Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,
Where I help you drift off one fact at a time.
I'm your host,
Benjamin Boster,
And today's episode is about Dolly Parton.
Tonight's episode is sponsored by Kelly from Brisbane,
Australia.
Dolly was so much more than her music.
She was funny,
Generous,
Clever,
And completely herself.
Thank you,
Dolly,
For a lifetime of music and joy.
You will be very deeply missed.
Dolly Rebecca Pardon Dean was an American singer-songwriter,
Actress,
Philanthropist,
And businesswoman.
Dubbed the Queen of Country,
Parton was one of the most successful country music performers in history.
She was also known for her cultural influence,
Particularly through Dollywood and the Dollywood Foundation.
With more than a hundred million records sold,
Pardon was among the best-selling music artists of all time.
Born and raised in East Tennessee,
Pardon wrote her first song at age 6,
Performed regularly on television by age 10,
Made her first recording a year later,
And became a professional songwriter at 16.
After writing songs for others,
She released her debut album,
Hello,
I'm Dolly,
In 1967,
Starting her nearly 60-year career.
Pardon released 49 studio albums and wrote more than 3,
000 songs.
Including I Will Always Love You,
A two-time U.
S.
Country chart-topper,
And an international success for Whitney Houston that became the best-selling single by a woman,
Jolene,
Coat of Many Colors,
And 9to5.
The latter most,
As well as a Kenny Rogers duet,
Islands in the Stream,
Reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her final solo studio album,
Rockstar 2023,
Became her highest charting album on the Billboard 200,
Reaching number three.
In film,
Parton starred in the comedy films 9 to 5,
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,
Rhinestone,
Steel Magnolias,
Straight Talk,
And Joyful Noise.
For television,
She produced and starred in a series of Netflix films,
Including Christmas on the Square,
Which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award.
She also played Aunt Dolly in Hannah Montana,
Hosted Saturday Night Live,
And guest starred on Reba and Grace and Frankie.
On Broadway,
She wrote the music and lyrics for the musical 9 to 5,
Which earned her a Tony Award nomination.
Her life will be depicted in Dolly,
A true original musical.
Parton's music received 52 gold,
Platinum,
And multi-platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America.
Her accolades include 11 Grammy Awards and 3 Emmy Awards.
She launched 25 number one Billboard country singles,
Tied with Reba McEntire for the most by a woman,
44 career top 10 country albums,
A record for any artist,
And 110 career charted singles over 40 years.
Parton was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,
The National Medal of Arts,
The Kennedy Center Honor,
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,
And the Gene Herschel Humanitarian Award.
Dolly Rebecca Pardon was born on January 19,
1946,
In a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Pittman Center,
Tennessee.
She was the fourth of twelve children,
Born to Avie Lee Carolina and Robert Lee Parton.
Her three elder siblings are Willa Dean,
David Wilburn,
And Koi Denver.
Her younger siblings are Robert Lee,
Bobby Jr.
,
Stella Mae,
Cassie Nan,
Randall Huston,
Randy,
Larry Gerald,
Twins Frida Estell and Floyd Estell,
And Rachel Ann.
Parton's middle name came from her maternal great-great-grandmother,
Rebecca Whitted.
Barton's father,
Who went by his middle name Lee,
Worked in the mountains of East Tennessee,
First as a sharecropper and later tending his own small tobacco farm and acreage.
He also worked construction jobs to supplement the farm's small income.
Despite his illiteracy,
Hardin often said her father was one of the smartest people she had ever known,
With regard to business and making a profit.
Parton credited her musical abilities to her mother's influence.
Mrs.
Barden entertained her children with great Smoky Mountain folklore and old world ballads.
The ballads had been brought to the early United States,
Particularly southern Appalachia,
By immigrants from the British Isles.
Having descended from parents with Welsh ancestry,
Avie Leigh grew up singing the ballads.
Avie Leigh's father,
Jake Robert Owens,
Was a Pentecostal preacher who pastored the Church of God,
And Pardon and her siblings attended church there.
Music played an important role in Pardon's early life.
Her earliest public performances were in the church,
Beginning at age six.
At seven,
She started playing a homemade guitar.
When she was eight,
Her uncle bought her her first guitar.
When Pardon was still young,
Her family moved to a two-room cabin and farm on nearby Locust Ridge.
