Dolly Parton is arguably the most legendary country music star alive today. She’s had a truly storied life that includes decades in the country music world.
That’s why we’ve decided to take a walk down memory lane and get to know Dolly a little bit better. Scroll through and learn more about this incredible woman!
When Was Dolly Parton Born?
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee. She was raised in the nearby town of Sevierville by her tobacco farmer father Robert Lee Parton and her housewife mother Avie Lee Parton.
Dolly has described her upbringing as being “dirt poor” in the past, but she has fond memories of her childhood.
She’s always said that her parents were “hardworking.” To this day, she credits her own work ethic to her father, who got up every day at 4am to go work on the farm. Dolly remembers getting up early herself sometimes to spend time with her father.
“I’d let Mama sleep in and I’d get up with Daddy and pack his lunch and me and Daddy would talk and to me those hours were precious,” she recalled.
“My daddy worked like a dog, my daddy was a hard worker and worked from sun up to sun down,” she added. “Daddy had to get up at four o’clock.”
How Many Siblings Does Dolly Parton Have?
Dolly is the fourth of twelve children made up of six boys and six girls. In order of their birth, they are: Willadeene, David Wilburn, Coy Denver,Dolly Rebecca, Robert “Bobby” Lee, Stella Mae, Cassie Nan, Randel Huston “Randy,” Larry Gerald, Estel Floyd, and twins Freida Estelle and Rachel Ann.
Of these children, three of the boys have sadly passed away. Larry died just four days after his birth in 1955. Floyd, a songwriter who wrote some of Parton’s songs like “Rockin’ Years”and “Nickels and Dimes,” died in 2018 at age 61. In 2021, Parton’s brother Randy, who also pursued music, died after a battle with cancer at the age of 67.
The rest of Dolly’s siblings are all still alive, and many of them are performers themselves.
“I grew up in a very musical family, all my mother’s people were very musical, so I was always around people playing instruments and singing, and my mom singing the old songs,” Dolly toldPeople Magazinein 2020.
How Did Dolly Parton’s Music Career Begin?
Dolly’s talent was evident from an early age. She began performing on Knoxville TV at the age of 12. The next year, she started recording on a small label and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry.
After she graduated from high school in 1964, Dolly moved to Nashville to pursue her country music dreams. Her big break came in 1967, when she was discovered by the country music star Porter Wagoner. He hired Dolly to appear on his The Porter Wagoner Show (1961). She stayed with the show for seven years, with her and Wagoner’s duets becoming legendary.
Check out her debut on the show in the video below.
Parton scored her first number one hit in 1970 with her song “Joshua.” While she still recorded duets with Wagoner, she decided to also strike out on her own. She finally left “The Porter Wagoner Show” in 1974 to become a full-time solo artist.
Dolly quickly became known for both her talent and as a beauty who was a natural for television. Throughout the 1970s, she appeared in many television specials and talk shows. This cemented her as a household name nationally.
Is Dolly Parton Married?
Dolly Parton has been married to her husband Carl Dean since May 30, 1966. They met at a laundromat on Dolly’s very first day in Nashville in 1964, and they’ve been together ever since.
Unlike Dolly, Carl has always done his best to avoid the spotlight.
“I married a really good man, a guy that’s completely different from me,” she told Paradeof her husband in 2015. “He’s not in show business.”
Though Carl has no interest in being in the public eye, he has no problem with the attention his wife gets.
“He’s not resentful of any of that,” she explained. “He loves to hear about the things I do. I love to hear about the things he does. So we enjoy each other’s company. We get along good.”
Dolly and Carl are still as devoted to one another as ever. In 2016, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows in a small ceremony at their Nashville home.
“We just had a simple little ceremony at our chapel at our place,” she toldRolling Stone at the time.
Related: Dolly Parton Reveals Real Reason Her Husband Of 57 Years Stays Out Of The Spotlight
Why Did Dolly Parton Not Have Children?
Though Dolly has been married since she was 20, she and Carl never had any children. Dolly has previously admitted that she never had a “burning” desire to become a mother.
“When you’re a young couple, you think you’re going to have kids, but it just wasn’t one of those burning things for me,” she once said. “I had my career and my music and I was traveling.”
When she was just 36, Dolly had a partial hysterectomy. This meant that Dolly would be unable to have children naturally.
Looking back, Dolly has no regrets about not having children. She believes that if she had become a mother, she would have been so worried about her children that she wouldn’t have been able to focus on her career.
“I haven’t missed it like I thought I might,”she said of not becoming a mother.
Why Does Dolly Parton Wear Gloves?
Since 2010, Dolly has been wearing either fingerless gloves or long sleeves that cover the tops of her hands for nearly every public appearance that she does.
While this is partly a style choice, Dolly has also admitted that she does this mainly to cover up some tattoos that she has on those body parts. Dolly got these tattoos to cover up scar tissue.
“Most of the tattoos, when I first started, I was covering up some scars that I had, ‘cause I have a tendency to have keloid scar tissue,” she previously explained to Vanity Fair.
“I have a tendency where if I have any kind of scars anywhere, then they kind of have a purple tinge that I can never get rid of,” she added. “So mine are all pastels, what few that I have, and they’re meant to cover some scars. I’m not trying to make some big, bold statement.”
How Many Songs Has Dolly Parton Written?
Dolly Parton has written so many songs that she doesn’t even know the exact number. In 2016, she estimated that she’s written over 5,000 songs.
Dolly has been writing songs since she was four years-old. Before she sits down to write new songs, Dolly often fasts for a few days.
“This gets me into a clean, spiritual frame of mind and opens me up to inspiration,” she explained.
Dolly prefers to write alone, as she sees it as a “private and spiritual” experience. Dolly is also lucky enough to never get writer’s block.
”I just write all the time. In my whole life I’ve never had what I’ve heard people talk about writer’s block,” she previously said. “I’ve never had that. … Life is like a song to me. I just hear everything in music.”
Related: Dolly Parton Reveals What She Really Thinks About Beyoncé’s ‘Jolene’ Cover
How Many Awards Has Dolly Parton Won?
Dolly has reportedly won 55 major awards in music, film, and television. She’s won 10 Grammy Awards and been nominated for 54 more.
Dolly has won 13 Academy of Country Music Awards and 10 Country Music Association Awards. She’s also been nominated for two Oscars. Her first nomination came in 1981 for her song “Nine to Five” from her movie 9 to 5. Dolly’s second Oscar nomination came in 2006 for her song Travelin’ Thru from the film Transamerica.
In 2022, Dolly was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She’d tried to turn down this honor, but they weren’t having it!
One award that Dolly has successfully turned down is the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In fact, she’s turned that honor down twice! This all just goes to show how humble Dolly really is. She’s never let fame go to her head!
What Is Dolly Parton’s Net Worth?
Dolly has an estimated net worth of $650 million. This comes after decades of success as a singer, songwriter, actress, author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
Dolly has released 41 top 10 country albums and she’s had 25 #1 singles. Her music aside, her Dollywood amusem*nt park is the 24th most-visited theme park in the United States. It welcomes over 3 million visitors a year.
Dolly has also donated or raised hundreds of millions of dollars to support various charities. She’s always putting others ahead of herself.
In the end, Dolly is one of the most legendary entertainers of all time. The more you learn about Dolly Parton, the more you are sure to love her!
