I Will Always Love Dolly

Hello gorgeous and welcome back to You Go Girl! This week, I'm talking about one of my favorite icons, Dolly Parton. She is the queen in so many ways, from her sparkly outfits, to her big hair, incredible voice, and so much more. However, she didn't become the sparkly country queen overnight. Dolly's story is a story of perseverance, strength, and rising above. Hearing about her struggles makes the story of her success even sweeter, so let's dive into it.

Dolly Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in a one room cabin in Sevier County, Tennessee. She was one of 12 children growing up in a poor family where money was never plentiful. Her father was an illiterate farmer and her mother, though often in poor health, kept the house and raised the children. When Dolly was young, her family moved to a farm in nearby Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Her grandfather on her mother's side was a Pentecostal preacher, so Dolly's parents raised her in church, where she was introduced to music at an early age. She has often accredited her business savvy to her father, as he farmed and worked other side jobs to provide for his family, and her musical talents to her mother's family. Stories from her childhood deeply influenced Dolly's music and can be heard in songs such as "My Tennessee Mountain Home", "Coat of Many Colors", and "In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)".

Dolly started performing at a young age, singing in church by age six. At age seven, she began learning to play guitar on a homemade instrument. By age eight, she began to play on a real guitar from her uncle. Still a child, she began to perform on local radio shows, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time when she was only 13 years old. Parton moved to Nashville the day after her high school graduation and to further pursue her music career.

Dolly received her first big break in 1967 when Porter Wagoner invited her to be a regular part of his weekly television show, The Porter Wagoner Show. Parton was soon signed to Wagoner's label RCA Victor, who released her first single as a duet with Wagoner. Their cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind" reached the top ten spot on the country charts in 1968. Her early success earned her an induction into the Grand Ole Opry on January 4, 1969, weeks shy of her 23 birthday.

Over the next several years, Parton's solo singles were never as successful as her duets with Wagoner. Parton released her first number one single, "Joshua", in 1971. This was followed by several years of hits leading up to her most successful song yet, "Jolene", released in late 1973. Dreaming of a solo career, Parton made the decision to part with Wagoner's organization in 1974. Her song, "I Will Always Love You", was written about her professional break from longtime friend Wagoner. She earned millions of dollars in royalties through this song over the years after refusing to sell it to Elvis Presley.

Over the next six years, Dolly consistently topped the country charts, ending the decade with eight singles reaching the number one spot. Beginning in 1976, she had her own variety television show called Dolly! Parton won her first Grammy award in 1978 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance on her album, Here You Come Again. During the late '70s and early '80s, Parton's fame and visibility continued to grow with numerous hits, television appearances, television specials, and celebrity friendships.

In the late 1980s, Parton's career reached a slower point as mainstream country began to dominate the charts. She achieved great commercial success in 1992 when Whitney Houston recording "I Will Always Love You" for the film The Bodyguard .

In later years, Dolly expanded her business ventures as the co-owner of The Dollywood Company, which encompasses Dollywood, Dolly Parton's Stampede, Dollywood's Splash Country, and the Dream More Resort and Spa, all located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near Dolly's childhood home. Dollywood first opened in 1986, and the subsequent attractions were opened in later years.

Over the course of her career, Dolly earned nine Grammy Awards, and is tied with Beyonce for the most Grammy nominations, with 46 nominations. She is the winner of three American Music Awards, ten Country Music Association Awards, and seven Academy of Country Music Awards. She is one of only six women to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year award. Dolly was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. She was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2005 and the Kennedy Center Honors for the Performing Arts in 2006. This year, Parton celebrated the 50th anniversary of her induction into the Grand Ole Opry.

I could literally write all day about Dolly's life and career. She has a story as big as her hair, and I couldn't begin to cover it all. She is a phenomenal woman who broke barriers in the male-dominated field of country music. She exemplified perseverance as a young girl growing up in a one bedroom cabin to a young woman who refused to give up on her dreams, even when success was not immediate. She knew that she was fully capable to have a successful career in music and did not waver. We could all learn a little bit from Dolly's unapologetic perseverance and determination. Her circumstances never defined her, but only gave her a platform by which to rise above. But even greater, in rising above, she never forgot her beginnings and the people who shaped her.

You go girl,

Maddie