Dolly Parton Songs4/18/2021
Steve Miller first met the girl group when they performed together on NBCs Hullabaloo in 1966, and he wrote the lyrics after spotting Diana Ross skiing in the mountains years later.Partons first solo single, Just Because Im a Woman, was released in the summer of 1968 and was a moderate hit, reaching number 17.
Her autobiographical single Coat of Many Colors shows the poverty of growing up one of 12 children on a run-down farm in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. At 12 years old, she was appearing on Knoxville television; at 13 she was recording on a small label and appearing on the Grand Ole Opry. Her 1967 hit Dumb Blonde (which shes not) caught Porter Wagoners ear, and he hired Parton to appear on his television show, where their duet numbers became famous. By the time her Joshua reached number one in 1970, Partons fame had overshadowed her boss, and she had struck out on her own, though she still recorded duets with him. During the mid-70s, she established herself as a country superstar, crossing over into the pop mainstream in the early 80s, when she smoothed out the rough edges in her music and began singing pop as well as country. In the early 80s, she also began appearing in movies, most notably the hit 9 to 5. Though her savvy marketing, image manipulation her big dumb blond stage persona is an act extracurricular forays into film, and her flirtations with country-pop have occasionally overshadowed her music, at her core Parton is a country gal and a tremendously gifted singersongwriter. Among her classics are Coat of Many Colors, Jolene, Kentucky Gambler, I Will Always Love You, But You Know I Love You, and Tennessee Homesick Blues, and they give a hint as to why her contribution to bringing country music to a wide audience, not only in America but throughout the world, cannot be underestimated.The fourth of 12 children, Parton was born and raised in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, just next to the Smoky Mountains National Forest. Partons family struggled to survive throughout her childhood, and she was often ridiculed for her poverty, yet music soothed their worries. Though her farming father did not play, her half-Cherokee mother played guitar and her grandfather, Rev. Jake Owens. was a fiddler and songwriter (his Singing His Praise was recorded by Kitty Wells). When she was seven, her uncle Bill Owens gave her a guitar, and within three years, she became a regular on WIVK Knoxvilles The Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour. Over the next two years, her career steadily increased, and in 1959 she made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry; the following year, she recorded her first single, Puppy Love, for Goldband.When she was 14 years old, Parton signed to Mercury Records, but her 1962 debut for the label, Its Sure Gonna Hurt, was a bomb, and the label immediately dropped her. Over the next five years, she shopped for a new contract and did indeed record a number of songs, which were later reissued through budget-line records. She continued to attend high school, playing snare drum in the marching band. After she graduated, she moved to Nashville where she stayed with Bill Owens. ![]() Early in 1965, both Parton and Owens finally found work when Fred Foster signed them to his publishing house, Combine Music; Foster subsequently signed her to Monument Records. Partons first records for Monument were marketed to pop audiences, and her second record, Happy, Happy Birthday Baby, nearly made the charts. In 1966, Bill Phillips took two of Partons and Owens songs Put It Off Until Tomorrow and The Company You Keep to the Top Ten, setting the stage for Partons breakthrough single, Dumb Blonde. Released early in 1967, the record climbed to number 24, followed shortly afterward by the number 17 Something Fishy.The two hit Monument singles attracted the attention of country star Porter Wagoner, who was looking to hire a new female singer for his syndicated television show. Parton accepted the offer and began appearing on the show on September 5, 1967. Initially, Wagoners audience was reluctant to warm to Parton and chanted for Norma Jean, the singer she replaced, but with Wagoners assistance, she was accepted. Since female performers were not particularly popular in the late 60s, the label decided to protect their investment by releasing her first single as a duet with Wagoner. ![]()
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