due to “health challenges,” as well as her doctor’s insistence on her undergoing “a few procedures.”
Parton, best known for her eccentric outfits, wigs and country and pop song hits, reigned in stardom in the 1970s and 1980s, most notably with hits like “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Being from an East Tennessee farm family, Parton’s mother was resourceful with what little they had. This meant making clothes out of rags, which became the inspiration for her early signature song “Coat of Many Colors.” In the chorus, Parton makes it abundantly clear that despite her family not having money, she was far from poor, saying, “My coat of many colors that my mama made for me / Made only from rags, but I wore it so proudly / Although we had no money, I was as rich as I could be / in my coat of many colors my mama made for me.”
Another song that encapsulates Parton’s life is “I Will Always Love You.” Even though many recognize the title from Whitney Houston’s 1992 cover, Parton wrote and sang the song in her 1974 album “Jolene.”
The song served as a farewell to Porter Wagoner, her television co-host and musical mentor. As Parton grew as a singer, she outgrew Wagoner as a mentor and made “I Will Always Love You” to show how appreciative she was for their time spent together. Wagoner described the song as “the prettiest song I ever heard.”
Parton’s music fits a typical country music profile. She sang about her personal experiences with emotion to tell the audience her story with the assistance of banjos, guitars and autoharps. However, what makes Parton’s country singing career distinctive is her ability to bring people together.
Bobby Bones, host of “The Bobby Bones Show,” said that Parton is different because “Dolly wasn’t just one of the greatest country artists of all time; she was one of the greatest artists and one of the people who defined what country music could be…Dolly made country music feel welcoming. She could walk into the Grand Ole Opry, she could go to Hollywood, she could go into a Rock & Roll room, or just a room full of people that agreed on absolutely nothing, and somehow make ‘em fall in love with her. Because everybody loved Dolly.”
Bones’ assertion that people loved Parton is leveled with her love of others. Throughout Parton’s life, she gave back; her earliest philanthropic endeavor was the Dollywood Foundation. The 1988 organization was launched in Sevier, Tennessee to decrease high school dropout rates by administering a buddy program where Parton gave $500 to every seventh or eighth grader who finished high school.
Later, Parton founded Imagination Library in 1995 to encourage young people to foster a love of reading to honor her illiterate father, whom she called “the smartest man I knew.” The Imagination Library mails free first-rate books that are suitable for the age of the recipient, from birth to five years old, if they are registered.
