kindness. What a light. We are all grateful that we lived in a time of Dolly Parton. We will always love her.”
Oprah
“One of my fondest memories with @dollyparton: Having a hoot and a holler while wearing Bob Mackie gowns on her show Dolly,” the media mogul wrote on Instagram. “This girl from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee dreamed a life and then lived a life bigger than she could have ever imagined, giving so generously to others in ways we saw and ways we didn’t. No one like her. She brought the light, and we are all better because she was here. God bless you, Dolly—you earned your wings
“Dolly Parton was a true American icon. First introduced to the world as a “little girl from up in East Tennessee,” she became a global superstar. Her career accolades included 11 Grammy awards, an Emmy, an honorary Oscar, and — my favorite — more than 300 million books sent to millions of children around the world through her Imagination Library,” Harris wrote on Instagram. “All at once, she was kind, modest, and funny. With her music, her philanthropy, and her style, Dolly was one of one. Doug and I send our prayers to her family, friends, and all those who have been touched by her magic. We will always love you, Dolly.”
“There are some people who remind you just how powerful it is to be completely and unapologetically yourself. Dolly Parton was one of those people. She showed generations of women that you could be bold, feminine, ambitious, kind, funny, and entirely your own person. She never seemed interested in fitting into anyone else’s idea of who she should be, and I’ve always found that incredibly empowering,” Tia Mowry wrote on Instagram. “What a beautiful reminder to embrace what makes you different, take up space, and move through this world as your most authentic self. Thank you, Dolly, for showing us the power of individuality and for inspiring so many of us to own exactly who we are. Rest in peace, Dolly. Your light will live on”
“Dolly you were a gift to the world, your voice, your philanthropic heart, and warmth made us a feel seen and that the world was a pretty decent place. We miss you.”
Born into poverty, Parton wrote her first song aged six, performed regularly on TV by age ten, made her first recording at eleven, and became a professional songwriter at sixteen. After writing songs for others, she released her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly (1967), starting a nearly 60-year career. She released 49 studio albums and wrote more than 3,000 songs, including "I Will Always Love You" (a two-time U.S. country chart-topper and an international success for Whitney Houston that sold 24 million copies worldwide), "Jolene", "Coat of Many Colors", and "9to5".
Parton's father, known as "Lee", worked in the mountains of East Tennessee, first as a sharecropper and later tending his own small tobacco farm and acreage. He also worked construction jobs to supplement the farm's small income. Despite her father's illiteracy, Parton often said he was one of the smartest people she had ever known with regard to business and making a profit.[15][16][17] Parton's mother cared for their large family. Her 11 pregnancies (the tenth being twins) in 20 years made her a mother of 12 by age 35. Parton credited her musical abilities to her mother's influence; often in poor health, she still managed to keep house and entertain her children with Great Smoky Mountainfolklore and old ballads. With Welsh ancestry, Avie Lee knew many songs that immigrants from Europe brought to southern Appalachia.[18][19][20] Avie Lee's father, Jake Owens, was a Pentecostal preacher, and Parton and her siblings attended church regularly.[21]
Parton long credited her father for her business sense and her mother's family for her musical abilities. When she was a young girl, her family moved from the Pittman Center, Tennessee area to a two‑room cabin and farm on nearby Locust Ridge. Most of her cherished childhood memories happened there. A replica of the Locust Ridge cabin is displayed at her namesake theme park Dollywood.[22] The farm acreage and surrounding woodland inspired her to write the song "My Tennessee Mountain Home" in the 1970s. Years after the farm was sold, Parton bought it back in the late 1980s. Her brother Bobby helped with building restoration and new construction.[15] Parton said her family was "dirt poor".[23] Her father paid missionary Dr. Robert F. Thomas with a sack of cornmeal for delivering her.[24] Later in life, Parton wrote a song about Dr. Thomas.[25] She also outlined her family's poverty in her early songs "Coat of Many Colors" and "In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)".[26]
The Partons' small subsistence farm on Locust Ridge was in a predominantly Pentecostal area located north of the Greenbrier Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains.[27] Music played an important role in Parton's early life and she was brought up in the Church of God,[28] in a congregation pastored by her grandfather, Jake Robert Owens. Her earliest public performances were in the church, beginning at age six. At seven, she started playing a homemade guitar. When she was eight, her uncle bought her her first real guitar.[29][30] The Parton family was well-fed despite their poverty, and her 2024 cookbook, Good Lookin' Cookin' (co-written with her sister Rachel), recalls numerous family meals.[31] A day after graduating from Sevier County High School in Sevierville, Tennessee, in 1964, Parton moved to Nashville, Tennessee.[15][32]
Music career
1956–1966: Early work and songwriting
Parton began performing as a child,[33] singing on local radio and television programs in the East Tennessee area.[34] By age 10, she appeared on The Cas Walker Show on both WIVK Radio and WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee. At 13, she recorded the single "Puppy Love" for the Louisiana label Goldband Records[32] and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, where she first met Johnny Cash. He introduced her as "a little girl here from up in East Tennessee" and encouraged her to follow her own instincts regarding her career.[35][36]
At 19, she signed with Monument Records in 1965, where she was initially pitched as a bubblegum pop singer. She released several singles, but only "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" charted, and it did not reach the Billboard Hot 100. Although she wanted to record country material, Monument resisted, thinking her unusually high soprano voice was not suited to the genre.[40]
After Bill Phillips' recording of her composition "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" reached number six on the country chart in 1966, the label relented and allowed her to record country. Her first country single, "Dumb Blonde", written by Curly Putman, reached number 24 on the country chart in 1967. It was followed by "Something Fishy", which reached number 17. Both singles appeared on her first full-length album, Hello, I'm Dolly.[41]
