Dolly Rebecca Parton

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee and was raised in Sevierville, Tennessee to Avie Lee Parton, a homewife & Robert Lee Parton, a tobacco farmer. At 12, she was being telecast on Knoxville TV and at 13, she had already begun recording on a small label , and was performing on the Grand Ole Opry. After graduating from the high school in 1964, she relocated to Nashville to launch her country-singing career. She became a fan of Carl Dean, who ran an asphalt-paving company. They were married on May 30th, 1966 and are still together. Porter Wagoner saw her singing and invited her to appear on The Porter Wagoner Show (1961). The show aired for seven years. Her duets were made famous and she was a part of the group that Porter Wagoner had at the Grand Ole Opry. She also sold records and toured. Her biggest hit "Joshua", which reached the top spot in 1970, was her biggest hit single. She decided to do it alone while she recorded duets with the singer. She was no longer with him and went solo in 1974. Dolly became a huge hit as a songwriter/singer. Dolly has won numerous Country Music Association awards (1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976). She was a petite (5'0") beauty, who was naturally at television. In the mid-1970s, Dolly was often seen on TV specials and talk-shows before getting her own show, Dolly (1976). Dolly was awarded her first Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1977 for "Here You Come Again". Dolly made her film debut in 9 to 5, the year 1980. She received nominations for an Oscar for the song that was the title along with Grammy Awards 2/3: Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Her most memorable roles were in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and Rhinestone (1984) where she sang "Tennessee Homesick Blues". She is the head of Dolly Parton Enterprises, a $100 million media empire, and in 1986 she launched Dollywood the theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, celebrating her Smoky-Mountain upbringing. She starred as herself on the Dolly (1987) television show. She also won a Grammy in 1988 for Best Country Performance Duo/Group , Vocals, for "Trio".