Tag Archives: Dolly Parton

Music Monday: January 19, 2026

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

“I think I have discovered the highest good. It is love.”

-Martin Luther King Jr.: January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Today marks birthday #80 for Dolly Parton. Born January 19, 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee, the future country superstar started singing as a child, including appearances on local TV & radio shows by age 10. Three years later she recorded her first record & appeared at the Grand Ole Opry. In 1964 after she graduated high school she moved to Nashville and began her career as a songwriter with a music publisher.

Dolly Parton’s 1967 debut album. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

A year later Parton signed her own record deal. Her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, was released in September 1967. That same year she became a regular on The Porter Wagoner Show at his invitation. She continued to make solo records but they did not achieve the level of success as her duets with Wagoner which earned them a Country Music Award in 1968 for Vocal Group Of The Year. Two years later her solo records began to chart well, including her 1971 hit, the autobiographical song (which would later become a TV movie), “Coat Of Many Colors”. In 1974, on the heels of even greater success with her song, “Jolene”, Parton left Wagoner’s show.

Parton circa 1977. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

After years of hits as a country star, she branched out into acting with her debut in the 1980 movie, “9 to 5”. She also wrote & sang the title theme song, which became the #1 song in the country 45 years ago on February 21, 1981 for two nonconsecutive weeks. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1981. She hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks again-this time consecutively- in the fall of 1983 for her duet with Kenny Rogers, “Islands In The Stream”. Parton’s collaborations with fellow music legends Emmylou Harris & Linda Ronstadt for the Trio albums are not to be missed.

Parton in a scene from the 1980 movie, “9 to 5”. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Parton appeared in several other movies and made a huge contribution to the 1992 film, “The Bodyguard” when her song, “I Will Always Love You”-covered by Whitney Houston at the urging of her leading man, Kevin Costner -became the #1 song in the country for 14 consecutive weeks from November 28, 1992-March 5, 1993. Parton has reportedly said numerous times that song was written as a tribute to Wagoner for his role in her life & career.

Her successes continued over the decades and have not stopped. In 2022 she was the first country female artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame for her contributions to the music industry. The following year her 49th solo album, Rockstar, peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200.

Parton’s 2023 album. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

In 2024 Billboard named her the #1 Greatest Country Artist Of All Time.

She lost her husband of nearly 59 years, Carl Dean, in March 2025. She started 2026 on a better note with the release of a new version of her 1977 song, “Light Of A Clear Blue Morning”. In the spring her theme park, Dollywood-celebrates its 40th anniversary (it opened 40 years ago in May 1986) and two new attractions– The Songteller Hotel & The Life of Many Colors Museum-will open this June in downtown Nashville.

Today, Parton wears many other hats aside from singer, songwriter, musician and actress. She is also an author, a businesswoman, a humanitarian, a philanthropist (her Imagination Library celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1995) and an icon. She is a true American treasure and a legend.

Happy birthday, Dolly Parton. Thank you for sharing your talent & your heart with us.

Parton and her milestone birthday cake from her Facebook page. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

U2: “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” (1984, written by U2: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.)

Dolly Parton: “Lonely Comin’ Down” (1972, written by Porter Wagoner).

Dolly Parton: “Jolene” (1973, written by Dolly Parton).

Dolly Parton: “I Will Always Love You” (1974, written by Dolly Parton).

Dolly Parton: “Here You Come Again” (1977, written by Barry Mann and Cynthis Weil).

Dolly Parton: “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right” (1977, written by Dolly Parton).

Dolly Parton: “9 to 5” (1981, written by Dolly Parton).

Dolly Parton: “Single Women” (1982, written by Michael O’Donoghue).

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris: “After The Gold Rush” (1999, written by Neil Young).

Stay safe & well.

25 Days Of Christmas 2024: Day 3

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Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the countdown.

Day 3

A sweet vintage Christmas card image from Pinterest. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Today’s song is one I have never featured before. It was never on my favorites list but I did not dislike it, either. I just never found a place for it in my holiday music catalog. Then I stumbled upon two versions I loved so much they are being celebrated on the third day of this special music event. The first is by one of my favorite women in the universe, Dolly Parton, who included it on her 1990 album, Home For Christmas. Her polished yet simple take on it gives the track a wonderful contemporary feel that makes the listener completely forget that the song dates back to the 19th century-1857 to be exact.

