Dolly Parton says she’s proud of Imagination Library, the charity she founded that sends free books to children around the world.
Dolly Parton can now add certified rock star status to her long list of career achievements.
The 77-year-old made history with her rocking album “Rockstar” with the biggest debut album sales week of her career.
“Rockstar” also debuted at No. 1 on the charts in six categories, including Top Rock Albums, Top Rock and Alternative Albums, Top Country Albums, Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales and Billboard Independent Albums.
The album marks the first time in her career that she charts on the rock, rock and alternative charts, as well as the top album sales chart.
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Dolly Parton’s “Rockstar” debuted at No. 1 on six different Billboard charts. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Wow, this is a big thrill!” Parton said in a statement. “I am grateful to the fans who have always been there for me. Your support made this success possible. I would also like to thank my producer Kent Wells, all the wonderful artists, musicians and engineers who contributed their talents to this project.”
Parton joins Drake’s “For All The Dogs – Scary Hours Edition” and Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” in the overall top three, marking Parton’s career-best placement across all genres.
“Rockstar” also marks Parton’s biggest debut week and biggest sales week in 30 years, since her platinum-selling 1993 album “Slow Dancing with the Moon.”
The album is the 49th of her career and features 30 covers and originals, as well as collaborations with stars such as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Pink, Brandi Carlile, Melissa Ethridge, Sting and more.
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Dolly Parton performs during halftime of a game between the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys in November 2023. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Parton has worked in the music industry for seven decades, since her first performances as a child, including an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry in 1959 at age 13, when she was introduced by Johnny Cash.
Her big break came in 1966 when she successfully sold the demo of her song “Put it Off Until Tomorrow” to country singer Bill Philips. Her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, was released the following year.
Always a shrewd businessman, Parton co-founded the Owe-Par Publishing Company with her uncle Bill Owens in 1966, which allowed them to copyright their songs.
From then on, she became a regular on “The Porter Wagoner Show” before achieving solo success outside of the series.
In 1971, she achieved her first No. 1 single with the song “Joshua,” followed by her biggest hit at the time, “Jolene,” which was released at the end of 1973.
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Dolly Parton with Porter Wagoner around 1967. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Jolene” topped the country charts in 1974 and that was the year she made the decision to break away from Wagoner.
Her song “I Will Always Love You,” written about her professional breakup, reached No. 1 on the country charts. Elvis Presley was interested in the song, but his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, wanted half the publishing rights.
Parton told BBC Radio 1: “This is the most important copyright in my entire publishing house and I can’t do that,” and the deal fell through.
Whitney Houston later covered the song for her film “The Bodyguard,” and according to Forbes, Parton earned $10 million in royalties from the song as of 2020.
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According to Forbes, Parton earned $10 million in royalties from Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You.” (Paul Natkin/Getty Images / Getty Images)
During the ’70s, Parton worked to reinvent herself and direct her music toward a mainstream pop audience. She achieved this goal in 1977 with her album “Here You Come Again”.
It was her second No. 1 album and the title track was her sixth No. 1 single on the country charts. The song reached number 3 on the US pop singles chart. She also received her first Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
In 1980, Parton starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the film “9 to 5” and wrote the theme song of the same name.
The song gave Parton her first No. 1 pop single and reached number one on the country charts. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and won two Grammys, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song.
Parton continued acting, appearing in films such as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias.
Parton starred alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in the hit film “9 to 5,” and her song of the same name was nominated for an Oscar. (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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In 1987 she had a big hit with the album “Trio”, for which she collaborated with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. It reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country album chart and the top 10 on the album chart.
She continued recording music and returned to her roots to focus on bluegrass music, earning more Grammys along the way.
During this time, Parton also racked up honors and achievements, including induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (three times for “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” and “Coat of Many Colors”) and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
“I never saw myself as a rock star,” Parton said of the honor, which she initially turned down.
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Parton “never saw me as a rock star” and initially rejected her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Later I found out that if you influenced other people you get it. I deserve it. And I’m still not sure.
She ultimately accepted the honor, explaining during an appearance on “Today,” “I thought, ‘Well, if they still want to give it to me, I’ll accept it gracefully.’ And then I’m going to go ahead and make a rock album and just make the best of it.”
Parton has 11 Grammys to her credit, the second most of any artist after Beyoncé. Parton is one of only seven artists to win the Country Music Association’s top honor, Female Entertainer of the Year, and she has two Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song (“9 to 5” and “Travelin’ Thru”) and an Emmy and Tony nominations, making her one of the most decorated entertainers of all time.
And Parton has no intention of slowing down.
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Parton also has eleven Grammys to her name, among many other honors and awards. (David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In an interview with Greatest Hits Radio, Parton stated that she feels compelled to continue her career.
“I always believe that if you have wanted your dreams to come true and are lucky enough to have it happen, you have to take responsibility,” Parton said. “And every dream somehow produces another dream. You can branch out from almost anything that happens and make a business out of it too. So it’s something like a tree with good roots. It has a lot of branches, and that’s what it is. I have a lot of leaves. So why not make the most of it? And I’m not the type to sit around and do nothing.
“I would never retire. Hopefully one day I’ll drop dead on stage in the middle of a song.”
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“So I hope,” Parton added. “Of course we don’t have much choice. But as long as I can work, as long as my health is good and my husband is well. I mean, the only way I would ever do that is to slow down or stop. But in the meantime, I’ll make hay while the sun shines.”
Parton has founded charities such as the Dollywood Foundation and the Imagination Library and has helped people in her native Tennessee affected by natural disasters such as the recent wildfires and floods.
Of Parton’s many charitable works, the Imagination Library is closest to her heart. (Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Of her many ventures in the entertainment industry and beyond, the Imagination Library is closest to her heart.
“I have to say I’m proud of everything,” she previously told FOX Business. “I’m really proud. There are certain charities and certain things like this that I’m proud of. One of the things I’m really, really proud of is the Imagination Library.”
“And to date we have given away over 200 million books, and that’s a lot of books, that’s worldwide. So that’s a lot of children and that’s a lot of books. And it’s a great program that I’m very, very proud of, but I’m proud of everything good that’s happening.
There is also their signature theme park, Dollywood.
Dolly Parton poses for a portrait with her guitar at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in 1993. (Ron Davis/Getty Images)
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“We are aimed at families and children. It’s fun and good food,” she explained. “We now have resorts where people from all over the world can come together and have a wonderful, safe place to stay. But the whole area up in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg – all of Sevier County there in Sevierville… is wonderful.” “
In an interview with Vulture, Parton said the most ambitious thing she’s had to do so far is make a musical about her life.
Parton revealed she has a Broadway musical about her life in the works. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for ACM/Getty Images)
“I’m performing my life story as a musical on Broadway. I wrote all the songs and we have the script. We hope to be on Broadway in 2025,” she told the outlet in November.
“I worked really hard on it – for about ten years. I’ve really tried hard over the last two years and we’ve nailed it. We were just in the studio recording music. Once we get it up and running, we’ll have to cut some things and change things and so on. I’m so ready for this.”