Friday, May 4, 2012

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton


   Dolly Parton was one of twelve children in her "dirt poor" family. Music had always been a huge part of her life. She started performing as a young child singing on local radio and television shows. She appeared on the Grand Ol' Opry where Johnny Cash told her to follow her heart and ignore what others told her to do.
   Upon graduating high school Parton moved to Nashville. She started our as a song writer but in 1967 she released her first single "Dumb Blonde". That same year she joined the Porter Wagoner Show. Wagoner also got her a record deal with RCA Victor. She had multiple successful duets with Wagoner but whenever she tried to come out with a solo single she did not have good success. This worried both but in 1970 she covered Jimmie Rodgers' "Mule Skinner Blues". This record kicked off her solo career.
   Through the next two years Parton came out with multiple number one hits. None of these songs reached the magnitude of "Jolene". In the late 1970s, Parton decided to crossover into the pop charts. Her career continued to skyrocket and in the 1980s she started her film career. In the late 1980s, she crossed back over to country but her career never reached the height that it sis in the 1970s. In the 1990s. Parton crossed over to bluegrass and came out with multiple albums before she crossed over again to folk rock. That only lasted for one album before she went back to country. This is where she remains to day in the music world.



1 comment:

  1. I clearly remember seeing her with Porter Waggoner on our local TV station in Memphis when I was in HS.

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