In an increasingly divided world, Dolly Partonmay truly be the one human being who can unite us all.
The universally beloved country icon's career spans more than six decades, dozens of accolades and numerous genres in music, TV and film.
Parton says the secret to her success actually isn't just a "cup of ambition," but a whole lot of kindness, too.
"I’ve always tried to never step on anybody to get where I am," she said. "I’ve had to walk around a few people, jump over a few of ‘em now and then, but I think you’re a true success when you’ve seen your dreams come true and you can take pride in how you did it, and take pride in and respect and appreciate the people that helped you get there."
It would take a book (or several) to list all of her contributions not just to pop culture, but to culture and society as a whole, from her timeless tunes to her classic chick flicks, charitable endeavors and even her cooking.
That said, we rounded up some of her best here! Check out these interesting facts about Dolly Parton.
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Jan. 19, 1946
Dolly Parton’s Hometown
Pittman Center, Tenn.
Robert Lee Parton Sr.
Dolly Parton’s Mother
Avie Lee Caroline Parton
Dolly Parton began singing, songwriting and playing piano and guitar when she was still in single-digits and living in her family's one-room cabin in Pittman, Tenn. She began performing on regional Tennessee radio stations at 10 years old and recorded her first single when she was just 11.
She moved to Nashville when she graduated high school and found success as a songwriter for artists including Skeeter Davis, Bill Phillips, Kitty Wells and Hank Williams, Jr.
Parton's own recordings early in her career were pop tunes, not country songs, and didn't chart. That changed when she recorded her debut country album, released in 1967, launching a six-decade (and counting) career that boasts 50 studio albums, 11 Grammys, three Emmys and two Oscar nods ... not to mention a theme park, a cookbook, baking mixes, frozen meals, Miley Cyrus as a goddaughter and a whole lot more.
Related: 'Big Hair, Don't Care!' 36 Truly Amazing Young Dolly Parton Throwback Photos
Dolly Parton Timeline
1959: Dolly Parton releases her first single and debuts at the Grand Ole Opry
At just 13 years old, Parton releases her first single (recorded, as previously mentioned, when she was just 11). The song, "Puppy Love," doesn't chart, but it was still a big year for her: She made her debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry, with none other than Johnny Cash introducing her to country music fans in the room and on the radio to perform his tune "You Gotta Be My Baby."
Parton and her uncle and songwriting partner, Bill Owens, got signed to Mercury Records in 1962 and released the single "It's Sure Gonna Hurt." After the track doesn't chart, they're dropped from the label, weren't discouraged. By 1965, Owens and Parton had another publishing and recording deal, and two of their songs for Bill Phillips, "Put It Off until Tomorrow" and "The Company You Keep," hit the Billboard country top 10.
Related: 60 of Dolly Parton's Best Quotes About Fame, Love and Womanhood
1967: Dolly Parton releases her first charting songs and debut album
Parton made her Billboard country chart debut in January 1967 with "Dumb Blonde" and "Something Fishy," then-peaking at No. 24 and 17, respectively. That July, she released her debut full-length album, Hello, I'm Dolly, and she made her debut performance on The Porter Wagoner Show that September. By December, her duet with Porter Wagoner, "The Last Thing On My Mind," cracks No. 7 on the Billboard country chart.
Dolly Parton performs with Porter Wagoner circa 1967.Photo by Michael Ochs Archives on Getty Images
In January 1968, Parton and Wagoner dropped their duet album, Just Between You and Me, for RCA Records. Later that year, she released her first solo album for RCA Records, Just Because I'm a Woman, propelled by the single of the same name.
While Parton's first awards came in 1966 for her songwriting, 1968 marked the first year she was awarded for music she sang herself.
At the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, Parton and Wagoner took home the trophy for Vocal Group of the Year. The same year, the duo took home the CMT Award for Duet of the Year.
On the solo front, Parton was nominated for the CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year and won the CMT Music Award for Most Promising Female Artist, the Cashbox Award for Most Promising Up and Coming Female Artist and the Nashville Songwriters Association International Songwriter Achievement Award (for Phillips' "Put It Off Until Tomorrow").
Related: No Need To Work ‘9 to 5’—Dolly Parton’s Net Worth in 2026 Is Fit for a Country Queen
1970-1973: Dolly Parton soars to the top of the country charts
Parton earned her first Grammy nomination in 1970 with Wagoner for "Just Someone I Used to Know."