In 1967, musician and country music entertainer Porter Wagoner invited Parton to join The Porter Wagoner Show, offering her a regular spot on his weekly syndicated television program and in his road show. As documented in her 1994 autobiography,[42] much of Wagoner's audience was initially unhappy that Parton had replaced previous performer Norma Jean, who had left the show, sometimes chanting loudly for Norma Jean from the audience.[43] With Wagoner's assistance, Parton was eventually accepted. Wagoner convinced his label, RCA Victor, to sign her. RCA decided to protect its investment by releasing her first single as a duet with Wagoner. That song, a remake of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind", released in late 1967, reached the country Top-10 in January 1968, launching a six-year streak of uninterrupted Top-10 singles for the pair.[44]
Parton's first solo single for RCA Victor, "Just Because I'm a Woman", was released in the summer of 1968 and reached number 17.[45] For the next two years, none of her solo efforts–even "In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)", which later became a standard–were as successful as her duets with Wagoner. The duo was named Vocal Group of the Year in 1968 by the Country Music Association,[46] but Parton's solo records were continually ignored. Wagoner had a significant financial stake in her future; as of 1969, he was her co-producer and owned nearly half of Owe-Par, the publishing company Parton had founded with Bill Owens.[47]
Parton in 1970
By 1970, both Parton and Wagoner had grown frustrated by her lack of solo chart success. Wagoner persuaded Parton to record Jimmie Rodgers' "Mule Skinner Blues", a gimmick that worked. The record reached number three,[48] followed by her first number-one single, "Joshua" in February 1971.[49] For the next two years, she had numerous solo hits in addition to her duets, including her signature song, "Coat of Many Colors" (number four, 1971). Further Top-20 singles included "The Right Combination" and "Burning the Midnight Oil" (both duets with Wagoner, 1971); "Lost Forever in Your Kiss" (with Wagoner), "Touch Your Woman" (1972); "My Tennessee Mountain Home", and "Travelin' Man" (1973).[50]
Although her solo singles and the Wagoner duets were successful, her biggest hit of this period was "Jolene". Released in late 1973, the song topped the country chart in February 1974 and reached the lower regions of the Hot 100.[51] It also eventually charted in the UK, reaching number seven in 1976, representing Parton's first UK success. Parton, who had always envisioned a solo career, decided to leave Wagoner's show and stopped appearing in mid-1974. The pair performed their last duet concert in April 1974, although they remained affiliated, with Wagoner helping to produce her records through 1975.[42] Their final release as a duo was 1975's Say Forever You'll Be Mine.[50]
In 1974, Parton's song, "I Will Always Love You", written about her professional break from Wagoner, went to number one on the country chart. Around the same time, Elvis Presley indicated that he wanted to record the song. Parton was interested until Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, told her that it was standard procedure for the songwriter to sign over half of the publishing rights to any song recorded by Presley.[52] Parton refused. That decision was later credited with earning her many millions of dollars in royalties from the song.[53]
Between 1974 and 1980, Parton had a series of country hits, with eight singles reaching number one. Her influence on pop culture was reflected in the many performers who covered her songs, including mainstream and crossover artists such as Olivia Newton-John, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt.[42]
Parton began a high-profile crossover campaign, aiming her music in a more mainstream direction and increasing her visibility outside country music. In 1976, she began working closely with Sandy Gallin, who became her personal manager for the next 25 years.[55] With her 1976 album All I Can Do, which she co-produced with Wagoner, Parton took a more active role in production and began specifically aiming her music toward a pop audience. Her first self-produced effort, New Harvest...First Gathering (1977), highlighted her pop sensibilities in both song choice and production; the album included covers of the pop and R&B classics "My Girl" and "Higher and Higher".[56] Though well received and topping the U.S. country albums chart, neither the album nor its single "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" made much impact on the pop charts.[57]
After New Harvest's unsuccessful crossover performance, Parton turned to pop producer Gary Klein for her next album. The result, 1977's Here You Come Again, became her first million-seller, topping the country album chart and reaching number 20 on the pop chart. The Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil-penned title track topped the country singles chart and became Parton's first Top-10 single on the pop chart (no.3). A second single, the double A-sided "Two Doors Down"/"It's All Wrong, But It's All Right", topped the country chart and crossed into the pop Top-20. For the remainder of the 1970s and into the early 1980s, many of her singles climbed both charts simultaneously. Her albums during this period were developed specifically for pop-crossover success.[58]
In 1978, Parton won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her album Here You Come Again.[59] She continued to have hits with "Heartbreaker" (1978), "Baby I'm Burning" (1979), and "You're the Only One" (1979), all of which charted in the pop Top 40 and topped the country chart. "Sweet Summer Lovin'" (1979) became her first single in two years not to top the country chart, though it reached the Top-10. Her visibility increased with multiple television appearances. Parton submitted to a highly publicized candid interview on a Barbara Walters Special in 1977, timed to coincide with Here You Come Again's release, against her friends' advice; Walters was somewhat dismissive, saying "you don't have to look like this",[60]:3'01" and asking "Do you ever feel that you're a joke?"; Parton showed that she was deliberately in control of her image, replying, smiling, "The joke's on the public. I know exactly what I'm doing and I can change it any time … I'm sure of myself. I'm sure of my talent."[60]:3'48"[61]
The theme song from the 1980 feature film 9to5 (1980), in which she starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, reached number one on country, pop, and adult-contemporary charts in February 1981, giving her a triple number-one hit.[67] Parton became one of the few female country singers to have a number-one single on the country and pop charts simultaneously. The song received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Her singles continued to appear consistently in the country Top-10.[42]
Between 1981 and 1985, she had twelve Top-10 hits, half of them reaching number one. She continued to make inroads on the pop charts. A re-recorded version of "I Will Always Love You", from the feature film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), reached the lower end of the Top-50 that year, and her duet with Kenny Rogers, "Islands in the Stream", written by the Bee Gees and produced by Barry Gibb, spent two weeks at number one in 1983.[42]
