Dolly Parton is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable names in the industry when it comes to country music royalty. With classics like “Jolene,” “9 to 5”, and “Coat of Many Colors,” Dolly Parton has had a major influence on the music business for decades. She is known for her outstanding songwriting abilities and distinctive singing voice. She also wrote and first recorded “I Will Always Love You” in 1973, before the vocal prodigy Whitney Houston made it famous in 1992.
Parton is best renowned for her work as an actress, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist in addition to her career as a singer and songwriter. She made her debut with the 1967 publication of her debut album, “Hello, I’m Dolly,” and has since played a significant role in the music industry for more than 50 years. Since she has consistently worked to have a positive influence on the world through both her music and her personal acts, Dolly Parton has had plenty of opportunities to establish herself as a role model.
Parton, who was the fourth of 12 children and was born on January 19, 1946, was raised in Tennessee and grew up in poverty. But she had a genuine love for music and moved to Nashville the day after she received her high school diploma, starting a career that would last her entire life. Parton, who is 77 years old today, was recognized as one of People’s People of the Year in 2021 for her charitable work and status as an undisputed legend. Continue reading to learn more about Parton’s deprived upbringing and how it influenced the philanthropic work she did over the years.
In Pitman Center, Tennessee, near the Little Pigeon River, Parton was raised in a one-room cabin. Her mother, who has Welsh ancestry, entertained her children with tales and ballads, whereas her father was an uneducated sharecropper. She once stated that her family was “dirt poor” at the time, but she also added:
“We were poor but I never felt poor. We always had access to food, a shelter over our heads, and clothing. Although it wasn’t precisely what we had hoped for, Mama and Daddy were quick to point out the families who had had much worse hardships than we had. Everything seemed entirely normal to me. Only after looking back do you realize that, well, I guess we were poor—eating beans and cornbread, sharing beds with others, using newspaper as insulation, and using an outhouse.
The fact that the family could hardly fit inside the cabin and had to spend much of their time outside was one of the difficulties. She also admitted in 1978 that she visited her aunt’s house when she was 8 years old for the first time and saw a toilet there.
“I hesitated using it. I just kind of figured that was going to drag us down,” she recounted.
According to Parton, the family only had a bath once a week throughout the cold and produced their own soap. But in high school, she claimed she had to wash every day since “the kids peed on me every night” and they “all slept together.”
Despite her upbringing’s challenges, Parton cherishes the experiences and lessons she learned.
“My biggest affection will always be for my family. There is a familial element in everything I do, but sometimes it gets lost in the shuffle. My family has influenced my music,” she claimed.
Parton is reported to be worth $375 million, and her unbelievable wealth is matched only by her kind nature. Parton has made enormous contributions to society, much of it through the 1988-founded Dollywood Foundation. It was first started to fund scholarships for kids at Parton’s former high school, but it has expanded to support deserving instructors and students from other institutions as well.
The Imagination Library, established in 1995 as a memorial to Parton’s father, is one of the foundation’s most unique initiatives. Originally founded in Tennessee, it has since spread to all 50 states and provides about two million American children with roughly 1.3 million books each month. Parton told NPR that she never imagined the effort would “become this huge” when it distributed its 100 millionth book in 2018.
“I merely wanted to accomplish something fantastic for my father, my county, and, at most, a few neighboring counties. But after that, it simply took off on its own, so I suppose it was meant to be “She spoke.
During difficult times, Parton also gives and organizes fundraisers. After the disastrous Great Smoky Mountains wildfires in 2016, she established the My People Fund, which gathered more than $9 million to aid 900 households. After her niece received successful treatment for leukemia at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Parton made another donation to the institution.
She has also supported organizations like the American Red Cross, charities for HIV/AIDS patients, and animal rights organizations. In 2020, she also started speaking out in favor of Covid vaccinations, and her $1 million donation made a significant influence to the creation of the Moderna vaccine.
Parton claimed that she naturally performs charitable deeds. She stated to People:
“The act of giving makes me feel somewhat dependent. recognizing that what I’m doing is beneficial to others.”