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.
Lilacs & Rust 