Designer: Grant Ruof
From being a country music super star to one of the biggest names in philanthropy work, Dolly Parton’s impact on the world was substantial.
Dolly was born on Jan. 19, 1946. She grew up in poverty, with her father being a farmer, and her mother staying home, taking care of Dolly and her 11 siblings.
At just 10, Parton scored a gig as a regular performer on “The Cas Walker Show”. At 18, she was living in Nashville and making her way in the singing/songwriting world, bringing her time on the “Cas Walker Show” to an end.
In 1967 she was hired by “The Porter Wangoner Show” as a “girl singer” and by the time she was 21, Dolly’s career started to take off with her debut album, “Hello, I’m Dolly”, which led her to return to “The Cas Walker Show” for a short period to promote her album.
In 1968, Parton signed with RCA records and produced albums under them during the peak of her career. In 1973, Dolly Parton wrote and recorded her hit song, “I Will Always Love You”, which was featured on the album “Jolene” the following year. The song was a sensation, reaching No.1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs in June of 1974.
Rock star Elvis Presley attempted to cover the song but demanded at least 50 percent of the song’s publishing rights, leading to Dolly turning him down. Later, in 1992, the song would appear in the movie, “The Bodyguard”, with the iconic Whitney Houston covering it.
The song urged in popularity, going No.1 on the pop charts for 14 consecutive weeks, and winning Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 36th annual Grammys. According to the New York Times, from 1967 to 1993, Dolly was the top-ranking female singer on country radio, and had 25 country singles go No.1 on billboard charts.
“Dolly has the warmth and this incredible stage presence that invites you to lean in and listen and it made me want to work harder when it came to music,” says sophomore Aubrey Chrimes.
In 1980, Dolly made her television debut in the film “9 to 5”, which title is a playoff of her hit album in 1980, “9 to 5” and “Odd Jobs”. She starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the comedy.
In 1989, she acted as big hearted Truvy Jones, the owner of a beauty salon in the hit movie, “Steel Magnolias”. Julia Roberts was nominated for best supporting actress in a motion picture at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, winning at the Golden Globes. Dolly made several other appearances in movies and television in the following decades, including acting alongside her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, in Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana”.
Dolly’s hometown pride led to the opening of Silver Dollar City in 1977 (later renamed Dollywood). Parton partnered with Herschend Family Enterprises to open the park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The park is still open today, with thousands of fans vacationing to Tennessee to experience the excitement.
“Dolly’s music reminds me of my childhood because my mom was the one who always had Dolly playing, and I just think about life as a little kid, just walking around and singing and dancing to Dolly songs,” Spanish Teacher Angie Jackson said.
Parton’s success landed her an election into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and an official induction in January 2000. Much later in November 2022, Dolly was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Both inductions forever branded her a national treasure.
“Dolly is everywhere. She is all over Tennessee, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in the hearts of over a billion people worldwide, who will speak highly of her to every future generation,” says Chrimes.
Dolly Parton didn’t only have a voice of gold, but her renowned work as a philanthropist showed her heart of gold. In 2020, Dolly donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University for coronavirus research. She donated an additional $1 million to Vanderbilt University medical center for pediatric infectious disease research in 2022. With reports from ABC, it is estimated that Parton donated between $500 – $600 million to charities and research in her lifetime.
“Dolly gave so much, not just to her own community, but to the nation. She had a monthly bookclub for children, sending them books for years, and years, and that’s just one little example of how she gave back to the community,” Jackson said.
Parton’s publicist and family announced her cancer diagnosis following her death on Aug. 25. Parton made public announcements on social media postponing public events due to her health. The Los Angeles Times reports that she was admitted to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center a few days prior to her death, due to autoimmune and kidney issues. Details about her cancer diagnosis and death have not been released by her family as of yet.
“Dolly’s music will live forever. I could go on and on about all of her songs, but her music is not going away anytime soon,” Jackson said.
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