Stephen Miller - Dolly Parton: Smart Blonde, the Life of

I hear shes very effusive. It might be easier than you think. This was the opinion of a contact of mine in Nashville when asked about the prospects of an interview with Dolly. He was both right and wrong. Dolly is extremely effusive and has always been keen to do interviews in the print and broadcast media in order to generate publicity for herself and her projects. However, these tend to be fairly short exchanges (Dollys personal assistant and lifelong friend Judy Ogle has been known to use a stopwatch) during which Dolly bowls over her interrogators with a series of well-honed, sharply delivered answers which stick firmly to a script of her choosing. A lot of information, some quite personal, is disclosed but ultimately this conspires to maintain the image of her life and career that Dolly has carefully developed over the years. This is not to say that what she says about herself is not true, rather that it represents a particular spin on events which doesnt necessarily tell the whole story. As one journalist put it, Dolly is the master of saying a lot while not saying much at all.

Needless to say I did try to secure an interview but the reception I received from Teresa Hughes at Dollys Nashville office could not unreasonably be described as frosty. I was told that Dolly was considering a further autobiographical volume of her life story and that there was little prospect of her talking to me. Hughes has been a loyal employee for many years and so it occurred to me that she would be a good interviewee. She responded to this request as if I had made an indecent proposal. Those closest to Dolly do not talk publicly. Carl Dean, her husband of 40 years, has never spoken to the press and very few photographs of him (even fewer of him and Dolly together) are in the public domain. Their relationship is an enigma which has fascinated and frustrated journalists for years. The same could be said of Judy Ogle. I suspect if one day these two were prepared to open up to a writer or journalist, a different side of Dolly would emerge, one which thus far has only been guessed at or alluded to. I did actually get to speak by phone to Don Warden, the manager Dolly inherited from Porter Wagoner and one of her most loyal lieutenants for more than three decades. While perfectly pleasant, Warden said he had not given interviews for many years and had no intention of making an exception in my case, complaining that journalists and writers had invariably misquoted him in their follow-up articles.

Other musicians who worked with Dolly were wary of getting involved principally because they did not want to do or say anything that might jeopardise their relationship. Porter Wagoner did not reply to my request for an interview despite the fact that it was supported by a highly respected senior figure in the Nashville music fraternity. One musician who backed Dolly for a number of years could not have been more pleasant but told me that, in common with other ex-employees, there was a confidentiality clause in his contract. He did proffer that she was a great employer, the best imaginable person to work for but he did not want even this unequivocal compliment quoted unless it had received prior approval from Dolly or her management. He would be happy to buy me a drink, but not to give an interview. Even the tourism authorities in East Tennessee would not talk. When simply seeking confirmation that Dolly has contributed greatly to a substantial increase in visitor numbers to East Tennessee since the Eighties, I was told by a senior representative that with Dolly being one of his departments spokes-people, We only comment on her in a limited scope.

However, this attitude was by no means universal. Dollys sister Stella graciously consented to a full and frank interview in Nashville though there were several topics I raised which she was not prepared to discuss (her response in these cases being, I wont touch that). Stella spoke with candour about her sister, which took courage since she was well aware that some of her remarks would be less than flattering. At one stage in the interview she said her sisters were going to hate her for some of the things she was saying, But what the hell, they cant divorce me. Nothing however took away from the deep love and admiration Stella clearly feels for her elder sister. Steve Buckingham, Dollys producer and general musical facilitator since the start of the Nineties, gave a lengthy and detailed interview which particularly threw light on Dollys creativity. For years Jack Clement has been one of the most respected producers in Nashville and though he has not worked extensively with Dolly (much to his regret) his views on her inevitably carry weight. Our conversation was an entertaining affair, enriched as it was by Jacks forthright views and fruity language. I phoned him at about three oclock Nashville time. You know Ive just come from a three martini lunch? he drawled, and before the interview proper, he asked if I had anything good to smoke there. None of this impaired the incisiveness of his comments.

I must give particular mention to Michael Creed, a long-time Dolly fan who, along with Joe Skelly, runs a newsletter called Dolly Partners. It is not an overstatement to say that Michael is devoted to Dolly. Over the years he has built up a formidable collection of cuttings, books, films, recordings and other artefacts and he has provided material for television programmes about Dolly. This passion has resulted in press articles about his interest and his undying admiration for his heroine. He most generously allowed me to borrow a large quantity of items, some of them irreplaceable. We had never met prior to my visit to his house last spring, so I can only imagine what thoughts must have gone through his mind as he watched me drive off to Scotland with some of his most treasured possessions. I also wish to think Duane Gordon who runs Dollymania, one of the very best Dolly websites. Despite the fact that he has a day job and spends time nearly every evening updating the site, he responded very quickly to all of my e-mailed requests for information or clarification; his knowledge of Dolly, her life and career is gargantuan.

Regrettably, owing to copyright restrictions, I have been unable to quote extensively from Dollys lyrics.