In the mid-1980s, her record sales were still relatively strong. "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Tennessee Homesick Blues", "God Won't Get You" (1984), "Real Love" (another duet with Kenny Rogers), "Don't Call It Love" (1985), and "Think About Love" (1986) all reached the country Top-10. "Tennessee Homesick Blues", "Think About Love", and "Real Love" reached number one and became modest crossover hits. Despite this success, RCA Records did not renew her contract after it expired in 1986, and she signed with Columbia Records in 1987.[42]
1987–2005: Country and bluegrass period
Along with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, Parton released Trio (1987) to critical acclaim. The album revitalized Parton's music career, spending five weeks at number one on Billboard's Country Albums chart and reaching the Top-10 on the Billboard200. It sold several million copies and produced four Top-10 country hits, including Phil Spector's "To Know Him Is to Love Him", which went to number one. Trio won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and was nominated for Album of the Year. After a further attempt at pop success with Rainbow (1987), which included the single "The River Unbroken", its poor commercial performance led Parton to refocus on country material. White Limozeen (1989) produced two number-one hits, "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That" and "Yellow Roses". Although her career appeared revived, it proved brief before contemporary country music in the early 1990s moved most veteran artists off the charts.[42]
Parton at a Nashville recording session c.1989
A duet with Ricky Van Shelton, "Rockin' Years" (1991) reached number one, though Parton's greatest commercial fortune of the decade came when Whitney Houston recorded "I Will Always Love You" for the soundtrack of The Bodyguard (1992). Both the single and the album were massively successful. Parton's own soundtrack album from the 1992 film Straight Talk was less successful. Her 1993 album, Slow Dancing with the Moon, earned positive reviews from critics and achieved strong chart success, reaching number four on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 16 on the Billboard 200. It was later certified Platinum.[68][69]
Parton's recorded music during the mid-to-late 1990s remained steady and eclectic. Her 1995 re-recording of "I Will Always Love You", performed as a duet with Vince Gill from her album Something Special, won the Country Music Association's Vocal Event of the Year Award. In 1996, she released Treasures, an album of covers of 1960s and 1970s hits, featuring material by Mac Davis, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Cat Stevens, and Neil Young. Her recording of Stevens' "Peace Train" was later remixed and released as a dance single, reaching Billboard's dance singles chart.[70]
Parton earned her second Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Travelin' Thru", which she wrote specifically for the feature film Transamerica (2005).[73] Because the song and film centered on a transgender woman, Parton received death threats.[74] She returned to number one on the country chart later in 2005 by lending her harmonies to Brad Paisley's ballad, "When I Get Where I'm Going".[70] In September 2007, she released her first single on her own label, Dolly Records, "Better Get to Livin'", which peaked at number 48 on Billboard'sHot Country Songs chart.[44]
It was followed by the studio album Backwoods Barbie, released on February 26, 2008, which reached number two on the country chart. Its debut at number 17 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart was the highest in her career.[75] The album produced four additional singles, including the title track, written as part of her score for 9to5: The Musical. After the death of Michael Jackson, whom Parton knew personally, she released a video expressing her feelings about him and his death.[76][77]
On October 27, 2009, Parton released a four-CD box set, Dolly, featuring 99 songs spanning most of her career.[78] She released her second live DVD and album, Live From London, in October 2009, filmed during her sold-out 2008 concerts at London's The O2 Arena. On August 10, 2010, Parton's longtime friend Billy Ray Cyrus released the album Brother Clyde. Parton was featured on the track "The Right Time", which she co-wrote with Cyrus and Morris Joseph Tancredi. On January 6, 2011, Parton announced her new album Better Day. In February 2011, she announced the Better Day World Tour, beginning July 17, 2011, with shows in northern Europe and the U.S.[79] The album's lead-off single, "Together You and I", was released on May 23, 2011, and Better Day followed on June 28, 2011.[80]
In 2011, Parton voiced Dolly Gnome in the animated film Gnomeo & Juliet. On February 11, 2012, after the sudden death of Whitney Houston, Parton stated, "Mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'"[81]
In 2013, Parton joined Lulu Roman for a re-recording of "I Will Always Love You" for Roman's album, At Last.[82] In 2013, Parton and Kenny Rogers reunited for the title song of his album You Can't Make Old Friends. For their performance, they were nominated at the 2014 Grammy Awards for Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.[83] In 2014, Parton embarked on the Blue Smoke World Tour in support of her 42nd studio album, Blue Smoke.[84] The album was first released in Australia and New Zealand on January 31 to coincide with tour dates there in February and reached No. 1 on album charts in both countries.[85][86]
It was released in the United States on May 13 and debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 chart, making it her first Top-10 album and her highest-charting solo album ever; it also reached the number two on the U.S. country chart. The album was released in Europe on June 9 and reached number two on the UK album chart. On June 29, 2014, Parton performed for the first time at the UK Glastonbury Festival, singing songs such as "Jolene", "9to5" and "Coat of Many Colors" to a crowd of more than 180,000.[87] On March 6, 2016, Parton announced that she would be embarking on a tour in support of her new album, Pure & Simple. The tour was one of Parton's biggest tours within the United States in more than 25 years.[88] 64 dates were planned in the United States and Canada, visiting the most requested markets missed on previous tours.[89]
In 2017, Parton appeared on Rainbow, the third studio album by Kesha performing a duet of "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You". The track had been co-written by Kesha's mother Pebe Sebert. It was previously a hit for Parton and was included on her 1980 album Dolly, Dolly, Dolly. She also co-wrote and provided featuring vocals on the song "Rainbowland" on Younger Now, the sixth album by her goddaughter Miley Cyrus.[93]
In July 2019, Parton made an unannounced appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island and performed several songs accompanied by the Highwomen and Linda Perry.[94] In 2019, Parton collaborated with Christian alternative rock duet For King and Country and released a version of their hit "God Only Knows". She followed this by recording a duet with Christian music artist Zach Williams in the song "There Was Jesus". In 2020, Parton received worldwide attention after posting four pictures, in which she showed how she would present herself on social media platforms LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The original post on Instagram[95] went viral after celebrities posted their own versions of the so-called Dolly Parton challenge on social media.[96][97]
