Share

Dolly Parton biography

3 photos

Quick Facts

Best Known For

Country music queen Dolly Parton is a cultural icon whose voluptuous figure and powerful voice made her popular on both stage and screen.

Videos see all videos

Dolly Parton - Mini Bio watch more videos (2)

Synopsis

Born on January 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, Dolly Parton was one of twelve children. After high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue music. She's won numerous Country Music Awards, Grammys and starred in the hit films "9 to 5," and "Steel Magnolias." She opened her Dollywood theme park in 1985 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

Contents

Quotes

"I'm not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I'm not dumb. I also know I'm not blonde."
– Dolly Parton

"I look just like the girls next door... if you happen to live next door to an amusement park."
– Dolly Parton

Profile

Singer, songwriter, actress. Born Dolly Rebecca Parton on January 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Raised in a poor family with 12 children, Parton learned to escape her life by making up songs. By age 11, she was singing on a local radio station and after graduating from high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music.

Parton launched her solo career in 1967, and though she partnered with Porter Wagoner for his television show from 1967-1975, she remained primarily a solo act. (It was for Wagoner that Parton dedicated the ever-popular "I Will Always Love You.") She won the Country Music Award for female vocalist in 1975 and 1976.

In 1987, she recorded Trio with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. In 1993, she put out another collaboration with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette titled Honky Tonk Angels. In 1999, she returned to acoustics with The Grass Is Blue, which won a Grammy for best bluegrass album. Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

In addition to music, Parton also became interested in acting, starring in 1980??s 9 to 5, 1982??s Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and 1989??s Steel Magnolias. She also opened the Dollywood theme park in 1985, which continues to be one of the South??s most popular vacation destinations. Parton married Carl Dean, who runs an asphalt-paving business, in 1966.

In 2006, Dolly Parton received special recognition for her lifetime contributions to the arts. She was one of five artists feted at the annual Kennedy Center Honors. This achievement is just the latest award for this remarkable performer who has forged her own place in country music history.

This Kennedy Center honoree has continued to keep busy. Her most recent release is Backwoods Barbie (2008), which featured two country hits ??Better Get To Livin???? and ??Jesus & Gravity.?? That same year, Parton got into public feud with satellite radio shock jock Howard Stern after he aired a segment in which previous spoken recordings were manipulated to make it sound like she made some obscene statements.

After writing so many of her own hits, Parton had penned the songs for a new musical based on her earlier hit workplace comedy, 9 to 5. The show debut in the fall of 2008 in Los Angeles before it's

ADVERTISEMENT
9434112 9434112
profile id: 9434112
profile name: Dolly Parton
profile occupation:
related profile id: 9434112
related profile name: Dolly Parton
related profile occupation:
related profile img: /imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/P/Dolly-Parton-9434112-1-402.jpg
related profile URL: /people/dolly-parton-9434112
profile
pop
Your Connections

Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.

specific profile connection
See More Bio Connections
Your Friends' Connections
specific friend connection
Profile Connections
    Show More Connections
    Included In These Groups
      15 others

      Country Legends

      Meet the stars who've contributed so much to making country music what it is today.

      View group

      Country Legends 18 people in this group

      14 others

      Influential Female Musicians of the 1960s

      American society experienced a revolution in the late 1960s and early 70s, especially for African-Americans and women. Janis Joplin was the finest white blues singer of her generation; female singer-songwriters like Carole King and Joni Mitchell shared their innermost thoughts and feelings; Aretha Franklin emerged as the Queen of Soul; and Bonnie Raitt established herself as both a strong vocalist and a brilliant guitarist. Through their music, the women of this era created the soundtrack of social progress.

      View group

      Influential Female Musicians of the 1960s 17 people in this group

      3 others

      Bluegrass Musicians

      The "high, lonesome" style that defines the bluegrass sound comes from the experiences of the music's original composers, the Scots-Irish immigrants of Appalachia. Early bluegrass musician Lester Flatt brought the sound of the genre into the popular lexicon in 1948, when he helped found The Foggy Mountain Boys. He was joined by fellow musician Earl Scruggs, who expertly picked his banjo in the three-finger style that is carried on in the music of bluegrass great Ricky Skaggs. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Alison Krauss snagged more than 26 Grammy awards for putting a contemporary twist on the music of her bluegrass predecessors—proof that the genre still resonantes with listeners.

      View group

      Bluegrass Musicians 6 people in this group

    See all related groups

    Celebrity Connections

    Show More Connections
    Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!