Country music legend Dolly Parton has turned 80. The singer has been making hits for decades – but how much do you know about her?
One of the most recognizable names and faces in music – not just country music – Dolly Parton has celebrated her 80th birthday.
In a career spanning 60 years, Dolly has had scores of hit singles and albums and won many awards for her music. She also had a successful acting career, and has been a successful businesswoman and philanthropist.
But how much do you know about the legend that is Dolly? Here are some things you might not know:
Hair-raising reality
Dolly is well known for a lot of things, but one of the most famous is her platinum-blonde hair. But the hair isn’t her own – and never has been. Concerned about the negative effect bleaching would have on her hair, from an early age Dolly would wear a wig on stage. Over the years, she has amassed a huge collection of hairpieces – it is said to number 350 now.
Dolly has written more than 3,000 songs
Dolly’s career has spanned more than 60 years, and she has been prolific throughout that time, writing more than 3,000 songs in all.
But did you know she wrote two of her biggest hits in the same day? Yes, Dolly wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day in 1972. Now that was a good day’s work.
I Will Always Love You was covered by Whitney Houston in the early 90s and was a global hit – netting Dolly $10 million in royalties.
Jolene was written about a real-life love rival
Jolene has become one of Dolly’s most famous tracks and is also one of the most covered – there are 80 official covers, with many more existing online.
But Dolly says that the song was inspired by a real-life incident. When she was newly married to Carl Dean, a local bank clerk would flirt with him, causing Dolly to worry that she might ‘take her man’.
While it inspired a huge hit song, in reality, the bank clerk never got her way, and Carl and Dolly are still married to this day.
Dolly has her own theme park – Dollywood
How many singers have their own theme park? Dolly does – the brilliantly-named Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It is hugely successful too, with nearly 3 million people rocking up in a typical season that runs from March to Christmas, making it the biggest ticketed attraction in Tennessee.
Dollywood combines traditional theme park thrill rides with traditional crafts, food and music – and Dolly herself regularly makes appearances there.
Dolly has helped millions of kids to read
For more than 30 years now The Dollywood Foundation has been sponsoring books for children, which is all part of her Imagination Library program. In the program, parents can apply for their child to receive a book every month from when they are born to age five. The scheme runs in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland and Australia and to date has distributed more than 300 million books.
Dolly – who doesn’t have children of her own – founded the program in honor of her late father, Robert Lee Parton, who was illiterate.
Dolly once lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest
Yes, it is true: Dolly once took part in a Dolly Parton drag queen lookalike contest – and lost.
Dolly revealed this anecdote on the Ellen DeGeneres Show some years back. She said she had exaggerated her usual styling – including bigger hair and breasts – to avoid being recognised, but apparently it worked too well. The contestants were judged by patrons of a gay bar, with the person with the most applause declared the winner – and it wasn’t Dolly!