On April 10, 2020, Parton re-released 93 songs from six of her classic albums: Little Sparrow, Halos & Horns, For God and Country, Better Day, Those Were The Days and Live and Well.[98] On May 27, 2020, Parton released the song "When Life Is Good Again" to lift the spirits of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. She also released a music video for the song, which premiered on Time 100 talks on May 28, 2020.[99]
In 2021, a duet version of the song "Does He Love You" with singer Reba McEntire was released.[106] In early 2022, Parton was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[107] Parton initially declined the nomination believing that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was "for the people in rock music",[108][109] but after learning that this was not the case, Parton said she would accept her induction if she were chosen for the honor.[109] In May, her induction was announced and on November 5, 2022, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[110][111] In October 2022, Parton stated in an interview that she would no longer tour, but would continue to play live shows occasionally.[112] On December 31, 2022, Parton co-hosted NBC's New Year's special Miley's New Year's Eve Party.[113]
On January 17, 2023, Parton announced she would release her first rock album, titled Rockstar, later that year, during an interview on The View.[110] The lead single "World on Fire" was released on May 11, 2023,[111] and it peaked at number one a week later.[112] The album was released on November 17, 2023, and features collaborations with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sting, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Steve Perry, Miley Cyrus and Lizzo, among others.[113] The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, becoming Parton's highest-charting solo studio album as well as topping the Country and Rock Albums charts.[114]
The soundtrack single "Gonna Be You" from the movie 80 for Brady was released January 20, 2023. The song was written by Diane Warren and performed by Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and Gloria Estefan. The official music video shows Parton, Carlisle, Lauper and Estefan performing while wearing football jerseys similar to the ones worn by the women in the film, interspersed with clips from the film.[115]
Parton performing "Peace Like a River" with Dionne Warwick (2023)
On February 14, 2025, Parton featured on Sabrina Carpenter's song "Please Please Please" on the deluxe edition of her album Short n' Sweet and its accompanying music video.[118] On March 7, 2025, Parton released the single "If You Hadn't Been There", as a tribute to her husband, who had died a week before. In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at number twenty-one on the sales and downloads chart components.[119] In 2025, Dolly Parton recorded a new version of the 1985 single "Home Sweet Home" with Mötley Crüe, marking the song's 40th anniversary. The track was released on the band's compilation From The Beginning, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Covenant House, a charity supporting homeless youth.[120][121] The collaboration returned a favour Parton had extended two years earlier, when she invited Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx and John 5 to contribute to her 2023 rock album Rockstar.[122] Parton planned to begin a six-date Las Vegas residency, Dolly: Live in Las Vegas, at Caesars Palace in December 2025,[123] but she postponed[124] and then cancelled it.[125]
On January 16, 2026, in anticipation of her 80th birthday, Parton released a new live version of the song "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" featuring several celebrity guests: Queen Latifah, Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire, David Foster.[126] On March 13, 2026, Parton made her first major appearance since the health scare to give the keynote address at Dollywood during the 41st anniversary celebration.[127]
She made her last public appearance in June 2026, appearing at the grand opening of a truck stop off Interstate 65 in Cornersville, Tennessee that was being named in her honor.[128]
On August 14, 2026, over a week before her death, Parton was set to attend the grand opening of NightFlight Expedition, a new ride at the Dollywood theme park. Instead, she appeared in a recorded video from her home in Nashville to explain that because of health issues, she could not appear in person.[129]
Public image
The way I look and the way I looked then was a country girl's idea of glam, just like I wrote in my "Backwoods Barbie" song. People wanted me to change, they thought I looked cheap. But I patterned my look after the town tramp. Everybody said, "She's trash." And in my little girl mind, I thought, "Well, that's what I'm going to be when I grow up." It was really like a look I was after. I wasn't a natural beauty. So, I just like to look the way I look. I'm so outgoing inside in my personality, that I need the way I look to match all of that.
Parton had turned down several offers to pose nude for Playboy magazine, but did appear on the cover of the October 1978 issue wearing a Playboy bunny outfit, complete with ears. The issue featured Lawrence Grobel's extensive and candid interview with Parton, representing one of her earliest high-profile interviews with the mainstream press.[131] The association of breasts with Parton's public image is illustrated in the naming of Dolly the sheep after her, since the sheep was cloned from a cell taken from an adult ewe's mammary gland.[132][133] In Mobile, Alabama, the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge is commonly called "the Dolly Parton Bridge" due to its arches resembling her bust.[134] The thickened appearance of the turret frontal armor of the T-72A main battle tank led to the unofficial Army nickname "Dolly Parton"[135] and later the T-72BIs got the "Super Dolly Parton" nickname.[136]
Parton was known for having undergone considerable plastic surgery.[137][138] On a 2003 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey asked what kind of cosmetic surgery Parton had undergone. Parton replied that cosmetic surgery was imperative in keeping with her famous image.[episodeneeded] Parton repeatedly joked about her physical image and surgeries, saying, "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap."[139] When asked about future plastic surgeries, she said, "If I see something sagging, bagging or dragging, I'll get it nipped, tucked or sucked."[140]
Parton's feminine escapism[clarification needed] is acknowledged in her words, "Womanhood was a difficult thing to get a grip on in those hills, unless you were a man."[141] Parton said in 2012 that she had entered a Dolly Parton drag queen lookalike contest and lost.[142]
Artistry
Influences
Parton, though influenced by big-name stars, often credited much of her inspiration to her family and community. In her 2020 book, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, Parton wrote of her mother, "So it was just natural for my mom to always be singing. My mother had that old-timey voice and she used to sing all these songs that were brought over from the Old World. They were English, Irish, Welsh, folk songs where people tell stories." Parton calls her mother's voice "haunting". "Lord you would feel it", she wrote.[143]
