The campest-of-camp country'n'western singers, the glittering Dolly Parton is 65 years old today!
With her big wigs, big boobs and enormous rhinestones, the "feathers fouf and faff" that is the staple of Miss Parton's photo-grabbing appearance of course belies her incredible talent and business acumen. Born in a "dirt poor" backwoods town in Tennessee, her vocal skills (as with so many other singers, black and white) were developed through the choral style of the Midwest "happy clapper" churches, and by the age of thirteen she was already appearing at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville! Regular appearances on specialist radio stations and (more effective for a girl with her busty appearance) on TV ensured she caught the ear and eye of the American public, and the rest, as they say, is history...
But it was not just her singing talent and her showbiz chutzpah that led Miss Parton to fame and fortune. Her own musical compositions were also very popular from the early stages of her career - she wrote songs for Skeeter Davis, Hank Willams, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and many others on the country circuit, and among her billion-selling songs are I Will Always Love You, Jolene, 9 to 5, Love Is Like A Butterfly, Here You Come Again, Joshua, and of course her signature tune Coat Of Many Colours.
Today she remains the biggest-selling country singer in history, has awards and accolades galore (including two Oscar nominations, the National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honour), and her own business (The Dollywood Company) that invests in property, films and is a major philanthropic trust in the US, as well as her own theme park - Dollywood!
Dolly Parton - we salute you!
Dolly Parton website
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