Hey there princess!
Dolly Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in a little one-room cabin off the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Tennessee. She was one of twelve siblings, and her family lived humbly. Her father was a sharecropper and worked construction part-time to provide for the large family, and her mother stayed home to care for her and her siblings. Dolly's love of music began at an early age, singing songs with her mother. Her earliest performances were at her church.
While she was in school, she worked hard to earn radio spots singing and as soon as she graduated from high school she moved to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. She took a job singing on The Porter Wagner Show, and used her childhood experiences as inspiration for her songwriting. She was a hit! She went on to write standards such as "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," and "I Will Always Love You."
Dolly went on to transition her works into the pop and bluegrass genres, and she toured the world sharing her music. However, today she isn't just known for her musical talents - she is an actress, theme park owner, and most importantly - a philanthropist. Her program, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which mails one book to each month to all enrolled children from birth until they enter kindergarten. They reach over 850,000 children each month!
Be more like Dolly:
- Don't be afraid to stand out from the crowd
- The bigger the hair, the closer to God
- Draw inspiration from your past to shape a beautiful future for yourself
- Remember your roots
- Give back!
