Oh Dolly!

​It was January of 1974; I was ten years old and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” was released becoming an instant hit. Back then, you would have found me glued to our hi-fi waiting for Jolene to come on the radio so I could record it on a cassette tape. For the younger folk out there, a “hi-fi” was a stereo system (the one my parent’s owned was larger than my ten-year-old self) and had a turntable, cassette player, and a lot of other mysterious buttons and dials that I’m still unsure of what their purpose really was.

Once recorded on my cassette tape, I learned every word of Jolene and belted it out at the top of my lungs whenever I got the chance. And trust me, I was no Taylor Swift-like-young-singing-sensation. I couldn’t carry a tune and could have cared less because I was channeling my inner-Dolly…even if it meant doing it outside to spare the tired ears of my family.

Dolly Parton became a household name, at least in our house. As kids, we would overinflate balloons and stick them under our shirts, pretending to be Dolly. Yeah, we weren’t very politically correct back then - boobs and Dolly often ended up in the same sentence. But dang, she showed us all she was so much more than just boobs. Her songs had heart and meaning, and told stories so vivid you could see them playing out in your mind. 

I’ve admired Dolly for as long as I can remember and was devasted to learn of her recent passing. We were both country girls born in rural areas, both loved music and writing. Although she became a professional songwriter at sixteen, and I’m just a plain old writer trying to get published at much older than sixteen, I still feel a kinship. 

Dolly, one of twelve kids, was born in a one-room cabin. But even with such a humble beginning and odds stacked against her, she persevered. She became an unimaginable success but still retained her down-to-earthiness. She was extremely talented, contagiously bubbly, ambitious, kind and beyond generous. She remembered where she came from and didn’t forget to pay it back. She showed this in many ways, but her dedication to improving literacy, to honor her father who couldn’t read or write, was off the charts. Did you know her foundation (Imagination Library) mails one book per month to each enrolled child from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten? Talk about going all in! That was Dolly. 

She deserves to be remembered and honored. Not just for her talent, but for the person she was. She made a difference in so many lives and the ten-year-old country girl I used to be was one of them. 

Friends, please remember to take care of each other – after all, our world needs more Dollys in it. RIP, Dolly. You definitely earned those angel wings.