Dolly-Parton

Dolly Parton, who was born in Locust Ridge Tenn. on Jan. 19. 1946, into a low-income family, with twelve kids at one point, realized that she could escape the hardships of her life by using a creative mind. Before she could write or read she wrote her own songs. When she was 8years old, she purchased her first electric guitar. She began singing on the Knoxville Tenn Radio Station. The same year, she recorded her debut album on Gold Band Records an independent small label. While in high school, she was able to establish herself within the local community, however her ambition was bigger. After she finished her high school, in 1964, she relocated to Nashville. Dumb Blonde was her first single to reach the top of the charts on Monument Records. Porter Wagoner, a syndicated television show host in the late '60s, was looking for a female singer for his program. Parton signed with RCA Records and then joined the Grand Ole Opry. She was hired in the year 1967. The band split in 1974 after her own songs such as Joshua Coat of Many Colors and Jolene oversold her collaborations. After their split, Parton wrote the song I Will Always Love You for Wagoner and it climbed to No. #1 for the first time since 1974.