Most of her cherished childhood memories happen there.
A replica of the locust ridge cabin is displayed at her namesake theme park.
The Pardons small subsistence farm on Locust Ridge was in a predominantly Pentecostal area located north of the Greenbrier Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains.
The farm acreage and surrounding woodland inspired her to write the song,
My Tennessee Mountain Home,
In the 1970s.
Years after the farm was sold,
Pardon bought it back in the late 1980s.
Her brother Bobby helped with the restoration of the building,
As well as new construction.
Parton said her family was dirt poor.
Her father paid missionary Robert F.
Thomas with a sack of cornmeal for delivering her.
Later in life,
Parton wrote a song about Thomas.
She also outlined her family's poverty in her early songs,
Coat of Many Colors,
And In the Good Old Days,
When Times Were Bad.
The Parton family was well-fed despite their poverty,
And her 2024 cookbook,
Good Lookin' Cookin',
Co-written with her sister Rachel,
Recalls numerous family meals.
The day after graduating from Sevier County High School in Sevierville,
Tennessee in 1964,
Parton moved to Nashville,
Tennessee.
Parton began performing as a child,
Singing on local radio and television programs in the East Tennessee area.
By age 10,
She had appeared on The Cass Walker Show on both WIVK Radio and WBIR-TV in Knoxville,
Tennessee.
Barton's initial success came as a songwriter,
Working with her frequent songwriting partner,
Her uncle Bill Owens.
She wrote several charting singles,
Including two top ten hits for Bill Phillips.
Put it off until tomorrow,
And the company you keep.
At 19,
She signed with Monument Records in 1965,
Where she was initially pitched as a bubblegum pop singer.
After Bill Phillips' recording of her composition,
Put It Off Until Tomorrow reached number six on the country chart in 1966.
The label relented and allowed her to record country.
Her first country single,
Dumb Blonde,
Written by Curly Putman,
Reached number 24 on the country chart in 1967.
In 1967,
Musician and country music entertainer Porter Wagner invited Pardon to join the Porter-Wagner Show,
Offering her a regular spot on his weekly syndicated television program and in his roadshow.
With Wagoner's assistance,
Pardon was eventually accepted.
Waggoner convinced his label,
RCA Victor,
To sign her.
RCA decided to protect its investment by releasing her first single as a duet with Wagner.
That song,
A remake of Tom Paxton's The Last Thing on My Mind,
Released in late 1967,
Reached the country top ten in January 1968,
Launching a six-year run of uninterrupted top ten singles for the pair.
Barton's first solo single for RCA Victor,
Just Because I'm a Woman,
Was released in the summer of 1968.
By 1970,
Both Pardon and Wagner had grown frustrated by her lack of solo chart success.
Waggoner persuaded Pardon to record Jimmy Rogers' Mule Skinner Blues.
The record reached number three,
Followed by her first number one single,
Joshua,
In February 1971.
For the next two years,
She had numerous solo hits in addition to her duets,
Including her signature coat of many colors.
While her solo singles and the Wagner duets were successful,
Her biggest success from this period was Jolene.
Released in late 1973,
The song topped the country chart in February 1974 and reached the lower regions of the Hot 100.
In 1974,
Parton's song,
I Will Always Love You,
Written about her professional break from Wagner,
Went to number one on the country chart.
Around the same time,
Elvis Presley indicated that he wanted to record the song.
Parton was interested until Presley's manager,
Col.
Tom Parker,
Told her that it was standard procedure for the songwriter to sign over half of the publishing rights to any song recorded by Presley.
Pardon refused.
That decision was later credited with earning her many millions of dollars in royalties from the song.
That year,
Parton had three solo singles reach number one on the country chart.
Jolene,
I Will Always Love You,
And Love Is Like a Butterfly.
And the duet with Waggoner,
Please Don't Stop Loving Me.
She again tops the country chart in 1975 with The Bargain Store.
Her influence on pop culture was reflected in the many performers who covered her songs,
Including mainstream and crossover artists such as Olivia Newton-John,
Emmylou Harris,
And Linda Ronstadt.
Pardon began a high-profile crossover campaign,
Aiming her music in a more mainstream direction and increasing her visibility outside country music.
For the remainder of the 1970s and into the early 1980s,
Many of her singles climbed both charts simultaneously.
In 1978,
Pardon won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her album,
Here You Come Again.
