Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton was the fourth of twelve children. She was born in a small house near the Little Pigeon River near the tiny town of Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Dolly Rebecca Parton came into the world on January 19th, 1946, and because her family was very poor, the doctor who delivered her, Robert F. Thomas, was paid with a sack of corn. Of course, the doctor did not know that Dolly would write a song about him, or that she would become not only a beautiful woman, a multimillionaire, and a Hollywood star, but perhaps the most famous female country singer of all time.

How did Dolly get from Locust Ridge to Hollywood? It was a result of her natural ability and strong determination. A family member remembers "she began singing just about the same time she began talking". She made her first guitar from an old mandolin and two extra guitar strings. Even before she went to school, Dolly made up songs and stories and asked her mother to write them down so she could remember them.

She became a local star at age ten, appearing on a TV show in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1957, she took a long-distance bus to Lake Charles, Louisiana, where she made her first record, "Puppy Love". A year later, she made her first public appearance at Nashville's country music hall, but not as a singer: she played the drums with the Sevier High School Marching Band.

Dolly loved Nashville! However, she was still in high school, so she couldn't go there often. She had to work long and hard before graduating in 1964.The day after the graduation ceremony, she fulfilled her first big dream: "I graduated from high school on a Friday night and left early on Saturday morning for Nashville". Her uncle, country star Buck Owens, gave her a place to stay, and on the Saturday she arrived she took a bundle of dirty clothes to the local laundry. There she met Carl Dean, a carpenter. Two years later they were married in Georgia. They are still married today.

Dolly began recording more songs, but none of them became popular. Success finally came to her as a songwriter when another singer recorded "Put It Off Till Tomorrow", and it was a hit. Dolly was a fresh and original songwriter, and could find new ways to talk about familiar stories. She sang with a clear, strong, sweet voice. This helped her become popular with people who usually didn't enjoy country music. She also became popular internationally.

In 1967, she began to write lots of popular songs. She appeared on television shows, and received prizes for her music, all very quickly. Her looks, personality and sense of humor, made her a natural for the movies. In 1980, she appeared in her first movie "Nine to Five", playing a secretary. Dolly wrote and sang the film's theme song, and it was the most popular song of 1981.

Dolly Parton now owns Dollywood, a large theme park near her hometown; she also bought the local radio station and moved it to Dollywood. She also began a program that promises a college scholarship to every student who graduates from the high schools in her home county.

It's clear why Dolly is still popular after all these years.