In 1971, she and Wagoner earned another duet nomination at the Grammys, as well as her first Academy of Country Music Award for Top Vocal Group. Parton also got her first solo Grammy nod for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)."
The same year, she had her first solo No. 1 hit on the Billboard country charts with "Joshua."
Joshua by Dolly PartonPhoto by Michael Ochs Archives on Getty Images
Related: Iconic Dolly Parton Duet Resurfaces, Rekindling Nostalgia
Three years after "Joshua" hit No. 1 on the country chart, Parton released one of what became her signature songs: "Jolene." The song, in which she begs, "Please don't take my man," hit No. 1 on the Billboard country chart and crossed over to the mainstream pop charts, hitting No. 64 on the Hot 100.
Parton revealed to the BBC's The One Show in 2023 that her husband was a little embarrassed about the tune.
"He was a little embarrassed when I wrote the song 'Jolene' because, actually, it wasn't as serious [as it seemed in the lyrics]," she said. "I was just jealous 'cause she was a beautiful woman and he was just flirting!"
Three different version of "Jolene" were nominated for three Grammys in three different years: The original in 1975 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, a live version in 1976 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and a collaboration in 2017 with a cappella group Pentatonix, for which she finally took a trophy home for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. The original 1974 version of "Jolene" was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.
Parton also released her first version of "I Will Always Love You" in 1974, landing the No. 1 spot on the country songs chart. She later told the WNYC podcast Dolly Parton's America that she wrote the ballad (an ode to her former business partner and mentor Wagoner) the same day she wrote "Jolene."
Following her stellar year, in 1975, Parton won the CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year for the first time.
Related: 5 Country Songs Everyone Still Covers Decades After ‘Jolene’
1976-1979: Dolly Parton makes country music history
Parton stopped working with Wagoner in 1976 and premiered her own syndicated TV show Dolly.
In 1977, Parton released New Harvest ... First Gathering, the first album she produced for herself. The album featured the single "Here You Come Again," which topped the Billboard Country Songs chart for five weeks.
Here You Come Again by Dolly PartonPhoto by Donaldson Collection on Getty Images
"Here You Come Again" wasn't just a country smash, but also a massive pop hit, hitting No. 3 on the Hot 100. At the time of its release, it was the biggest song of Parton's career. It was nominated for both Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1978 Grammys, her first nod in the genre.
The album Here You Come Again was the first ever by a female country artist to sell 1 million copies. Parton won the Grammy for Best Female Country Performance for Here You Come Again in 1979.
1980-1984: Dolly Parton becomes a pop star and movie star
Parton's commercial success musically continued through the next decade, and her appeal extended to the big screen.
Director Colin Higgins, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton post for a photo on the set of 9 to 5.Photo by Steve Schapiro on Getty Images
In 1980, Parton starred in her first movie, 9 to 5. The film, which co-starred Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, was a hit, as was her song of the same name: "9 to 5" topped the Billboard country, adult contemporary and pop charts simultaneously and earned Parton an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. It later went on to be featured in the opening credits of Deadpool 2 and interpolated on the Pitbull song "Powerful Women."
Parton's album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs earned her the ACM Award for Female Vocalist of the Year.
In 1982, Parton starred in the musical comedy The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Burt Reynolds. She re-recorded her hit "I Will Always Love You" for the soundtrack and earned a Grammy nod for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton perform in 1983.Photo by Richard E. Aaron on Getty Images
Kenny Rogers and Parton's 1983 duet, "Islands in the Stream," was another massive hit, once more topping the Billboard country, adult contemporary and Hot 100 charts, eventually going more than quintuple platinum worldwide. The track won the ACM Awards for Single Record the Year and Top Vocal Duet and was nominated for the Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy in 1984. Another Rogers-Parton duet, "Real Love," was nominated for the Best Country Performance for a Duo or Group Grammy in 1986.
Sylvester Stallone points to Dolly Parton in a scene from the film Rhinestone, released in 1984.Photo by 20th Century Fox on Getty Images
In 1984, Parton starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in Rhinestone. While the film wasn't critically or commercially well-received, it did spawn two top 10 country hits for Parton with the songs "Tennessee Homesick Blues" and "God Won't Get You."
Related: Which Dolly Parton Song Matches You Best, Based on Birth Date
1986: Dolly Parton opens Dollyworld
Dolly Parton poses at the entrance of her Dollywood theme park on Oct. 24, 1988.Photo by Ron Davis on Getty Images
Parton had a big year in 1986: She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. That May, Parton opened her own theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., outside of Knoxville.
