Dolly-Parton

Dolly Parton, born Jan. 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge Tenn. to a family of 12 poor kids who would grow with them eventually. She learned early on how to conquer of the difficulties she faced with her incredibly imaginative imagination. Before she learned to read and write she was making up her own songs. She got her first guitar at age 8 and started singing at the Knoxville Tenn radio station at age 11. In the same year, Gold Band Records was a tiny independent record label. Even though she was still in school, she had already made a name of herself in the local music scene. Her goal was to to make music on a greater level. She moved to Nashville the day after graduating in 1964. The first charting record she had for Monument Records included Dumb Blonde and Something Fishy both in 1967. Porter Wagoner had been looking for a female vocalist for his show that was syndicated from the beginning. Parton accepted the job in 1967 and signed with RCA Records in 1968 and was a part of with the Grand Ole Opry in 1969. She left Wagoner's show, however, in 1974 because her albums on her own like Joshua Coat Of Many Colors and Jolene beat out their collaborative albums. Parton composed I Will Always Love You in honor of Wagoner after their breakup. It reached number one. 1. for the first time in 1974.