Dolly 3
Dolly 2

The front & back covers of Dolly Parton’s 1990 album. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Over two decades later, today’s song showed up as a duet on Rod Stewart’s first holiday album, 2012’s Merry Christmas, Baby. His partner is Mary J. Blige who brings power & passion to everything she does and this performance is no different. And her bold commanding voice juxtaposed with his soulful gravelly one combined with the elegance of the arrangement is so incredibly lovely it just pulls you in. Stewart’s album-produced by the one and only David Foster-is a great mix of beloved classics and a few other fabulous collaborations that do not disappoint. I have loved every phase of Stewart’s career and his take on The Great American Songbook & holiday tunes are no exception. I do not think there is any genre of music that he cannot make his own.

Rod
rod and

Top: Rod Stewart’s 2012 album. Bottom: Mary J. Blige (L) with Stewart (R) during his Great Performances PBS special in 2012. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Dolly Parton: “We Three Kings” (1990, written by John Henry Hopkins Jr.).

Rod Stewart featuring Mary J. Blige: “We Three Kings” (2012, written by John Henry Hopkins Jr.).

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, happy listening!!!

Music Monday: August 5, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

Blog image for 2024

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

It is the end of an era for one of classic rock’s biggest bands. Aerosmith announced their official retirement on August 2 via social media, bringing their “Peace Out: The Farewell Tour” to an abrupt end. The decision was based on the sad discovery that lead singer Steven Tyler’s voice injury is now confirmed to be permanent.

The band, founded in Boston in 1970, still boasts all five original members: Joe Perry and Brad Whitford on lead and rhythm guitars, respectively, Tom Hamilton on bass, Joey Kramer on drums and Tyler on vocals and piano. They have enjoyed a 54 year career through a series of ups (their 1975 break through album, Toys In The Attic, an impressive cover of The Beatles’ song, “Come Together” and a career resurgence in the 1990’s thanks to their provocative videos playing in heavy rotation on MTV) and downs (addiction issues, personnel feuds, teaming up with a boy band as co-headliners for Superbowl XXXV).

Aerosmith may have also helped usher in rap to the mainstream with their 1986 duet of “Walk This Way” with hip hop group Run-DMC. That aside, the rockers also gave us what is probably the best installment of “Wayne’s World” in a 1990 episode of “Saturday Night Live” (with Tom Hanks as Barry, the band’s roadie, no less). None of us were worthy for that moment but the band made us feel like we were.

Thank you for over five decades of music and surprises, Aerosmith. You will be missed but you have earned your rest.

Aerosmith-1975a
aerosmith-final-tour-peace-out-2023

Top: Aerosmith circa 1975. Bottom: The band circa 2023 (L-R): Brad Whitford, Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton (back) and Steven Tyler. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Porter Wagoner was born August 12, 1927 in West Plains, Missouri. In addition to his long career as a singer and songwriter in country & gospel music, he hosted a TV show where he introduced the now living legend Dolly Parton as a regular in 1967. Together they released several duets and 13 albums between 1967 and 1980.

In 1972, she released a tribute album, My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner, which features 10 covers of his songs. They had one #1 hit together in 1974, which was a pivotal year for Parton: She topped the country charts with “Jolene”, leading to her departure from Wagoner’s show which caused the two of them to become estranged until 1988. Her 1974 song, “I Will Always Love You”, was written as a tribute to him.

Dolly-and-Porter
Dolly 2

Top: Porter Wagoner (L) and Dolly Parton (R) circa 1967. Bottom: Parton’s 1972 tribute album to Wagoner. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Aerosmith: “Dream On” (1973, written by Steven Tyler).

Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton: “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me” (1974, written by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton).

Dolly Parton: “Lonely Comin’ Down” (1972, written by Porter Wagoner).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: January 23, 2023

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Bruce quote 2023

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

One of the newest members of The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame celebrated birthday #77 last week. Dolly Parton was born January 19, 1946 in Sevier County, Tennessee. She joined fellow country superstars Hank Williams and Johnny Cash who were also recognized for their contributions to music history without being defined by one genre.

The Rock Hall’s introduction of Parton-“In a career spanning six decades, she has recorded more than 50 studio albums and, by her own estimation, written nearly 3,000 songs”-limit her talents to musician, singer and songwriter. Those are certainly impressive roots but only the first part of her story. She is so much more than just three things. She is a wife (who has spent many years honoring her husband’s wish for privacy), an actress (9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias are my favorites), an author, a businesswoman, a humantitarian (her Imagination Library is such an incredible mission) plus she has her own resort & theme park, Dollywood. She seems to grow in popularity every day, hitting three billion worldwide streams in 2021, according to her website. That is a massive reach but not surprising for a woman who has written some incredible songs, including today’s.

