Parton began singing in her local church at the age of six, and picked up her first guitar a year later. She was encouraged by her mother’s brother, Bill Owen, a singer and songwriter of some renown, and he guided her through her first radio and local television appearances at the age of 10. She recorded her first single at 13 and, that same year, made her debut with her uncle at the Grand Ole Opry at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. She was introduced by none other than Johnny Cash (“we’ve got a little girl here from up in East Tennessee”) and performed George Jones’s “You Gotta Be My Baby” getting called back for three encores. The day after graduating high school, she headed to Nashville, where destiny awaited.
Soon after arriving in Music City, Parton met Carl Dean, an asphalt paver, at a laundromat. Two years later, in 1966, they were married, and remained so until his passing in 2025.
Her first successes came by writing songs for others with her uncle, including “Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” which was a hit for Bill Phillips, and “Fuel to the Flame” for Skeeter Davis. Other songs were recorded by Hank Williams Jr. and Kitty Wells. Producers pushed Parton’s own singing career in more of a pop than country/western direction, which did not really connect with audiences. She persevered, though, and released her first LP, Hello, I’m Dolly, at the age of 21.
The first track, “Dumb Blonde”—one of the few songs Parton recorded that she did not write—predicted a lot that would follow. “Just because I’m blonde/don’t think I’m dumb/’cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool,” she sang.
That same year, Porter Wagoner invited Parton to join his weekly television show, replacing an outgoing Norma Jean. The duo began recording together, releasing a string of hits over the course of six years. Signed to RCA, Parton continued to release solo work, which was not as successful as her work with Wagoner—but many of the songs would go on to become more popular. In 1970, she finally scored a solo hit single with a version of the classic corn pone tune “Mule Skinner Blues” (replete with whip cracks and yodeling). With the release of “Joshua” in 1971, Parton had her first chart-topper that she composed herself.
“Joshua,” which blends talking blues with Parton’s soaring soprano, is a down-home tale about mountain men and dogs, and is pretty damn catchy. (It shares some commonalities with Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue,” which is a compliment.) More hits came, including the religion-tinged “Coat of Many Colors,” leading to 1973 and the release of one of the finest works of art of the 20th century, “Jolene.”
As the legend goes, Parton and Carl Dean were in a bank and the teller (with flamin’ locks of auburn hair) was gorgeous enough to make Dolly Parton feel inadequate. The jumpy, emotionally bare song was a smash, and would later be covered by Olivia Newton John, the White Stripes, and Beyoncé, among others. What’s more, Parton is believed to have written “Jolene” on the same night she composed “I Will Always Love You,” a farewell ode to Porter Wagoner. She recorded it to great acclaim at the time, but years later it became a powerhouse hit for Whitney Houston.
“I Will Always Love You” marked an important step for Parton as an independent businesswoman. She was approached by Col. Tom Parker, saying that Elvis Presely was eager to record the song. He is said to have sung it to Priscilla Presley as their divorce was finalized. But to make a deal, Presely would require half of the publishing rights. Parton declined, just a day before the scheduled session—a risky move at the time that secured a great fortune for the future.
