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After more than forty years of producing albums, Dolly Parton has been dubbed the “Queen of Country.”  In addition to being an icon in country-pop music, Parton is also a brilliant songwriter, talented actress, and savvy businesswoman.  She has been honoured with many accolades, has had 25 number 1 hits, and was ranked number 4 of the 40 Greatest Women in Country Music. 

Parton was born on January 19, 1946 to Robert Lee Parton and Avie Parton (née Owens).  She had eleven siblings and they lived in poverty on a farm in Tennessee.  Parton got her first guitar when she was 8 years old and sang in her church.  At the age of 12 she was making appearances on Knoxville television and was on the Grand Ole Opry. By the age of 13, Parton had recorded her first single Puppy Love with the small independent Louisiana label Gold Band.  When the aspiring singer graduated from high school, she moved to Nashville where she landed a deal with Monument.  On her first day in Nashville, Parton met Carl Dean, whom she married two years later.  Parton’s first few releases went unnoticed, but people took notice when she released Dumb Blonde in 1967 off the album Hello, I’m Dolly.  It peaked at number 24 on the country music chart.  It was followed by the hit single Something Fishy.  Parton caught the attention of country music singer Porter Wagoner who invited her to appear on his syndicated country-music show.  The two performed many duets and Parton was dubbed “Miss Dolly.”

In 1969, Wagoner got RCA Records to sign a deal with Parton.  She had many hits with Wagoner such as Just Someone I Used to Know (1969) and Daddy Was an Old Preacher Man (1970).  The duo won the Vocal Duo of the Year Award at the Country Music Awards (CMA) in 1968, 1970, and 1971. In fact, the duo had six years of Top 10 singles.  The charismatic Dolly was also doing solo work and had many country and western hits. In 1971 Joshua went to number 1, and Coat of Many Colors landed at number 4.  Both albums showed the depth of Parton’s talent. For the album Coat of Many Colors, 7 of the 10 tracks were written by Parton.  The title track became her signature song mostly because it spoke about her childhood.  In 1974, Parton issued the album Jolene, which was another triumph.  Not only did it climb to number 1, but it also crossed over into the pop mainstream.  The luminescent singer started to outshine Wagoner and the two decided to split.  Parton wrote a song for Wagoner entitled I Will Always Love You, which went to number 1 in 1974. 

By the mid 1970s Parton had become a country sensation.  In 1975 and 1976 she won for Best Female Vocalist at the CMA Awards.  This was making other stars take notice and many well-known artists, including Linda Ronstadt, started to do covers of her hit singles.  This encouraged the diversified artist to put a little more pop into her music, which she did on the 1977 album New Harvest that she produced.  Parton continued to push the country-pop crossover with her platinum record Here You Come Again (1977).  The title track was the singer’s first pop smash hit, hitting number 3 on the charts, staying there for five consecutive weeks, and earning a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance.  The LP had another single, Two Doors Down, which landed on the pop Top 20.  In 1978, Parton received the Entertainer of the Year Award at the CMA Awards.

Parton had a string of hits for the next few years including Baby I’m Burnin’ (1978), You’re the Only One (1979), Starting Over Again (1980), and Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You (1980).  Her 1978 album Heartbreaker was certified gold and by 1980, eight of Parton’s singles had hit the Top 10.  During this era, Parton dealt with a legal battle with Wagoner who had received a good part of her royalties.  When it was settled, Parton regained her copyrights and Wagoner was paid a fee and given the studio.  Amidst the legal chaos a delayed duet album entitled Making Plans was released.  The title track reached number 2 on the country charts. In 1980, the multi-talented artist made her movie debut in 9 to 5 and received two Oscars for the title song in the categories Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance.  The title track was her first pop song to peak at number 1. 

Parton starred in the Burt Reynolds film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1982.  Her single I Will Always Love You was revived for the soundtrack and once again went to number 1.  Parton was the first artist to earn a number 1 record twice with the same song.  The same song was covered by Whitney Houston in 1994 and sold over 4 million copies.  In 1983, Parton did the chart-topping duet Islands in the Stream with Kenny Rogers. It was written by the Bee Gees and stayed at number 1 for two weeks. 

In 1984 Parton had another movie role in Rhinestone, opposite Sylvester Stallone.  The soundtrack was another success that featured the hit tune Tennessee Homesick Blues.  Between 1981 and 1985 the country star had 12 charted singles, and half of those went to number 1.  Parton was becoming known for her astute business sense and fulfilled one of her dreams when she opened a theme park called Dollywood in 1986 in Tennessee, at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains. 

Parton’s musical career had its first setback in 1986 when none of her singles made it to the Top 10.  Although Parton had done a very successful crossover from country to pop, fans wanted her to return to her roots.  The country singer teamed with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris and recorded the album Trio (1987).  Trio had critical and commercial success with 3 Top 10 country singles: To Know Him is to Love Him, Telling Me Lies, and Those Memories of You.  The record sold 6 million copies and won a Grammy for Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group. 

In 1987 Parton starred on an ABC television show, Dolly, the same name as a show she did in 1976.  The show did not have high ratings and was taken off the air after only one season.  Parton signed with Columbia Records in 1987 and released her first album under that label in 1989 entitled White Limozeen.  It had the number 1 singles Why’d You Come Here Looking Like That and Yellow Roses.  The same year she played in the movie Steel Magnolias with Julia Roberts and Shirley MacLaine.  In 1998, Parton founded the Dollywood Foundation to help children from her hometown fulfill their dreams and decrease the high school dropout rate. 

The singer released the number 1 duet with Ricky Van Shelton, Rockin’ Years, in 1991. Following the short-lived success of that duet, Parton’s sales started to dwindle.  This was a reality for many older country stars that were being pushed aside by new contemporary country singers at the beginning of the nineties.  Parton continued to make headlines through her music, movies, and business endeavours.  In 1991, Parton starred in the film Texas Wind, and in 1992 she played in Straight Talk.  During that year, Whitney Houston covered the previous hit I Will Always Love You on The Bodyguard soundtrack, making it an even bigger smash. It spent 14 weeks at number 1.  The singer’s concerts continued selling out and in between she recorded more music.  Her 1993 LP Honky Tonk Angels, which had collaborations with country legends Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn, fared well on the charts.

In 1994, Parton published her autobiography, My Life and Other Unfinished Business.  Parton redid the single I Will Always Love You in 1996 along with Vince Gill and they snagged a CMA Award for Vocal Event of the Year.  In 1996 Parton cut the album Treasures, which received critical acclaim.  It was followed by Hungry Again (1998), Trio II (1999), and The Grass is Blue (1999).  The singer picked up another Grammy in 1999 for the cover After the Gold Rush off the Trio II disc. Later that year Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The acoustic album The Grass is Blue won a Grammy in 2000, as well as the Bluegrass Music Association’s Album of the Year award.

Over the next few years many more albums followed:  Little Sparrow (2001), Halos & Horns (2002), For God and Country (2003), Live and Well (2004), and Those Were the Days (2005).  The relentless Parton took a three-year hiatus and released Backwoods Barbie in 2008, her first mainstream country album in over twenty years.  It climbed to number 17 on the Billboard producing the popular singles Better Get to Livin’ and Jesus & Gravity. After forty years in the business, Dolly Parton has more than earned the title of superstar. With 25 number 1 singles, she holds the record for number 1 songs on the Billboard Country charts.  She also holds the record for the most Top 10 country albums (41), and has had 110 charted singles over 40 years.  She has been honoured more than any other female country performer, winning 7 Grammys, 10 CMA awards, 5 Academy of Country Music Awards, 3 American Music Awards, and is one of five female artists to win the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year award.