Dolly-Parton

Dolly Parton, who was born in Locust Ridge Tenn. on Jan. 19. 1946 into a very poor family with 12 kids later on, realized early that she was able to escape her hardships through a vivid imagination. The songs she wrote were composed before she learned to read or write. After 8 years of age, she had her very first guitar. At age 11 when she was 11, she began singing at Knoxville Tenn's local radio station. The that same year, Gold Band Records was a small independent record label. She made a name on the local circuit while in high school, however she wanted to perform on a larger stage. The year 1964 was the day following her graduation from high-school, she relocated to Nashville. Her first charting hits with Monument Records included Dumb Blonde and Something Fishy both in 1967. Porter Wagoner had been looking for a female vocalist to perform on his show syndicated by him from the beginning. Parton took the job in 1966, joined RCA Records in 1968, and the Grand Ole Opry was founded in the year 1969. However, it wasn't until 1974 that she opted to walk away from Wagoner's band because the popularity of her individual records like Joshua Coat, Many Colors and Jolene had outstripped their collaborative efforts. After their split, Parton wrote the song I Will Always Love You for Wagoner and it reached Number. In 1974, the song by Parton"I Will Never Love You reached No.