Her biggest influence was her aunt Dorothy Jo: "People often ask me who my influences were, they think I'm going to say some big names and there were a few 'stars' I was impressed with. But my hero was my aunt Dorothy Jo, Mama's baby sister. She was not only an evangelist, she played banjo, she played guitar and she wrote some great songs."[143] Fellow singers also had an impact on Parton; she described George Jones as her "all time favorite singer",[144] as well as mentioning her love for other artists such as Kitty Wells, Roy Acuff and Rose Maddox.[145][146]
Musicianship
Though being unable to read sheet music, Parton was able play many instruments, including the dulcimer, autoharp, banjo, guitar, electric guitar, fiddle, piano, recorder and the saxophone.[147] Reflecting on her multi-instrumental abilities, Parton said, "I play some of everything. I ain't that good at none of it, but I try to sell it. I really try to lay into it."[148] Parton also used her fingernails as an instrument, most evident on her 1980 song "9 to 5", which she derived the beat from clacking her nails together while backstage on the set of the film 9 to 5.[149]
Other ventures
In 1998, Nashville Business ranked her the wealthiest country music star.[150]As of 2017, her net worth was estimated at $500million.[151]
Songwriting
Parton was a prolific songwriter, writing country music songs with strong elements of folk music and her upbringing in humble mountain surroundings, as well as reflecting her family's Christian background. Her songs "Coat of Many Colors", "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene", among others, became classics. On November 4, 2003, Parton was honored as a BMI Icon at the 2003 BMI Country Awards.[152] Parton earned over 35 BMI Pop and Country Awards.[153] In 2001, she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[154] In a 2009 interview on CNN's Larry King Live, she said she had written "at least 3,000" songs, having written seriously since the age of seven. Parton also said she writes something every day, be it a song or an idea.[155]
Parton's songwriting was featured prominently in several films. In addition to the title song for 9to5, she also recorded a second version of "I Will Always Love You" for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). The second version was a number one country hit and also reached number 53 on the pop charts. "I Will Always Love You" has been covered by many country artists, including Linda Ronstadt on Prisoner In Disguise (1975), Kenny Rogers on Vote for Love (1996) and LeAnn Rimes on Unchained Melody: The Early Years (1997). Whitney Houston's version, which was performed on The Bodyguard soundtrack, became a best-selling hit both written and performed by a female vocalist, with worldwide sales of over twelve million copies. The song has been translated into Italian and performed by the Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins.[156]
Parton wrote the score (and Patricia Resnick the book) for 9 to 5: The Musical, a musical-theateradaptation of Parton's feature film 9 to 5 (1980). The musical ran at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, in late 2008. It opened on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in New York on April 30, 2009, to mixed reviews.[158] The title track of her 2008 album Backwoods Barbie was written for the musical's character Doralee.[159] Although her score (as well as the musical debut of actress Allison Janney) was praised, the show struggled, closing on September 6, 2009, after 24 previews and 148 performances.[160][161][162]
In June 2024, Parton announced an autobiographicalmusical about her life and career initially titled Hello, I'm Dolly (named after her debut album and also a play on Hello, Dolly!), with a goal of opening on Broadway in 2026 with direction by Bartlett Sher. The musical, with a co-written book by Parton and Maria S. Schlatter, features original songs as well as her more well-known hits. Parton also revealed that she had been working on the musical for the last decade.[166] The title was promoted as Dolly: An Original Musical on December 6, coinciding with a nationwide casting call for actresses to play Parton through different stages of her life, using the hashtag #SearchForDolly on social media video posts.[167] The show opened as Dolly: A True Original Musical at the Belmont University Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville in July 2025.[168][169]
Parton invested much of her earnings into business ventures in her native East Tennessee, notably Pigeon Forge. She was a co-owner of The Dollywood Company, which operates the theme park (a former Silver Dollar City), a dinner theater, Dolly Parton's Stampede, the waterparkDollywood's Splash Country and the Dream More Resort and Spa, all in Pigeon Forge. With 3.1 million visitors in 2024, Dollywood is among the 20 most popular theme parks in the United States, and the fifth most popular theme park that operates seasonally.[170][171]
The Dolly Parton's Stampede business has venues in Branson, Missouri and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In 2011, the Myrtle Beach Stampede location was redesigned under the name Pirates Voyage,[172] and the show later expanded to Tennessee and Florida locations.[173] A former location in Orlando, Florida, closed in January 2008 after the land and building were sold to a developer.[174]
Parton was honored with proclamations of "Dolly Parton Day" multiple times. In 1970, her hometown Sevierville, Tennessee, declared one day to be Dolly Parton Day.[175] In 2011, the South Carolina General Assembly declared June 3, 2011, as Dolly Parton Day, in connection with the grand opening of Pirates Voyage in Myrtle Beach.[176] In 2026, the State of Tennessee declared her 80th birthday to be Dolly Parton Day in the state.[177][178]
On January 19, 2012, Parton's 66th birthday, Gaylord Opryland and Dollywood announced plans to open a $50million water and snow park, a family-friendly destination in Nashville that is open all year.[179] In September 2012, Parton officially withdrew her support for the Nashville park due to the restructuring of Gaylord Entertainment Company after its merger with Marriott International.[180] In June 2015, the Dollywood Company purchased the Lumberjack Feud Dinner Show in Pigeon Forge. The show, which opened in June 2011, was owned and operated by Rob Scheer until the close of the 2015 season. The new, renovated show by the Dollywood Company opened in 2016.[181]
Business ventures
Parton announced in October 2025 that she would be opening her new SongTeller Hotel in downtown Nashville in partnership with the firm Herschend.[182] With the hotel, Parton will also be opening her new Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum, which claims to be the "largest exhibit celebrating her life anywhere to date."[183] Advance tickets for the museum's opening in June 2026 went on sale on October 29, 2025.[184] On May 26, 2026, it was announced that Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop would open on June 24, 2026. The travel stop "will include a general store, a full-service sit-down cafe and restaurant offering DLY BBQ, as well as Dolly's Cup of Ambition Coffee." It is located at exit 22 off I-65 in Cornersville, Tennessee, approximately one hour south of Nashville.[185]
