{"id":76367,"date":"2026-08-27T23:03:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T23:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/?p=76367"},"modified":"2026-08-27T23:03:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T23:03:44","slug":"dolly-parton-real-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/dolly-parton-real-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolly Parton, Real Country"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dolly Parton: Jan. 19, 1946 \u2013 Aug. 25, 2026<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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In recent decades, while country music has been homogenized and made safe for suburbanite consumption, Dolly Parton stood out. In a genre that\u2019s rife with phony tough guys and bro country fantasies about \u201cgirls,\u201d trucks, and beer, Dolly\u2019s contribution to country is unparalleled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of my first thoughts when I heard she was gone from this world was a lyric from the Ray Wylie Hubbard song, Conversation with the Devil<\/em><\/a>, \u201cWhat you won\u2019t find up in Heaven are Christian Coalition right-wing conservatives, country program directors, and Nashville record executives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dolly Parton died of cancer on Aug. 25. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Carl Dean, in March 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dolly started writing songs in high school with her uncle and mentor, Bill Owens, himself a country music songwriter and performer. When Dolly was 10 years old, Owens arranged her first live radio performance on the \u201cCas Walker Farm and Home Hour\u201d in Knoxville, Tenn. Shortly after her graduation, Dolly and Owens moved to Nashville and began writing songs for other country performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Her earliest writing successes in Nashville were songs co-written with Owens: \u201cPut It Off Until Tomorrow\u201d<\/a> (1966), recorded by Bill Phillips (with Dolly on background vocals); \u201cFuel to the Flame\u201d<\/a> (1967), recorded by Skeeter Davis; and \u201cI\u2019m in No Condition\u201d<\/a> (1967), recorded by Hank Williams Jr. Dolly\u2019s first studio album, Hello, I\u2019m Dolly<\/em>, was released in 1967, charting two singles, \u201cDumb Blonde\u201d<\/a> and \u201cSomething Fishy\u201d<\/a>. Dolly herself estimated that \u201cI\u2019ve written at least 5000 songs. I probably got five good ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the age of 21, Dolly joined the cast of the Porter Wagoner television variety show, with the duo singing a duet every week. Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner released 13 studio albums together, putting out 21 singles, 10 of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles. Dolly embarked on her solo career in 1974, leaving the Porter Wagoner Show in order to have more control over her career. Dolly was an astute business person, founding her own publishing company when she was 20 and retaining control of more than 3000 songs in her catalog. Her solo output included some classic hits: \u201cJolene\u201d<\/a>, \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d<\/a> (written for Porter Wagoner), \u201cCoat of Many Colors\u201d<\/a>, and \u201c9 to 5.\u201d<\/a> Whitney Houston\u2019s cover of \u201cI Will Always Love You,\u201d recorded for the soundtrack of \u201cThe Bodyguard\u201d was a worldwide hit, reaching #1 on the pop, R&B, and adult contemporary charts for five weeks. Dolly invested nearly $10 million in royalties from the song in a Black neighborhood in Nashville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c9 to 5,\u201d written for her acting debut in the movie of the same name, co-starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, was a huge crossover hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Feb. 21, 1981. The themes of the film highlighted the struggles of working women against sexual harassment and disrespect by bosses, and for equal pay. In all, Dolly appeared in 13 films and numerous television shows. A made for TV movie, \u201cDolly Parton\u2019s Coat of Many Colors,\u201d chronicled Dolly\u2019s early childhood and the struggles of her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I recall a box of rags that someone<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

gave us<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And how my mama put the rags<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

to use\u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She made my coat of many colors<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That I was so proud of<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Over the years, Dolly worked with other artists. Her duet with Kenny Rogers in 1983 on the song, \u201cIslands in the Stream,\u201d<\/a> became a huge hit and was followed by another No. 1 hit, \u201cReal Love,\u201d in 1985. Dolly also did two albums, Trio<\/em> and Trio 2<\/em>, with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt<\/a>, both of which went platinum. Additionally, Dolly recorded her song, \u201cHere I Am,\u201d<\/a> with pop singer Sia for the soundtrack of the Netflix movie, \u201cDumplin\u2019.