Dolly-Parton

Dolly Parton, who was born in Locust Ridge Tenn. on Jan. 19. 1946 into a very humble family of 12 children eventually included, discovered early that she was able to escape the hardships of her life by using a vivid imagination. Before she was able to write and read, she was making up her own songs. The guitar that she first received was presented by her mother when she was eight. She began singing in a Knoxville Tenn station by the age of 11. The first album she recorded was in the same calendar year Gold Band Records, a small label that was an independent. Her name was made on the local circuit while at high school, but dreamed of a bigger stage. When she was graduating in 1964, she relocated to Nashville. Dumb Blonde, Something Fishy and Dumb Blonde both charted on Monument Records in 1967. In the year 1967, Porter Wagoner was looking for a new girl singer for his syndicated television show. Parton was hired in 1966. She then joined RCA Records in 1968, and then the Grand Ole Opry was founded in 1969. Parton quit the Wagoner's band in 1974 when her solo hits like Joshua Coat of Many Colors & Jolene beat out the collaborations. Parton wrote I Will Always love You for Wagoner in the aftermath of their breakup. It reached number one. This was the first time a song hit the top spot.