It’s no secret that global icon Dolly Parton is a multi-hyphenate wonder. With a career spanning over five decades, Dolly has cemented her status as country and pop singer-songwriter, with her distinctive vocals and unparalleled songwriting. She brought her undeniable charisma to the big screen in classic movies like 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias. This big-hearted superstar has consistently used her platform for good. It’s no wonder so many of today’s most celebrated female artists in country music (Shania Twain, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride… the list goes on!) cite Dolly as a trailblazer. With her signature sense of humor, big smile, even bigger hair, and enduring legacy, Dolly Parton is a one-of-a-kind icon.
Here are 14 surprising things you may not know about Dolly Parton.
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1. Dolly moved to Nashville the day after she graduated high school.
The big move proved fruitful for Dolly! Shortly after her arrival in the Music City in 1964, she and her frequent songwriting partner, her uncle Bill Owens, were signed to Combine Publishing as songwriters. Dolly wrote several charting singles during this time, and a year later signed as a singer with Monument Records.
2. She created a library to promote literacy.
Over the past 25 years, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library has mailed many millions of books to children around the world. The book gifting program provides free books to preschoolers, no matter their family’s income, and in 2022, celebrated the impressive milestone of 2 million books mailed each month! The Little Engine That Could is the first book kids receive and it comes with a personal message from Dolly about the importance of reading. Dolly says her charitable strategy is just “give from my heart”.
3. She has a very large wig collection.
Dolly has been proudly wearing wigs since the 1960s. During one of her first gigs, The Porter Wagoner Show, she quickly realized that bleaching and teasing her hair every day would cause breakage, so she adorned a wig and has never looked back. She doesn’t know exactly how many wigs she owns, but guesses she must have at least 365 because she wears one almost every day of the year.
“People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.”
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4. Dolly has never been on any of the rides at her theme park, Dollywood.
You may already know that Dolly purchased an interest in a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where she grew up. “I always thought that if I made it big or got successful at what I had started out to do, that I wanted to come back to my part of the country and do something great, something that would bring a lot of jobs into this area.” Her Dollywood theme park employs around 4,000 people, and is one of Tennessee’s biggest tourist draws. But what you might not know is that due to a tendency to get motion sick, Dolly has never been on a ride in the park!
5. She is a morning person.
A self-proclaimed “very, very early riser”, Dolly regularly wakes up around 3:00 am. She spends those early morning hours praying and meditating, writing, and getting in some business work. “I get more work done during that little period of time when the world is calm, energies are down, and I just feel like a farmer…” says Dolly.
6. She’s had the same best friend since childhood.
The “Coat of Many Colors” singer met her lifetime best friend, Judy Ogle, when they were both children. Dolly considers Ogle her greatest friend, and has even called her a “soul mate” and “like a sister”.
“You always want your people to be proud of what you have accomplished.”
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7. Dolly and her husband, Carl Dean, have been married for nearly 60 years.
Dolly met Carl Dean outside of a Nashville laundromat in the 60s, and the rest is history. After almost six decades of marriage, the music legend has a simple answer to explain how their relationship works so well: “We just enjoy each other.” She adds that going to the river and having a picnic is one of their favorite activities.
8. She prefers to be reached by fax.
Both her friend Reba McEntire and her “honorary goddaughter” Miley Cyrus have publicly confirmed that Dolly doesn’t text. In fact, her primary form of communication is the fax machine. Dolly says that she simply “doesn’t want to get into that world” when asked about social media and texting. “I just say, ‘Fax me!’ and I’ll call you back.”
9. At 78, Dolly keeps a positive attitude about aging.
Known for her “Dolly-isms” (cheeky sayings that often contain valuable life advice), Parton offered up a reflection upon her 77th birthday. “As long as I stay healthy, the numbers shouldn’t matter. I don’t feel my age, I don’t work my age…” Dolly adds that her desire has always been stronger than her fear, and like she’s always done, she’s going to continue making every moment count. At 78, she’s as busy as ever. Just last year, she released her first rock & roll album, multiple books, and opened a new resort at Dollywood.
“I may live to be 100 or I may die tomorrow, but whenever that is, I will know I died trying, and I will know I’ve done everything I could to make the most of everything.”
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10. She wrote her hit songs “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” at the same time.
While answering fan questions during a GQ Magazine interview, the country superstar debunked the long-standing story that the two mega-hit songs were written in the same night, admitting that she doesn’t remember if that’s true. They were found together on an old cassette tape of songs Parton had written. “So if I didn’t write it on the same day, it was during that same week…” Still, a very impressive feat!
11. She’s a world record breaker, more than a few times over.
Dolly holds 10 Guinness World Records! The 3 newest records added to her impressive list came in 2023: Longest span of No.1 hits on the US Top Country Albums chart by a female artist, Most studio albums released by a female country singer (65 albums!), and Most Top 10 entries on the US Top Country Albums chart by a female artist.
12. 9 to 5 was Dolly’s film debut.
… and she was so prepared that she memorized the entire script! The 1980 comedy starring Dolly, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin was a star vehicle for Dolly, launching her into mainstream popular culture and getting her an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for “9 to 5.” The 3 lead actresses still remain close friends to this day.
“Above everything else I’ve done, I’ve always said I’ve had more guts than I’ve got talent.”
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13. In high school, she was voted “least likely to succeed”.
It’s safe to say that she proved them wrong! And Dolly’s success and generosity through The Dollywood Foundation has even helped the generations that came after her. Since the early 90s, in a successful effort to reduce dropout rate from the high school in her home county, Dolly has promised $500 to every 7th-grade and 8th-grade student upon graduating. On top of that, each year The Dolly Parton Scholarship awards $15,000 to five of the county’s high school seniors to help further their post-secondary education. “The scholarships are for students who have a dream they wish to pursue and who can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to realize their dreams.”
14. Dolly is one of the most honored female country performers of all time.
She has released over 50 albums and penned over 3,000 songs, including timeless hits “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “I Will Always Love You,” and many others. The list of well-deserved recognition for her work is a long one! She won 11 GRAMMY Awards (with over 50 nominations), and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Dolly has 44 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles. She has won a Country Music Award in 5 different decades, and in 2022, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
