Gotta love Dolly Parton! She established herself as the Queen of country music a long time ago. Dolly was always open and honest with the public about her childhood, career, plastic surgeries, and all other ups and downs in life. Being so humble even when she reached stardom, earned her a place in fan’s hearts forever. Even today, at 75 years old, Dolly is still active in music, writing songs, and singing live on stage. Here are some less-known or forgotten things about a lovely Dolly.
Her family was dirt poor
Partons were mountain folk with empty pockets and big hearts. Dolly has 11 siblings, making it a family of 14 altogether. They lived high up in the Smoky Mountains in Tennesee in a one-bedroom cottage without electricity or running water. Growing up was hard, but Dolly and her brothers and sisters always shot for the stars. Four of them are singers and songwriters, and very successful ones.
Once Dolly got out of the rags and started getting some fat paychecks, the singer invested millions in the old cabin while still trying to keep its authenticity. For example, the bathroom still looks like an outdoor loo, but with plumbing.
Dolly’s look was inspired by a local tramp
Besides her recognizable voice, Dolly also turned heads cause of her looks from the start. She’s prone to overdoing everything – big hair, tons of make-up, and a lot of bling-bling on her outfits. Parton admitted that back when she was a young up-and-coming artist, she was trying to find ways to attract attention and launch her singing career.
At the time, Dolly found inspiration in a local go-girl, thinking that that’s how glamour should look like. “I really patterned my look after the town tramp in our hometown, the trollop,” Parton said. “The one that would kind of walk up and down the streets, get in a car, ride off for a few minutes, come back and get in another car”.
Parton holds two Guinness World Records
Dolly Parton is proud of more than 30 awards she got, including eight Grammy Awards, but did you know she holds two world records? Yes, for Most Decades With a Top 20 Hit on the US Hot Country Songs Chart and Most Hits on US Hot Country Songs Chart By a Female Artist. When she found out, she stated that she “always wrote from her heart” and that she is “very humbled and blessed”.
Dolly owns an amusement park but has never been on a rollercoaster
The singer opened first Dollywood in 1986 as a family-themed park with rollercoasters and cotton candy on every corner. However, she never went on any of the rides saying that she can’t get over her fear. Some speculate it’s because she’s scared her wig would fly off. In any case, Dollywood is up and running, while Dolly will stay firmly on the ground.
She wrote “Jolene” and “I will always love you” on the same day
Two megahits were written hours apart, on the same day by Dolly. Even the singer wasn’t aware of that until many years later when she was going through her old tracks. Dolly found two songs one after the other on her tape recorder, and since she always kept her work in chronological order, she figured that they were written at the same time.
“I will always love you” was revived by late Whitney Houston in the blockbuster “Bodyguard”. Dolly was very proud of it, and when the song played at Houston’s funeral, Parton said: “I thought my heart was gonna stop. It just pierced me like a knife. It’s just — I can’t explain that feeling, to think that that was so final for her and that that was my words”.
Dolly has a Playboy cover
In 1978 Dolly Parton stood in front of the lenses for the shooting of Playboy cover. She was the first country singer to ever take up on the offer, and she never regretted it, on the contrary – Dolly is still getting offers today to shot for Playboy but no word yet if or when it’s going to happen.
Back then, the country singer star was 29, and she dazzled with her big eyes, tiny waist, and larger-than-life bosom. When asked why not go all the way and pose nude, Dolly said that it’s not her and she didn’t want to do “the whole dirty deal”.
Parton is Miley Cyrus’ godmother
Thanks to Dolly’s friendship with Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley got a super-cool godmother! Parton often appeared as “Aunt Dolly” on Hanna Montana show that launched Miley to the stars. “We never did do a big ceremony, but I’m so proud of her, love her, and she’s just like one of my own”, Dolly said. Friendship with Billy Ray is still going strong regardless of Cyrus’ family hardships and downfalls.
She lost at the “Dolly Parton’s Lookalike” contest
What an absurd situation to lose at your own lookalike contest! However, Dolly was honest and said that she overdid everything – hair, make-up, and clothes, and that’s probably the reason why she wasn’t even in the top five. Considering other competitors, she must have been really overdoing it. In the light of her failure as herself, Dolly said that she’s thankful to be born as a girl because otherwise, she would “definitely would have been a drag queen”.
Dolly is an early riser
A very, very early riser. The songstress gets up at 3 am every morning to meditate and do her spiritual work. She likes to keep everything organized in her life, so she uses quiet time to schedule her day. “I do more work between 3 [a.m.] and 7 [a.m.] than most people do all day because it’s quiet and the energy’s all low, except mine. So I just really get a lot done”. Maybe that’s the recipe for success.
She has 365 wigs and sleeps with her make-up on
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Dolly doesn’t have naturally big hair. Nor is it blonde. She is actually a brunette, with thin hair. However, why should that stop her? Dolly has hundreds of wigs, most of them oversized blonde hairdos. The “Jolene” singer has admitted that she doesn’t leave the house without makeup and even sleeps with it on in case an emergency occurs and she has to go out. And why 365 wigs? To avoid a bad hair day.
Kim Marks 
Nina Smith