Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton was born into poverty as one of 12 children in Sevierville, Tennessee, and began performing locally as a child on shows like 'The Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour' in Knoxville. Her breakthrough came in the 1960s when she joined Porter Wagoner's syndicated TV show, leading to her first RCA Records deal and duet hits, before launching her solo career in 1974 with iconic songs 'Jolene' and 'I Will Always Love You,' both written on the same day. She demonstrated early business savvy by retaining ownership of her music rights, which later generated millions in royalties, including from Whitney Houston's cover of 'I Will Always Love You' in The Bodyguard. In the late 1970s, Parton crossed over to pop with 'Here You Come Again,' topping country charts for five weeks and reaching number three on pop charts, earning her first Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She expanded into film with her 1980 debut in 9 to 5, co-starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, where her title song hit number one on both country and pop charts, garnering Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. The 1980s saw continued success with albums like Trio (1987) alongside Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, which topped country charts and reached pop Top 10, revitalizing her career. Parton's later career blended country, bluegrass, and pop, including bluegrass album The Grass Is Blue (Grammy winner), the 2005 Those Were the Days covers album, and her 2023 Rockstar, her highest-charting Billboard 200 entry at number three. She received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, Kennedy Center Honors in 2006, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. Throughout, she maintained humility, grounding her success in faith, family, and philanthropy like the Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library.