Production work
Parton was a co-owner of Sandollar Productions, with Sandy Gallin, her former manager. A film and television production company, it produced the documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989), which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature; the television series Babes (1990–1991), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), and Angel (1999–2004); and the feature films Father of the Bride (1991), Father of the Bride: Part II (1995) Straight Talk (1992) (in which Parton starred) and Sabrina (1995), among other shows. In a 2009 interview, singer Connie Francis revealed that Parton had been contacting her for years in an attempt to film the singer's life story. Francis turned down Parton's offers, as she was already in negotiations with singer Gloria Estefan to produce the film, a collaboration now ended.[186] After the retirement of Sandy Gallin, Parton briefly operated Dolly Parton's Southern Light Productions. In 2015, she announced that her new production company, Dixie Pixie Productions, would produce the movies-of-week in development with NBC Television and Magnolia Hill Productions.[187]
Acting
Breakthrough
In addition to her performing appearances on The Porter Wagoner Show in the 1960s and into the 1970s, her two self-titled television variety shows in the 1970s and 1980s and on American Idol in 2008 and other guest appearances, Parton had television roles. In 1979, she received an Emmy award nomination as "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Variety Program" for her guest appearance in a Cher special.[188] During the mid-1970s, Parton wanted to expand her audience base. Although her first attempt, the television variety show Dolly! (1976–77), had high ratings, it lasted only one season, with Parton requesting to be released from her contract because of the stress it was causing on her vocal cords.[189] She later tried a second television variety show, also titled Dolly (1987–88); it too lasted only one season.[190]
In late 1981, Parton began filming her second film, the musical filmThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982).[27] The film earned her a second nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress–Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.[192] The film was greeted with positive critical reviews and became a commercial success, earning over $69million worldwide.[194] After a two-year hiatus from films, Parton was teamed with Sylvester Stallone for Rhinestone (1984), a comedy film about a country music star's efforts to mold an unknown into a music sensation.[195] The film was a critical and financial failure, making just over $21million on a $28million budget.[196][195]
Parton's 1987 variety show Dolly lasted only one season. She made a cameo appearance as herself in The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), an adaptation of the long-running TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971).[27] Parton done voice work for animation for television series, playing the character Katrina Eloise "Murph" Murphy (Ms. Frizzle's first cousin) in The Magic School Bus (episode "The Family Holiday Special", 1994).[198]
She guest-starred in several sitcoms, including a 1990 episode of Designing Women (episode "The First Day of the Last Decade of the Entire Twentieth Century") as herself, the guardian movie star of Charlene's baby.[199] She made a guest appearance on Reba (episode "Reba's Rules of Real Estate") portraying a real-estate agency owner and on The Simpsons (episode "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday", 1999).[200][201]
She appeared as herself in 2000 on the Halloween episode of Bette Midler's short-lived sitcom Bette and on episode 14 of Babes, produced by Sandollar Productions, Parton and Sandy Gallin's joint production company. She made cameo appearances on the Disney Channel as "Aunt Dolly", visiting Hannah and her family in fellow Tennessean and real-life goddaughterMiley Cyrus's series Hannah Montana (episodes "Good Golly, Miss Dolly", 2006, "I Will Always Loathe You", 2007 and "Kiss It All Goodbye", 2010).[202]
In June 2018, Parton announced an eight-part Netflix series, featuring her music career.[207][208] She was its executive producer and co-star.[209] The series, called Dolly Parton's Heartstrings, aired in November 2019.[210] Parton was the subject of the NPR podcast Dolly Parton's America, hosted by Jad Abumrad and produced and reported by Shima Oliaee.[211] In December 2019, the biographical documentary Here I Am was added to the catalog of the Netflix streaming service. The documentary, a co-production of Netflix and the BBC, takes its name from Parton's 1971 song.[212]
Parton's views on religion were initially shaped by her upbringing in the Church of God. She grew more heterodox in her later years, remarking to New Humanist magazine in 2024 that she had grown to embrace a more universalist approach to God ("whether you believe in God or not, whether you call it Mother Nature or Father Time or a higher wisdom. You need to believe in yourself and you need to believe there's a force that can push you and lead you on"). "I wouldn't even say I'm religious, though I grew up with that background."[217]
Marriage
Parton arrived in Nashville on a Saturday morning, the day after graduating from Sevier County High School. After starting her laundry inside the Wishy Washy Laundromat, she got a cold drink and stepped outside. Carl Thomas Dean (1942–2025),[218] a Nashville native, pulled up along the sidewalk where she was standing. He mentioned she might get sunburned because of the style of shirt she was wearing. Following that interaction, they began a conversation.[2][219][220][221] They were married in Ringgold, Georgia, on May 30, 1966.[222][223][218] Although Parton did not use Dean's surname professionally, it was used in her personal life.[224] Her passport read "Dolly Parton Dean" and she sometimes used Dean when signing contracts.[225]
Dean ran an asphalt road and driveway-paving business in Nashville for decades.[226] He always avoided publicity and rarely accompanied his wife to public events. According to Parton, he saw her perform only once. She also said in interviews that even though it appeared they spent little time together, it was because nobody saw him publicly. Dean often visited Dollywood by himself and toured the park unrecognized.[2]
Parton commented on Dean's romantic side, saying that he did spontaneous things to surprise her and sometimes wrote poems for her.[227] In 2011, she said, "We're really very proud of our marriage. It's the first for both of us. And the last."[228] On May 6, 2016, she announced that she and Dean would renew their vows in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary later in the month.[229]
Parton and Dean moved into their long-term home on 75 acres in Brentwood, Tennessee, in 1972. They kept ownership of their prior home in Antioch, Nashville, for several years.[2] Parton's uncle, Dot Watson, and Dean built the home in 1970 and 1971. Her brothers Denver and Randy also worked on the structure.[2] Several years later, they added a guest house to the property.[2] Dean and Parton lived there together for more than 52 years until his death.
