Dolly-Parton

Dolly Parton, born Jan. 19th, 1946 in Locust Ridge Tenn. to 12 children from a poor family children that would be raised with them eventually. She learned early how to get out of the difficulties she faced by using her rich and vivid imagination. Before she learned to write and read Dolly Parton had already begun to compose her own songs. After 8 years of age, she got her first guitar. When she was 11 years old she started singing at the Knoxville Tennessee radio station. In the that same time, Gold Band Records was a small independent record label. In high school, she made her name locally but dreamed about a larger stage. The day she graduated the high school in 1964. Dumb Blonde (both 1967) as well as Something Fishy were among her first Monument Records chart-topping records. Porter Wagoner, a syndicated television show host in the late '60s, was looking for a girl to sing on his show. Parton got her first gig in the year 1967, signed with RCA Records by 1968, and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1974, she resigned from Wagoner's show due to the commercial success of her singles like Joshua Coats of Many Colors or Jolene was outstripping their joint releases. Parton, after the split of their relationship with Wagoner was the one to write I Will Always Love You and made it to the top spot at No. 1. for the first time since 1974.