Dolly Parton is the queen of the country

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Dolly Parton is one of the most gifted and "prolific" singers of the twentieth century. She is included in the Songwriters Hall of Fame along with such prominent personalities as Bob Dylan and Duke Ellington. Since she arrived in Nashville from East Tennessee in 1964, Dolly Parton (pictured in the article) has recorded over 3,000 songs. Her works cannot be characterized by any one genre. The styles in which she worked are diverse - this is pop music, and bluegrass (a kind of country music), and gospel.

Parton loves to tell simple stories in his songs. For example, about a poor child who is teased at school for patches on clothes (Coat of many colors composition), about a woman who suffered a lot, but still loves life (The bargain store), or a hermit living in the mountains, whom no one does not understand (single "Joshua"). The last composition, released in 1971, is simply immortal, it is difficult to determine its temporal affiliation: itcould well have been recorded both in the thirties and last week.

Songs for other artists

Some of the songs that were originally sung by Dolly Parton became much more popular when they were recorded by other artists. The most striking example is the case with the song I Will Always Love You, which Whitney Houston sang for the film "The Bodyguard". This version with high, ringing notes in the ears is known to everyone. However, many music lovers say that in their opinion, Whitney Houston's brilliant performance pales in comparison to the gentle and quiet original from Dolly Parton's album.

The music of the heroine of this article also sounded on the records of Patti Smith and the White Stripes, who covered one of her greatest hits - Jolene.

Bjork on Dolly Parton

Icelandic singer Björk once said:

Oh, Dolly is very popular in Iceland! This voice is perfect. He's amazingly powerful. But she has such a gentle nature and a great sense of humor.

Björk believes that Dolly Parton is beyond any musical genre whatsoever. She says that all her friends love Parton's music, but most of them will never listen to country music. The Icelandic star is sure that sometimes there are artists whose talent cannot fit within a certain style. Björk, for example, does not like rock music, but loves Kurt Cobain, who, in her opinion, could play in any style, and that would be interesting. For her, Dolly Parton is one of those personalities, becauseshe is an amazing singer and songwriter.

Biography of Dolly Parton

The singer was born in 1946 in Tennessee. The parents of the future star lived in a small village. She was the fourth of twelve children in the family. Music played a big role for Dolly from the earliest years of her life. She sang in the choir of the temple where her grandfather served as a priest.

The first performances of the girl took place in the temple. At the age of 7, she began playing a homemade guitar. Two years later, her uncle bought her a real signature instrument. By the age of ten, the girl had often performed on the radio, and at the age of thirteen she recorded her first single - Puppy love. While appearing on a weekly country music radio show, Dolly Parton met Johnny Cash, who encouraged her to pursue a performing career and be guided by her own opinion.

First songs

Immediately after graduation, Dolly Parton moved to Nashville, where she signed a contract with one of the record companies. She was supposed to create hits for other artists such as Bill Phillips and Skeeter Davis.

Star duet

In the mid-sixties, a talented young singer was noticed by the famous musician and producer Porter Wagoner. He ensured that one of the major record companies signed a contract with her. However, the management of this company decided to play it safe and release singles with songs by a young artist performed by the duo Parton and Wagoner.

In 1969 they recorded Dolly Parton's Always Always,which became their first big hit. Over the next six years, more than ten of the group's songs reached the top ten of the US chart.

Solo career

Despite the huge popularity of the duet Parton and Wagoner, the solo compositions of the heroine of this article were much less successful. Only when the collaboration ended did music lovers begin to show more interest in her songs. In the mid-seventies, several singles were recorded that hit the first line of the American charts. Among them is the famous song I will always love you. The king of rock and roll Elvis Presley himself drew attention to this hit and wanted to record his own version, but his producer failed to agree with Dolly Parton.

Departure from country and return

In the late seventies, the singer decided to record an album in the genre of pop music. The disc was called New harvest… first gathering. Fans of the artist did not appreciate such a change in her work. Therefore, the disc did not take high places in the charts. However, the second album, sustained in a similar style, was a great success. In the late eighties, the heroine of the article decided to return to her roots and recorded a country album with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt.

In 1994, Dolly Parton and Julio Iglesias recorded the single When You Tell Me That You Love Me, for which a music video was made.

In the 2000s, she released a series of CDs covering popular songs. The song Stairway to heaven, once performed by Led Zeppelin, is very popular. Last ontoday Dolly Parton's album was released in 2016, it is called Pure & Simple.