It was released nearly 50 years ago in October 1973, yet it is still one of the defining songs of Parton’s career. And it shows us all that a throw down is not always the way to go when confronting someone trying to hurt you. Maybe, just maybe, an honest conversation reminding them that even if they can cause you pain, perhaps they will choose not to.

“I had to have this talk with you
My happiness depends on you
And whatever you decide to do
Jolene”.

Dolly Parton circa 2019. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Dolly Parton: “Jolene” (1973, written by Dolly Parton).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: October 17, 2022

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Music Monday

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Earlier this month we said goodbye to The First Lady Of Country Music, Loretta Lynn. The woman who grew up in the rural hills of Kentucky went to the top of the charts and the box office in a life that spanned 90 years, with 60 of them as one of the strongest female pillars country music ever saw. Lynn wrote her own phenomenal chapter of the American dream. According to her website, she did that through 24 number one singles, 45 million singles sold and countless awards & accolades.

From her first album in 1963 she had a voice and a flair for translating the honest moments from her life into universal tales that spoke to her audience whether it was her husband’s drinking (“Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind), her first number one record in 1967), or another woman trying to come between them (“You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man), to her choice to take birth control into her own hands (“The Pill”), to her life as a southern girl (“Blue Kentucky Girl”) to her feelings about the Vietnam War (“Dear Uncle Sam”). She credited Patsy Cline as a mentor and influence and even had the chance to become friends with her before Cline died in 1963. And Lynn’s duets with Conway Twitty were some of the most popular and successful in country music in the 1970’s. She became a living legend in that genre all while still raising her six children.

In 2004 musician Jack White of The White Stripes produced Lynn’s 42nd solo studio album, Van Lear Rose. She wrote all the songs for it, with one co-credited to her late husband, Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn and another co-written with White. They promoted their duet, “Portland Oregon” on several platforms including a performance on “The Late Show With David Letterman“. White helped introduce her music to a new audience and Lynn continued her legacy as one of country music’s most revered and talented artists. She matched White note for note with a voice that still had all the strength and power of her early recordings. Their collaboration earned the pair two Grammy Awards in 2005: Best Country Collaboration with Vocals and Best Country Album.

I grew up listening to her thanks to my grandmother’s love for that genre. And she identified with Lynn because their early stories were so similar. My grandmother was a young bride, too (she got married when she was 18) and could relate to the struggles of learning about life, love & marriage at a time where most young women were completely in the dark about what to expect about any of that. Here were two women born twenty years apart in two different worlds who shared a similar background told in a song. That is the power of music. And that was the power of just one Loretta Lynn song out of the immemse catalog she blessed us with. Rest in peace to a true American artist and legend.

“Well I was born a coal miner’s daughter
In a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler
We were poor but we had love
That’s the one thing that daddy made sure of
He shoveled coal to make a poor man’s dollar“.

Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn family

Loretta Lynn Sissy Spacek

Loretta Lynn Jack White

Loretta Dolly

A few snippets of Loretta Lynn’s extraordinary life (top to bottom): Lynn outside a Tennessee post office circa 1980; with her husband Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn and their twin daughters Peggy and Patsy (known as The Lynns today) at their Hurricane Mills, TN home circa 1971; with actress Sissy Spacek circa 2010, the 30th anniversary of the release of Lynn’s biopic, “Coal Miner’s Daughter”; in 2004 with musician Jack White who produced her 2004 album, “Van Lear Rose” and in the 1980’s with fellow country icon & friend, Dolly Parton. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Loretta Lynn: “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1970, written by Loretta Lynn).

Stay safe and well.

Music Monday: September 5, 2022

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Music Monday

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Today we observe Labor Day in the United States. Whether you work the hours referenced in today’s song or any other schedule, whether you do it in a store, an office, on the road, outside or from home, whether you are considered white collar, blue collar or no collar, you are a laborer. A person that makes this country run. Every. Single. Day. We are, as John Lennon sang, working class heroes. May this day of rest-if you are able to observe it-be one of leisure, peace or whatever down time means to you.

“Tumble outta bed and
I stumble to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition and
Yawn & stretch & try to come to life“.