Related: Names of America: How Did Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Get Its Name?
1987: Dolly Parton teams up with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt's album TrioPhoto by Robert Alexander on Getty Images
Proving she really is a consummate girls' girl, Parton teamed up with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt for the album Trio in 1987. The album went on to win the 1988 Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, the ACM Award for Album of the Year, the CMT Music Awards for Vocal Collaboration of the Year and Album of the Year and the CMA Award for Vocal Event of the Year.
Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton perform music from their album Trio II on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Feb. 9, 1999.Photo by NBC on Getty Images
The trio teamed up again in 1999 for Trio II and were nominated for Best Country Album at the 2000 Grammys and Vocal Event of the Year at the 2000 CMAs.
In April 1988, Parton launched the Dollywood Foundation, providing scholarships to local students in the Pigeon Forge, Tenn., area. In 1995, she expanded it to include her famous Imagination Library, distributing free books to children monthly, and in 2016 added the My People Fund to support Tennessee families after wildfires spread through the state. The Dollywood Foundation currently boasts four out of four stars on Charity Navigator.
1989: Dolly Parton stars in Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias stars Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, and Daryl Hannah pose for a portrait in October 1989.Photo by Aaron Rapoport on Getty Images
Parton returned to the big screen alongside Daryl Hannah, Oscar winners Sally Field and Shirley MacLaine and then-future Oscar winner Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias. Released in 1989, the film was a commercial and critical darling.
Related: I Made Dolly Parton's Famous 3-Ingredient Cake From Steel Magnolias
Parton's single "Rocking Years," a duet with Ricky Van Shelton, shot to No. 1 in 1991, making her the only woman to have No. 1 hits in three consecutive decades—and earning her the title of Billboard's All-Time Top Female Country Artist.
1992: Whitney Houston covers Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You'
Parton's "I Will Always Love You" first hit No. 1 on the Country Hot Singles chart in 1974 when it was first released, then again in 1982 when she released a new version for the film The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. It charted for a third time (though it didn't hit No. 1) in 1995 when she released a duet version with Vince Gill.
While any of those alone are stellar feats for any artist, the ballad shot into the stratosphere thanks to Whitney Houston and the soundtrack to her 1992 movie The Bodyguard.
Houston's powerhouse pipes launched "I Will Always Love You" to No. 1 for 14 weeks, the longest run at the top spot of all time at that point. Houston's soaring rendition won the Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1994, and Parton herself admitted to Billboard that she liked Houston's version better than any of her own.
Related: Dolly Parton's Biggest Part Is Her…Heart
1993-2005: Dolly Parton launches her own record label and becomes a bestselling author
Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette perform together circa 1983. A decade later, they released the album Honky Tonk Angels together on Parton's label.Photo by Beth Gwinn on Getty Images
Parton once more supported her sisters when she teamed up with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette for Honky Tonk Angels in 1993. It was the first album Parton released on her label, Blue Eye Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records.
The following year, Parton released her autobiography Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, landing at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list.
In 1999, Parton released her first bluegrass album, The Grass Is Blue, on her Blue Eye imprint. It went on to win the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy in 2001; the track "Travelin' Prayer" was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Parton followed with Little Sparrow in 2001, which won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the single "Shine."
In 2002, she released another bluegrass and folk-inspired record, Halos & Horns, and toured for the first time in a decade in support of her bluegrass efforts. The album was nominated for Best Country Album at the 2003 Grammys.
Related: The Simple Dessert That's Always on Dolly Parton's Holiday Table
In 2005, Parton released an album of covers of 1960s and 1970s folk and rock songs, Those Were the Days. She also released the song "Travelin' Thru" for the film Transamerica, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song—but also getting death threats from unhinged transphobic people.
Two years later, Parton launched her first record company, Dolly Records (not to be confused with her own record label, Blue Eyed, which was housed under the company that is Columbia Records). Her first Dolly Records releases were the single "Better Get to Livin'" and her 2008 album Backwoods Barbie.
Parton wrote the music and lyrics for 9 to 5: The Musical, which premiered in Los Angeles in 2008 and on Broadway in 2009. Though its run was short-lived, it was critically acclaimed, earning a Drama Desk Award for star Allison Janney (plus 12 other nominations), as well as four Tony Award nods and a Grammy nomination.
