Suzanne Sonnier - Dolly Parton: In Her Own Words

Dolly Parton

In Her Own Words

Dolly Parton

In Her Own Words

EDITED BY

Suzanne Sonnier

Copyright 2020 by Agate Publishing, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the publisher.

Dolly Parton: In Her Own Words is in no way authorized, prepared, approved, or endorsed by Dolly Parton and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of her past or present organizations.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Parton, Dolly, author. | Sonnier, Suzanne, editor.

Title: Dolly Parton in her own words / edited by Suzanne Sonnier.

Description: Chicago : B2, 2020.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020040645 (print) | LCCN 2020040646 (ebook) | ISBN 9781572842946 (paperback) | ISBN 9781572848467 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Parton, Dolly--Quotations. | Country musicians--United States--Quotations.

Classification: LCC ML420.P28 A25 2020 (print) | LCC ML420.P28 (ebook) | DDC 782.421642092--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040645

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040646

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Hopefully people can see beneath the hair to know theres a brain, beneath the boobs to know theres a heart, and behind all the other stuff to know theres some talent.

DOLLY PARTON

Contents

Introduction

H as there ever been a public figure acknowledged to be as simultaneously fake yet genuine as Dolly Parton? While shes famously a fan of big wigs, heavy makeup, and plastic surgery, she is also as authentic, sincere, and heartfelt as they come. The songwriter-singer-actor-producer-author-businessperson-park operator-philanthropists music and belief system provide a warm embrace to multigenerational audiences of all sortsfrom truckers to presidents, evangelical Christians to members of the LGBTQ community. Her fans love and claim her as one of their own, a status she is careful to maintain.

Parton understood at an early age that she had unusual gifts and became intent on using them to have a bigger life than the hardscrabble one she was born into in 1946 in rural Tennessee. She was the fourth of twelve siblings, and she grew up with her family in a two-room cabin. It wasnt long before she moved from performing on the cabins porch for her siblings and in her grandfathers fundamentalist church to entertaining crowds further afield. At just ten years old, Parton began singing on local radio and television programs.

The day after her graduation from high school in 1964, Parton moved to country musics capital city, Nashville. After some early success writing and singing, her big break came three years later when she appeared as a performer on the popular television program, The Porter Wagoner Show. When a well-liked singer left, Parton was hired as her replacement. The audience was openly displeased with the change, but Parton carried this disappointment with a smile while pouring her hurt feelings into songwritinga lifelong habit when facing difficulties.

While Parton may be best known for her flashy style and sweet voice, her talent for writing songs is equally impressive. Her vast songwriting catalog covers a wide array of topics, with a particular penchant for songs about heartache. She has penned dozens of number one and top-ten hits, including Coat of Many Colors, Jolene, and I Will Always Love Youthe last two written in the same evening. I Will Always Love You was written as a parting gift to Wagoner, who was unhappy she wanted to pursue an independent career. Whitney Houstons cover of the song was a massive chart-topper decades later, earning Parton millions in royalties.

Parton reached new heights as a solo artist in the mid-1970s. Along with writing and performing more hit country songs, she had her own syndicated television variety show and a million-selling, Grammy-winning crossover pop album, Here You Come Again. In the 80s, Parton branched out into film stardom with roles in 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Rhinestone, and Steel Magnolias, while also forming a production company and maintaining an active writing, recording, and performing schedule. Her musical output included popular collaborations with Kenny Rogers and the Trio (Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt). She also purchased a portion of a small theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, renaming it Dollywood. The park would eventually grow to become the largest employer in the county and a destination for millions of vacationers.

Partons career highlights of the 1990s included an autobiography, a Grammy-winning bluegrass album, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the founding of the Imagination Library, an early literacy program that sends books to children at no charge. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Parton became a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, authored more books, was a Kennedy Center honoree, created a record company, produced a television series based on her songs, and spearheaded several philanthropic ventures. The breadth of Partons achievements is remarkable.

Along with her many talents, fans appreciate Partons welcoming attitude. She knows what its like to be an outsider, and is empathetic toward people facing many kinds of challenges. Though she no longer practices the fundamentalist Christianity in which she was raised, Parton says she believes that God created everyone equal and that everyone deserves love and kindness. She accepts others as they are and does not pass judgment. These are core values to her, and she visibly lives her values. Just as she openly loves others, people of all political, economic, and social stripes love her in return.

One of the mysteries of Parton is her political beliefs. She is loath to say much on the topic, as she tries to avoid alienating any of her followers. To this end, she is skilled at deflecting questions she doesnt want to answer. One tactic she deploys is to toss out a Dollyism. These witty, self-deprecating quips, often about her looks or humble upbringing, charm listeners while also defusing tension and changing the subject. She has mastered controlling the conversationand her image.

But a closer look at her work and public remarks reveals more than youd think about her life and priorities, such as her stance on feminism. In the 1980 movie 9 to 5, Parton played one of three secretaries who rebel against their sexist boss. The movie and its number one hit theme songwritten and sung by Partonhelped to raise awareness of workplace sexual harassment. For decades afterward, whenever she was asked if she was a feminist she denied it, saying that she loves men. Over the years, however, her understanding of feminism has visibly expandedrather than a movement requiring women to be in opposition to men, her answers began to reflect an awareness that a feminist is someone who believes women should have equal rights and agency over their lives. In 2020, Parton stated, I suppose I am a feminist if I believe that women should be able to do anything they want to. But she still prefers not to label herself regarding anything controversial, lest her views turn anybody off to her music.