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dolly\u2019s final studio album was Rockstar<\/em> (2023), which teamed her up with rock musicians like Rob Halford<\/a> of Judas Priest, Ann Wilson<\/a> of Heart, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr<\/a> (Beatles), and Peter Fampton<\/a>. Rockstar<\/em> was Dolly\u2019s most successful album of her career, going to #1 on both the rock\/alternative and country charts. The single, \u201cWorld on Fire,\u201d<\/a> may be Dolly\u2019s most explicit political statement of her career; \u201cDon\u2019t get me started on politics, Now how are we to live in a world like this, Greedy politicians, present and past, They wouldn\u2019t know the truth if it bit \u2018em in the ass.\u201d Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dolly was born in poverty. Her father, Robert Lee Parton Sr., couldn\u2019t read or write and worked as a farmer, sharecropper, and construction worker. Her mother, Avie Lee Parton, was a stay-at-home mom, caring for 12 kids. The family lived in a one-room cabin in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee. The doctor who delivered Dolly was paid with a sack of cornmeal. Dolly\u2019s mother came from a musical family and had deeply held religious beliefs. While the family attended church on Sundays, her father, reportedly a non-believer, waited in the car outside during services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dolly\u2019s upbringing no doubt influenced her attitude and generosity towards others. She strongly believed in the notion that we should love our neighbors and not judge others. While she avoided overt \u201cpolitical\u201d stances, she took positions in solidarity with LGBTQ people, coming out in favor of marriage equality well before it was legalized nationally. She challenged Christians<\/a>, \u201cI keep saying, \u2018Well, if you\u2019re the fine Christian you think you are, why are you judging people? That\u2019s God\u2019s job. We\u2019re not God. We\u2019re not judges,’\u201d she explained. \u201cWe\u2019re supposed to love one another. We\u2019re supposed to not judge and we\u2019re not supposed to take vengeance on other people. That\u2019s God\u2019s job.\u201d Dolly also opposed transphobic bathroom bills and anti-transgender legislation\u2014emphasizing respect, personal freedom, and acceptance. Her support was generally reciprocated by the LGBTQ community, which largely embraces her as a Queer icon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dolly was also an advocate for childhood literacy in a period in which literacy rates are declining. She founded Dolly Parton\u2019s Imagination Library<\/a>, which distributes free books to children under five across the U.S. and abroad. Dolly stressed the personal importance of her literacy advocacy, writing<\/a>, \u201cBefore he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can\u2019t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.\u201d The program has distributed more than 300 million books and serves more than 3 million children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In a world where the music industry is all about appearances and illusion, Dolly was the real thing\u2014Real Country. She never forgot where she came from or the struggles of her family and folks like them. She carved out a spot in an industry where women are supposed to live up to certain expectations and smashed all of the expectations. She was kind and empathetic in a time when some on the so-called Christian right are trying to make empathy a dirty word. She stood up for LGBTQ rights, defended trans kids and drag queens, and tried to help kids learn to read. Dolly Parton will be missed; we will always love you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Dolly in 2025. (David McClister \/ Southern Living)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First published here<\/a> by Workers’ Voice<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a world where the music industry is all about appearances and illusion, Dolly was the real thing\u2014Real Country. She never forgot where she came from or the struggles of her family and folks like them. She carved out a spot in an industry where women are supposed to live up to certain expectations and smashed all of the expectations. She was kind and empathetic in a time when some on the so-called Christian right are trying to make empathy a dirty word. She stood up for LGBTQ rights, defended trans kids and drag queens, and tried to help kids learn to read.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":76368,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"litci_post_political_author":"John Leslie","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6229],"tags":[6595,6394,6976,6283,6978,6977,6979],"class_list":["post-76367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-and-culture","tag-country","tag-death","tag-dolly","tag-music","tag-obituary","tag-parton","tag-presente"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/litci.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dolly-Parton.webp?fit=1445%2C722&ssl=1","fimg_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/litci.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dolly-Parton.webp?fit=1445%2C722&ssl=1","categories_names":["Art and Culture"],"author_info":{"name":"Carlos S.","pic":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fdf3a2076204dbf848fa7838fc9e2787f3317262207b35e333f31316e39fce9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"political_author":"John Leslie","tagline":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76367"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76369,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76367\/revisions\/76369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}