Sonic Editions

Rags to Riches

Born into a poverty-stricken family, Dolly Parton rose from the Tennessee backwoods to achieve international stardom. Before her teens she was singing on local TV, and had already cut her first single, Puppy Love, by the age of 13. Her first solo effort, Hello, I’m Dolly, got her a regular slot performing on the Porter Wagoner Show - soon she was a household name. In the years to come, she became an award-winning artist in multiple genres, a Golden Globe nominated actress, a philanthropist, and the songwriter behind such immortal hits as I Will Always Love You.

She even wrote a musical and opened her own theme park, Dollywood. America fell in love with her old-time Southern mannerisms, hilarious wordplay and effervescent personality. Today she heads up Dolly Parton Enterprises, a $100 million media empire, and the sheer volume of her accolades is scarcely credible - a staggering 25 Billboard number ones, and 9 Grammys.