Although they never had children due to Parton's health issues,[230] Parton and Dean helped raise some of her younger siblings in Nashville. Her nieces and nephews, and later grand‑nieces and grand‑nephews, referred to them as "Uncle Peepaw" and "Aunt Granny." The latter name was later used for one of Parton's Dollywood restaurants. Parton was also the godmother of singer, songwriter, and actress Miley Cyrus.[231] Dean died in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 3, 2025, at age 82.[218][232][233]
Health
Parton was diagnosed with endometriosis and had a partial hysterectomy in her 30s, which affected her ability to have children.[230]
In the early 1980s, her career was temporarily halted by what Parton described as "female issues" and weight gain; she also noted that, throughout her life, she had contended with kidney stones.[234]
In May 2026, Parton said she was responding well to treatment after, as she put it, her immune and digestive systems "got all out of whack."[235]
Illness and death
In an interview with People magazine on August 21, 2026, Parton said she had been having "hard times" with her health and had overlooked some issues while caring for her husband.[234][236] She was hospitalized the same day at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee,[237] and died after a "brief battle" with cancer on August 25, at age 80.[238][239][240][241]
Tributes
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) said that Parton "leaves behind a legacy that reaches far beyond the stage." The Grand Ole Opry called her "a true country music icon."[242] President Donald Trump issued a statement describing her as "one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER" and ordered flags at half-mast for a week.[243] Multiple state governors issued similar orders.[244][245][246][247][248] Flowers were left at her Hollywood Walk of Fame star, at her Walk of Fame plaque, and at her statue in downtown Sevierville. Books of condolence were opened at the Country Music Hall of Fame.[249][250] The Empire State Building was lit in pink at 9:25 for her song "9 to 5" in her honor.[251]
Philanthropy
Education and literacy
In 1988, Parton founded the non-profit Dollywood Foundation, originally to improve educational outcomes among children in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee.[252] Among the foundation's early efforts was the Buddy Program, in which seventh- and eighth-grade students paired with a friend and pledged to support each other in remaining in school and graduating from high school. Students who graduated received $500. The dropout rate among participating classes fell from 35% to 6%, and the program encouraged the community to develop additional initiatives to sustain the improvement.[253][254]
Parton's literacy program, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library,[255] is also a part of the Dollywood Foundation, and it was founded in honor of her father, who never learned to read or write.[256] It mails[257] one book per month to each enrolled child from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten. Over 1,600 local communities provide the Imagination Library to almost 850,000 children each month across the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.[255]
In 2006, Parton published a cookbook, Dolly's Dixie Fixin's: Love, Laughter and Lots of Good Food, with all proceeds going toward the Imagination Library.[258][259][260]
In February 2018, she donated her 100 millionth free book, a copy of Parton's children's picture book Coat of Many Colors, to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.[261] and was honored by the Library on account of the "charity sending out its 100 millionth book".[262]
On the 30th anniversay of the program Roxanne Owens provided a summary of the impact of the initiative for Children and Libraries, the journal of the Association for Library Service to Children. [263]
In February 2025, Indiana governor Mike Braun declined to continue a state 50% match for Parton's Imagination Library. Dollywood Foundation President Jeff Conyers said, "We are hopeful that Governor Braun and the Indiana Legislature will continue this vital investment by restoring the state's funding match for local Imagination Library programs."[264] Braun would soon afterwards task his wife Maureen with finding ways to keep the Imagination Library's Indiana chapter alive.[265]
The Dollywood Foundation, funded from Parton's profits, has brought jobs and tax revenues to a previously depressed region. Parton also worked to raise money for other causes, including the American Red Cross and HIV/AIDS-related charities.[268]
In December 2006, Parton pledged $500,000 toward a proposed $90million hospital and cancer center to be constructed in Sevierville in the name of Robert F. Thomas, the physician who delivered her. She announced a benefit concert to raise additional funds for the project. The concert played to about 8,000 people.[269]
Parton was a generous donor to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Among her gifts was a contribution to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt Pediatric Cancer Program in honor of a friend, Naji Abumrad and her niece, Hannah Dennison, who was successfully treated for leukemia as a child at the Children's Hospital.[270]
Parton also made "generational and transformational" donations of undisclosed amounts to the East Tennessee Children's Hospital, according to the hospital's president and chief executive officer.[271] The hospital was later renamed the Dolly Parton Children's Hospital.[272]
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parton donated $1million towards research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and encouraged those who can afford it to make similar donations.[273] She said "I'm a very proud girl today to know I had anything at all to do with something that's going to help us through this crazy pandemic."[274] Her donation funded the critical early stages of development of the Moderna vaccine.[275]
In March 2021, Parton was vaccinated against COVID-19 at Vanderbilt University. She labeled social media accounts of the occasion "Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine."[276] Parton strongly encouraged everyone to get vaccinated when eligible and performed a song celebrating her vaccination, set to the tune of her song "Jolene".[277][278][279]
Disaster relief and community aid
In response to the 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, Parton was one of the country music artists who participated in a telethon to raise money for victims of the fires.[280] This was held in Nashville on December 9. Parton hosted her own telethon for the victims on December 13[281] and reportedly raised around $9million.[282] Her fund, the "My People Fund", provided $1,000 a month for six months to over 900 families affected by the wildfires, culminating with $5,000 to each home in the final month due to increased fundraising, totaling $10,000 per family.[283][284][285]
In 2018, the FBI honored Parton for her wildfire aid, awarding her the 2018 Director's Community Leadership Award in a ceremony at FBI Headquarters. The honor was bestowed by Director Christopher Wray and was accepted on Parton's behalf by David Dotson, the CEO of the Dollywood Foundation.[284]
The impact of the fund's financial relief for the 2016 wildfire victims was studied by University of Tennessee College of Social Work professor Stacia West, who examined the impact of cash transfers on poverty alleviation.[286] West surveyed 100 recipients of the emergency relief funds in April 2017 on topics including housing, financial impact, physical and emotional health and sources of support, with a follow-up survey conducted in December 2017. West found that the "My People Fund", in tandem with traditional disaster response, gave families the ability to make decisions that were most beneficial to them and concluded that unconditional cash support may be more beneficial for disaster relief than conditional financial support.[287] The report cited the impact of the monthly financial disbursements from the "My People Fund" on residents' emergency savings: "Following the monthly disbursements of unconditional cash assistance, participants were able to return to baseline financial stability reported prior to the wildfire and improve their ability to set aside savings for hypothetical future emergencies."[288]
In the aftermath of 2024's Hurricane Helene, Parton announced a donation of $2million to relief efforts, $1million personally and another $1million through her various businesses and the Dollywood Foundation.[289]
In 2006, Parton and Emmylou Harris allowed use of their music in a PETA ad campaign that encouraged pet owners to keep their dogs indoors rather than chained outside.[291]
In addition to the awards Parton received specifically for her efforts toward promoting literacy, Parton also received recognition for her general philanthropical work.