Related: Why Fans Are Calling Dolly Parton’s New Cast Iron Collection ‘Iconic’: ‘Jolene Please Don’t Take My Pan’
2010-2021: Dolly Parton releases a slew of unexpected collaborations
Among other ventures and projects, much of Parton's 2010s were spent working with artists not everyone may have expected (and some that aren't shocking at all). These included:
Billy Ray Cyrus for the album Brother Clyde (2010)Lulu Roman for a new rendition of "I Will Always Love You" (2013)Kenny Rogers for "You Can't Make Old Friends" (2013)Pentatonix for an a capella version of "Jolene" (2016)Kesha on a duet version of "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You" (2017)—which Kesha's mom, Pebe Sebert, wrote and Parton originally released in 1978Miley Cyrus (her goddaughter!) for "Rainbowland" (2017)For King and Country for "God Only Knows" (2019)Zach Williams for "There Was Jesus" (2019)Monica, Jordin Sparks, Sara Evans and Rita Wilson for "Pink" (2020)Reba McEntire for a duet version of "Does He Love You" (2021)In April 2020, Parton donated $1 million to COVID-19 vaccine research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Later that year, Parton released her holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas and starred in a televised holiday special of the same name.
Related: How to Make the Best Chicken Salad, According to Dolly Parton
In March 2022, Parton and bestselling author James Patterson co-wrote the novel Run, Rose, Run, with Parton releasing a studio album inspired by the book. A film adaptation from Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine was announced the same year, but remains in pre-production as of this writing in January 2026.
Parton was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in early 2022, but initially resisted the idea.
"Even though I am extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I don't feel that I have earned that right. I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out," Parton said in a statement at the time. "I do hope that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will understand and be willing to consider me again—if I'm ever worthy. This has, however, inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock n' roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do!"
Once Parton learned, however, that the Hall of Fame wasn't genre-exclusive, she warmed up to it and accepted the nod.
Pink inducted Parton into the Hall of Fame in November 2022.
"I'm a rock star now!" Parton said in her acceptance speech. "I'll tell you what, this is a very, very special night for me. I'm sure a lot of you knew that back when they said they were gonna me put in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I didn't really feel like I had done enough to deserve that, and I didn't understand at the time that it's about a little more than that. I'm so honored and so proud to be here tonight. Thanks to all of you. I feel honored mostly, I think, to be in this house of all this greatness and all this talent. When I always thought about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I thought that was just for people in rock n' roll. And I thought, 'Well, if I'm going to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I'm gonna have to do a rock album.'"
She did just that: Parton released her aptly titled Rockstar album in November 2023, featuring the song "Rockin'," which she performed after her acceptance speech, as well as collaborations with Pat Benatar, Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge,Mick Fleetwood, Peter Frampton, Rob Halford,Emmylou Harris, Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Elton John, Simon LeBon, Lizzo, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul McCartney, Michael McDonald, Ronnie McDowell, Stevie Nicks, Linda Perry, Steve Perry, Pink, Richie Sambora, Nikki Sixx, Ringo Starr, Sting,Ann Wilson and more. It hit No. 1 on the country and rock album charts and No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
In January 2023, Parton collaborated with Harry, Belinda Carlisle, Gloria Estefan and Cyndi Lauper for the track "Gonna Be You" for the film 80 for Brady, which starred Parton's 9 to 5 co-stars Tomlin and Fonda and Steel Magnolias co-star Field.
In September 2024, Parton and her sisterRachel Parton George released their first cookbook, Good Lookin' Cookin': A Year of Meals—A Lifetime of Family, Friends, and Food. Parton's kitchen contributions don't stop there: She also released cookware and baking mixes.
Related: Dolly Parton at 80: Her Most Surprising Confession Yet
2025-2026: Dolly Parton does more collabs and reschedules her residency
On Valentine's Day 2025, Parton and Sabrina Carpenter teamed up for a reworked version of "Please Please Please." That March, Parton released the tearjerker "If You Hadn't Been There," an ode to her beloved late husband Carl Dean.
Later that year, Parton debuted a line of frozen meals.
Parton was slated to begin a Las Vegas residency in late 2025, but postponed it to September 2026 due to health issues.
For her 80th birthday on Jan. 19, 2026, Parton released a new version of her hit "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" featuring Miley Cyrus, David Foster, Queen Latifah, McEntire and Lainey Wilson.
Related: How To Make the Best Ever Mac and Cheese, According to Dolly Parton (And Her Sister)
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