Dolly-Parton

Dolly Parton, born Jan. 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge Tenn. to 12 hungry kids who would grow with them eventually. She learned early on how to conquer of the difficulties she faced by using her rich and vivid imagination. Before she learned to read and write she had already composed her own songs. When she got her first guitar at age of eight, she started to play on local radio stations from Knoxville, Tennessee. In the same year, she recorded her debut recording for Gold Band Records a tiny independent label. As a student in high school She made her mark in the local community, yet she yearned for having a bigger stage. In 1964, the day after her high school graduation, she relocated to Nashville. Dumb Blonde was her first record to chart on Monument Records. Porter Wagoner began looking for women to sing for his TV show syndicated by a network at about the same as the time. Parton was offered the gig in 1967 signed with RCA Records in 1968 and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1969. It was not until 1974 that she opted to walk away from Wagoner's show because the success of her solo albums like Joshua Coat, Many Colors, and Jolene exceeded their collective efforts. Parton was a part of the group that split after the end of their partnership with Wagoner, wrote I Will Always Love You and saw it climb to No. Its first appearance at number 1 was in 1974.