Her visibility increased with numerous television appearances.
In 1978,
She appeared on Cher's ABC television special and her own joint CBS special with Carol Burnett,
Dolly and Carol,
And Nashville.
Her commercial success grew in 1980 with three consecutive number one country hits,
Starting over again,
Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You,
And 9 to 5,
Which topped both the country and pop charts in early 1981.
The theme song from the 1980 feature film 9 to 5,
In which she starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin,
Reached number one on the country,
Pop,
And adult contemporary charts in February 1981,
Giving her a triple number one hit.
Parton became one of the few female country singers to have a number one single on the country and pop charts simultaneously.
With Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt,
Pardon released Trio to critical acclaim.
The album revitalized her music career,
Spending five weeks at number one on Billboard's Country Albums chart and reaching the top ten on the Billboard 200.
Although her career appeared revived,
It proved brief before contemporary country music in the early 1990s moved most veteran artists off the charts.
Barton's greatest commercial fortune of the decade came when Whitney Houston recorded her popular rendition of I Will Always Love You for the soundtrack of The Bodyguard.
Both the single and the album were massively successful.
Her 1993 album,
Slow Dancing with the Moon,
Earned positive reviews from critics and achieved strong chart success,
Reaching number 4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 16 on the Billboard 200.
Like her previous collaborative album with Harris and Ronstadt,
Parton released Honky Tonk Angels in the fall of 1993 with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.
The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and helped to revive both Wynette and Lynn's careers.
Parton's recorded music during the mid to late 1990s remained steady and eclectic.
Her 1995 re-recording of I Will Always Love You,
Performed as a duet with Vince Gill from her album Something Special,
Won the Country Music Association's Vocal Event of the Year award.
In 1996,
She released Treasures,
An album of covers of 1960s and 1970s hits,
Featuring material by Mac Davis,
Pete Seeger,
Chris Christopherson,
Cat Stevens,
And Neil Young.
Her 1998 country rock album,
Hungry Again,
Consisted entirely of her own compositions.
A second collaboration with Harris and Ronstadt,
Trio 2,
Was released in early 1999.
Pardon was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
Arden recorded a series of bluegrass-inspired albums,
Beginning with The Grass Is Blue,
Which won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album,
And Little Sparrow,
Whose cover of Collective Soul's Shine won the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
The third,
Halos and Horns,
Included a bluegrass version of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven.
In 2005,
She released Those Were the Days,
Consisting of her interpretations of folk rock hits from the late 1960s and early 1970s,
Including Imagine,
Where Do the Children Play?
,
Crimson and Clover,
And Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
Parton earned her second Academy Award nomination for Best Original Songs for Traveling Through,
Which she wrote for the feature film Transamerica.
She returned to number one on the country chart later in 2005 by lending her harmonies to Brad Paisley's ballad,
When I Get Where I'm Going.
Better Get to Livin' was followed by the studio album Backwoods Barbie,
Released on February 26,
2008,
Which reached number two on the country chart.
The album produced four additional singles,
Including the title track,
Written as part of her score to 9to5,
The Musical.
The album was first released in Australia and New Zealand on January 31st.
To coincide with tour dates there in February,
M reached number one on album charts in both countries.
It was released in the United States on May 13th and debuted at number 6 on Billboard 200 chart,
Making it her first top 10 album and her highest charting solo album ever.
It also reached number two on the U.
S.
Country chart.
The album was released in Europe on June 9th and reached number 2 on the UK album chart.
On June 29,
2014,
Barton performed for the first time at the UK Glastonbury Festival,
Singing songs such as Jolene,
9 to 5,
And Coat of Many Colours to a crowd of more than 180,
000.
In early 2022,
Pardon was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Pardon initially declined the nomination,
Believing that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was for the people in rock music.
But later learning that this was not the case,
Pardon said she would accept her induction if she were chosen for the honor.
In October 2022,
Parton stated in an interview that she would no longer tour,
But would continue to play live shows occasionally.
On January 17,
2023,
Parton announced that she would release her first rock album,
Titled Rockstar,
Later that year,
During an interview on The View.
The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200,
Becoming Pardon's highest charting solo studio album,
As well as topping the country and rock album charts.
