Dolly-Parton

Born on Jan. 19 1946 at Locust Ridge Tenn into a poor family that would eventually have 12 children. Dolly Parton learned early to be free from life's hardships thanks to her expansive and imaginative imagination. Before she learned to write and read, she began making up her own songs. Within 8 years she was playing her first guitar. In the age of 11 she started singing on the radio station of Knoxville Tenn. That same year she made her first record on Gold Band Records a tiny independent label. Despite being in college, she already established herself in the local music scene. But her dream was to make her name more acknowledged. She moved to Nashville following her graduation in 1964. Dumb Blonde, Something Fishy and Dumb Blonde both charted on Monument Records in 1967. Porter Wagoner had been looking for a female vocalist to perform on his show syndicated by him until this point. Parton accepted the role in 1966. She was then signed to RCA Records in 1968, and the Grand Ole Opry was founded in 1969. Parton left the show however, in 1974 because her solo albums like Joshua Coat Of Many Colors and Jolene over-sold the collaborations. The two split in 1974, Parton wrote the song I Will Always Love You for Wagoner and it made it to No. The first time it reached Number 1 was in 1974.