Dolly Parton

Hello there! My name is Dolly Parton, and I have a story to tell you that’s as sparkly as one of my favorite rhinestone jackets. I was born on January 19th, 1946, in a little one-room cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. I was the fourth of twelve children, so our little home was always bustling with love, laughter, and music. We didn't have much money, but we had plenty of love to share. My mama could sew anything, and she once made me a beautiful little coat from a box of colorful rags. That 'Coat of Many Colors' made me feel as rich as a queen and taught me that love is what truly matters, not money. It was a lesson I carried with me my whole life.

As far back as I can remember, music was my biggest dream. The sounds of the mountains and the songs my family sang were always in my heart. My Uncle Bill Owens saw that I had a little sparkle for singing, and when I was about eight years old, he gave me my very own guitar. It was small, but to me, it was the greatest treasure in the world. I started writing my own songs right away and would sing for anyone who would listen—even our chickens and dogs! Soon, I was performing on local radio and television shows in Knoxville, Tennessee. I knew in my heart that my destiny was in Nashville, the home of country music, and I couldn't wait to get there to share my songs with the world.

The day after I graduated from high school in 1964, I packed my cardboard suitcase with all my dreams and hopped on a bus to Nashville. It was a little scary moving to a big city all by myself, but I was determined to make my music heard. On my very first day there, I met my wonderful husband, Carl Dean, at a laundromat, which felt like a good sign for my new life! It wasn't easy at first. I worked hard writing songs for other singers, hoping that one day I would get to sing my own. My first big break came when I signed a contract with Monument Records. It was a step in the right direction, but my world was about to change in an even bigger way.

In 1967, a very famous country star named Porter Wagoner asked me to be the 'girl singer' on his popular television show. I was so excited for this amazing opportunity! For seven years, we sang duets together, and I learned so much about performing in front of a big audience and being on television every week. We recorded many hit songs, and people all over the country got to know me. But I knew I had my own songs to sing and my own story to tell. When it was time for me to leave the show in 1973 to start my own career, I wrote a special song just for him to say goodbye and thank you. That song was 'I Will Always Love You,' and it came straight from my heart.

After leaving Porter's show, my solo career took off like a rocket! I had hit songs like 'Jolene' and '9 to 5,' and I loved getting to share my music with more and more people. The song '9 to 5' was for a movie I starred in, also called '9 to 5,' which came out in 1980. It was so much fun being in the movies and trying something new! But my heart always belonged to my mountain home in Tennessee. In 1986, I opened my very own theme park called Dollywood, so everyone could come and enjoy the music, food, and fun of the Smoky Mountains that I love so much.

Growing up, my daddy couldn't read or write, and that always made me sad because he was one of the smartest people I knew. I wanted to do something to help children fall in love with books from a very young age. So, in 1995, I started a special program in my home county called the Imagination Library. We started mailing a free book every single month to children from the time they were born until they started school. I never dreamed it would grow so big! Today, my Imagination Library sends millions of books to children all over the world, helping them dream their own big dreams.

Even after all these years, I’m still writing songs, singing, and dreaming up new projects. I believe everyone has a special song inside them, a unique story to tell. My story shows that it doesn't matter where you come from or how much money you have. If you work hard, be kind, and dare to dream, you can make the world a brighter place. So go on and find your own song to sing!