On May 8, 2009, Parton gave the commencement speech at the graduation ceremony for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's College of Arts and Sciences.[296] During the ceremony, she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the university. It was only the second honorary degree given by the university and in presenting the degree, the university's Chancellor, Jimmy Cheek, said, "Because of her career not just as a musician and entertainer, but for her role as a cultural ambassador, philanthropist and lifelong advocate for education, it is fitting that she be honored with an honorary degree from the flagship educational institution of her home state."[297]
Parton was one of the most-honored female country performers in history. The Record Industry Association of America certified 25 of her single or album releases as either Gold Record, Platinum Record or Multi-Platinum Record. She had had 26 songs reach no.1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. She had 42 career Top-10 country albums, a record for any artist and 110 career-charted singles over the past 40 years.[42] As of 2012 she had written more than 3,000 songs and sold more than 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling female artists ever.[298][299] As of 2021, she had appeared on the country music charts in each of seven decades, the most of any artist.[300]
Parton earned 11 Grammy Awards (including her 2011 Lifetime Achievement Grammy) and a total of 55 Grammy Award nominations, the third-most nominations of any female artist in the history of the prestigious awards.[301][302][303]
At the American Music Awards, she won three awards out of 18 nominations.[304] At the Country Music Association, she won ten awards out of 42 nominations.[304] At the Academy of Country Music, she won thirteen awards and 44 nominations.[304] She was one of the few female artists to win the Country Music Association's highest honor, Entertainer of the Year (1978).[304] She also had been nominated for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award.[304] She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her appearance in a 1978 Cher television special.[304]
In 1984, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her music, located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California; in 1988 a star on the Nashville StarWalk for Grammy winners;[305] and a bronze sculpture on the courthouse lawn in Sevierville. She called that statue of herself in her hometown "the greatest honor", because it came from the people who knew her. Parton was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1969 and in 1986 was named one of Ms. Magazine's Women of the Year. In 1986, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.[306][307]
In 2005, she was honored with the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor given by the U.S. government for excellence in the arts. The award is presented by the U.S. President. On December 3, 2006, Parton received the Kennedy Center Honors from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for her lifetime of contributions to the arts. During the show, some of country music's biggest names came to show their admiration. Carrie Underwood performed "Islands in the Stream" with Rogers, Parton's original duet partner. Krauss performed "Jolene" and duetted "Coat of Many Colors" with Twain. McEntire and Reese Witherspoon also came to pay tribute. On November 16, 2010, Parton accepted the Liseberg Applause Award, the theme park industry's most prestigious honor, on behalf of Dollywood theme park during a ceremony held at IAAPA Attractions Expo 2010 in Orlando, Florida.[314]
In 2015, a newly discovered species of lichen found growing in the southern Appalachians was named Japewiella dollypartoniana in honor of Parton's music and her efforts to bring national and global attention to that region.[315] In 2018, Parton received a second star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, inducted alongside Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris in recognition of their work as a trio.[316] Parton was also recognized in the Guinness World Records 2018 Edition for holding records for the Most Decades with a Top-20 hit on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart and Most Hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart by a Female Artist.[317] In 2020, Parton received a Grammy award for her collaboration with For King & Country on their song, "God Only Knows".[318] In 2021, she was included on the Time 100, Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[319]The New York Times called her among the three of America's Most Beloved Divas (alongside Patti LaBelle and Barbra Streisand).[320]
During Donald Trump's first term, Parton turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice due to her husband's illness and the ongoing pandemic.[321] Parton turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom a third time during the Biden presidency to avoid the appearance of politics.[322] In response to a 2021 proposal by the Tennessee legislature to erect a statue of Parton, she released a statement asking the legislature to remove the bill from consideration, saying "Given all that is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time."[323]
In late 2022, Parton received a $100-million Courage and Civility Award from the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos.[324][325][326] According to Bezos, the award was given to Parton because of her charity work focused on improving children's literacy around the world.[327]
Parton, Dolly; Boynton-Hughes, Brooke (October 18, 2016). Coat of Many Colors. Grosset & Dunlap/Penguin Random House. ISBN9780451532374.
Parton, Dolly; Oermann, Robert K. (November 17, 2020). Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN978-1797205090.
Parton, Dolly; Patterson, James (March 7, 2022). Run, Rose, Run. Little, Brown & Company. ISBN978-0-7595-5434-4.
Parton, Dolly (April 25, 2023). Dolly Parton's Billy The Kid Makes It Big. Penguin Workshop. ISBN9780593661574.
Parton, Dolly; Seaver, Rebecca; George-Warren, Holly (October 17, 2023). Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones. Ten Speed Press. ISBN9781984862129.
Parton, Dolly; Parton-George, Rachel (September 17, 2024). Good Lookin' Cookin': A Year of Meals - A Lifetime of Family, Friends and Food. Ten Speed Press. ISBN9781984863164.
Parton, Dolly (October 1, 2024). Dolly Parton's Billy The Kid Comes Home for Christmas. Penguin Workshop. ISBN9780593755006.
Parton, Dolly; Roland, Tom (November 11, 2025). Star of the Show: My Life on Stage. Ten Speed Press. ISBN978-1984863133.
Parton, Dolly (December 2, 2025). Dolly Parton's Billy The Kid Dances His Heart Out. Penguin Workshop. ISBN978-0593755020.
Parton, Dolly; Boynton-Hughes, Brooke (May 26, 2026). Coat of Many Colors: 10th Anniversary Edition. Penguin Workshop. ISBN9798217140640.
Uitti, Jacob (October 13, 2023). "Then & Now: Dolly Parton". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
"Upland Chronicles: Dolly Parton: Sevier's hometown celebrity". The Mountain Press. Sevierville, Tennessee. May 16, 2011.
"Nashville Then: Dolly Parton and Carol Burnett's TV special in Jan. 1979". The Tennessean. September 26, 2016. Carol Burnett and Dolly Parton perform the "Pedestal Song" skit during the taping of the "Dolly and Carol in Nashville" television special before a packed audience at the Grand Ole Opry House Jan. 10, 1979.
Siemaszko, Corky (August 25, 2026). "Dolly Parton, country music icon, dies at 80". NBC News. Retrieved August 25, 2026. I'm representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean...
Intrater, Roberta Grobel (2005). ABC Look at Me! A Lift-and-Learn Book. New York: Price Stern Sloan. ISBN978-0-8431-2012-7. This Imagination Library edition is published ... exclusively for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a not-for-profit program designed to inspire a love of reading and learning, sponsored in part by The Dollywood Foundation
"Famous Colonels". The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
"New Names of Minor Planets"(PDF). WGSBN Bulletin. 2 (16). Paris, France: International Astronomical Union: 5. December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
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