In addition to her performing appearances on the Porter Wagoner show in the 1960s and into the 1970s,
Her two self-titled television variety shows in the Dolly and Dolly,
And on American Idol in 2008,
And other guest performances,
Pardon also had television roles.
In her first feature film,
Pardon portrayed a secretary in a leading role with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the comedy film 9 to 5.
In 1989,
Pardon returned to film acting in Steel Magnolias,
Based on the play of the same name by Robert Harling.
In June 2024,
Pardon announced an autobiographical musical about her life and career,
Initially titled Hello,
I'm Dolly,
Named after her debut album,
And also a play on Hello,
Dolly,
With a goal of opening on Broadway in 2026,
With direction from Bartlett Shur.
The musical,
With a co-written book by Pardon and Maria Eschlatter,
Features original songs as well as her more well-known heads.
Pardon also revealed that she had been working on the musical for the past decade.
The title was promoted as Dolly,
An original musical,
On December 6,
Coinciding with a nationwide casting call for actresses to play Barton through different stages of her life.
Using the hashtag Search for Dolly on social media video posts.
The show opened as Dolly!
A True Original Musical at the Belmont University Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville in July 2025.
Pardon invested much of her earnings into business ventures in her native East Tennessee,
Including Pigeon Forge.
She was a co-owner of the Dollywood Company,
Which operates the theme park,
A former silver dollar city,
A dinner theater,
Dolly Parton's Stampede,
The water park,
Dollywood Splash Country,
And the Dreammore Resort and Spa,
All in Pigeon Forge.
Pardon,
Though influenced by big-name stars,
Often credited much of her inspiration to her family and community.
In her 2020 book,
Songteller,
My Life and Lyrics,
Parton wrote of her mother.
So it was just natural for my mom to always be singing.
My mother had that old timey voice,
And she used to sing all these songs that were brought over from the old world.
They were English,
Irish,
Welsh,
Folk songs where people tell stories.
Though unable to read sheet music,
Parton was raised in a family that enjoyed making music,
Including a church.
She learned how to write songs and play many instruments,
Including the dulcimer,
Auto harp,
Banjo,
Guitar,
Electric guitar,
Fiddle,
Piano,
Recorder,
And saxophone.
Reflecting on her abilities,
Pardon said,
I play some of everything.
I ain't that good at none of it,
But I try to sell it.
I really try to lay into it.
Parton also used her acrylic fingernails as an instrument,
Most evident on her 1980 song 9 to 5,
Where she derived the beat from clacking her nails together while backstage on the set of the film 9 to 5.
In 1988,
Pardon founded the non-profit Dollywood Foundation,
Originally to improve educational outcomes among children in her home county of Sevier County,
Tennessee.
Among the Foundation's early efforts was the Buddy Program,
In which 7th and 8th grade students paired with a friend and pledged to support each other in remaining in school and graduating from high school.
Students who graduated received $500.
The dropout rate among participating classes fell from 35% to 6%.
And the program encouraged the community to develop additional initiatives to sustain the improvement.
Parton's literacy program,
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library,
Is also a part of the Dollywood Foundation,
And it was founded in 1995 in honor of her father,
Who never learned to read or write.
It mails one book per month to each enrolled child from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten.
In addition to the awards Pardon received specifically for her efforts toward promoting literacy,
Pardon also received recognition for her general philanthropic work.
On May 8,
2009,
Pardon gave the commencement speech at the graduation ceremony for the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville's College of Arts and Sciences.
During the ceremony,
She received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University.
It was only the second honorary degree given by the university.
And in presenting the degree,
The university's chancellor,
Jimmy Cheek,
Said,
Because of her career not just as a musician and entertainer,
But for her role as a cultural ambassador,
Philanthropist,
And lifelong advocate for education,
It is fitting that she be honored with an honorary degree from the flagship educational institution of her home state.
Barton is one of the most honored female country performers in history.
She was one of the few female artists to win the Country Music Association's highest honor Entertainer of the Year.
A bronze statue of her was unveiled in 1987 in her hometown,
The city of Sevierville,
Tennessee,
Being designed by Jim Gray.
In 1999,
Pardon received Country Music's highest honor,
An induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 2005,
She was honored with the National Medal of Arts,
The highest honor given by the U.
S.
Government for excellence in the arts.
On December 3rd,
2006,
Pardon received the Kennedy Center Honors from the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
O'er her lifetime of contributions to the arts.