Labor

Dolly movie

Top: Telephone operators at the turn of the 20th century. Bottom: Dolly Parton on the phone in the 1980 movie, “9 to 5”. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Dolly Parton: “9 to 5” (1980, written by Dolly Parton).

Stay safe and well.

25 Days Of Christmas Music 2021: Day 25

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Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the countdown.

Day 25

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. May you find comfort in the peace, joy & meaning of the season.

“He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love“.

dolly

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Dolly Parton: “Joy To The World” (1990, Traditional).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you  

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, happy listening!!!

Music Monday: November 29, 2021

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

Music Monday

(Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Before we get to this week’s song, I wanted to let you know that beginning December 1, I will once again feature my 25 Days Of Christmas Music series. I would love for you to join me. And please share your favorite holiday tunes in the comments. Thanks to suggestions by so many of you in the past I have discovered new seasonal music I might not have found on my own. I hope I will do the same for you this year.

On November 9, 1970 Derek & The Dominos released Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs. I adore this album for so many reasons: the one-two punch of Eric Clapton’s virtuoso playing matched note for note with Duane Allman’s, some of Clapton’s best singing & writing were on these tracks, the band as a whole was unbelievably gifted, they did a beautiful cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” & several blues classics plus the power & beauty of the title track helps it remain an iconic staple in rock music history.

Several artists supposedly based a few of their songs on today’s tune. Two of my favorites are Dolly Parton’s “It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Fade Away”. But even without those tributes, this song is still one of my all time favorites. Clapton’s expression of pain & angst is palpable in every word he sang and the band stayed with him every step of the way.

He has continued to perform this song throughout his career during his live shows and many versions are incredibly good (most notably the “24 Nights” version). But the original just knocks me out every time I hear it. Derek & The Dominos only made one record together but without it the landscape of rock music would look & sound unbelievably different. Bravo to a great album.

“It’s all wrong but it’s alright
The way that you treat me baby
Once I was strong but I lost the fight
You won’t find a better loser“.

Allman and Dominos

Layla album

clapton allman

Top: Duane Allman with Derek & The Dominos in 1970 (L-R): drummer Jim Gordon, bassist Carl Radle, pianist Bobby Whitlock & Eric Clapton (center). Middle: The cover of the “Layla” album. Bottom: Clapton and Allman in 1970. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Derek & The Dominos: “Bell Bottom Blues” (1970, written by Eric Clapton and Bobby Whitlock).

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 546

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

blog Sept 2021

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

As I have shared before, my grandmother is the one who introduced me to country music, How do you thank someone for bringing Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton & others into your life? And that was only one of the many invaluable gifts my grandmother gave me. Today marks 20 years since she died. I miss her every moment of every day. And since September 17 marks the 98th birth anniversary of Hank Williams, I thought today’s song was a great way to remember them both.

“When tears come down like fallin’ rain
You’ll toss around and call my name
You’ll walk the floor the way I do
Your cheatin’ heart will tell on you“.

Idie's wedding picture

Hank

Top: My grandmother (with my grandfather) on their wedding day in April 1934 Hank Williams circa 1950. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Hank Williams: “Your Cheatin’ Heart” (1952, written by Hank Williams).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 463

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

June 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Today marks the 85th birthday for one of the greatest artists this country ever produced. Kris Kristofferson is a poet, a songwriter, an actor, a singer, an entertainer, a Rhodes Scholar & a veteran. He was born June 22,1936 in Texas and except for having to watch him die in the 1976 version of “A Star Is Born”, I have loved-actually, adored-everything he has ever done. And don’t even get me started on those unbelievably gorgeous eyes, the hair, the beard and every part of his swagger that made him one of the most beautiful men I ever laid eyes on. Sa-woooooon.

Today’s song is from his 1970 debut album, Kristofferson. It contained three of his biggest hits: “Me & Bobby McGee” (Day 313), “Help Me Make It Though The Night” (Day 49), and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”. Fellow superstars Al Green, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn & The King himself Elvis Presley covered this track over the last five decades and they are all unbelievably good, of course. But there is something about Kristofferson’s own versions of his songs that highlight his exceptionally talented soul.

Happy birthday, Kris Kristofferson. May you celebrate 100 more. And thank you for every word you have ever written.

“Let’s just be glad
We had some time to spend together
There’s no need to watch the bridges
That we’re burning“.

Kris

Kris Kristofferson’s 1970 debut album. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Kris Kristofferson: “For The Good Times” (1970, written by Kris Kristofferson).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.