Dolly Parton Research Paper

Female musicians have made such an impact on music and continue to do so today. Dolly Parton is one female artist that has inspired many in more ways than just her music, and she did not let being female stop or slow her down. Parton has an inspiring background story on how she was introduced to the music world and how she came so far from where she started. Dolly has done extremely well for herself and has accomplished a lot despite the hardships and risks she took. To start with a little background on Dolly, she was born and raised in Tennessee. Dolly grew up in an extremely poor family who struggled each day to make ends meet. Parton went to school her entire childhood, graduated, and the day after this accomplishment, she left her home

She took a big leap of faith and really did well for herself. While in Nashville, Dolly started out by recording some songs at Monument Records (Anderson, 2024). This allowed her to get her name and talent out in public. After these few songs, she captured the attention of Porter Wagoner, who ran a show of his own, and joined his show The Porter Wagoner Show. This show increased her popularity rapidly. A big step for her in this show was becoming Wagoner’s “girl singer” and she quickly became featured on the show (Anderson, 2024). At this point, many people were getting to know her and became fans of her talent. After some time on The Porter Wagoner Show, Dolly decided to leave the show to start her solo career. The time she left the show was around the 1970’s. That is when she started writing and recording a few of her own songs. Most of Dolly Parton’s music that she recorded she also wrote (Anderson, 2024). Anderson also states that “Parton’s talents were wide-ranging” and then proceeded to explain that she could sing on a cover for a Jimmie Rodger’s classic and then sing about heartbreak. This information leads to the type of songs she wrote and

Her song, “Coat of Many Colors,” expresses her childhood roots and the time her mom sewed her a coat. The message of the song is how Dolly’s mother made her a coat of rags she had available because her family had so little money. She mentions in her song that even though she was poor, she felt rich because her coat was made of love, and she loved her family. During the 1970s, it was when Dolly Parton’s popularity increased, and more people came to know her. Parton stuck with country music her entire singing career, but her singing and vocal style attracted the pop culture as well. Hanna Claeson wrote in her article published by The List that Dolly reportedly can play multiple instruments. She claims to play the guitar the most, but she also knows a little about the dulcimer, banjo, recorder, piano, saxophone and much more. Dolly mentioned that her family was musical, so growing up they would just practice and see what they could play on different instruments. All in all, Dolly Parton was a remarkable woman and continues her legacy today. She has overcome many hardships and obstacles, and I am sure she has inspired many young men and women, as well as those living in poor