Dolly Parton

In 2006, she was awarded the Lindy Boggs Award from the Stennis Center for Public Service. She becomes the first nonpolitical recipient.

Dolly Parton was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2005.

Her iconic hit song, "I Will Always Love You," was voted the No. 1 song on CMT 100 Greatest Love Songs of Country Music (2004).

She has earned five BMI Million-Air (or more) Performance Awards and numerous BMI Songwriter Citations of Achievement. Her classic hit song "I Will Always Love You" is currently certified with a Six Million-Air award, meaning it has been played on radio and television over six million times. She was also honored with the prestigious BMI Icon Award in 2003.

In September 2002, she was named Tennessee's official ambassador for film and music by Governor Don Sundquist. Her job is to promote the state to industry executives in Hollywood and raise awareness of Tennessee's capability to produce television, film and recording projects (soundtracks) for Hollywood productions.

Dolly's classic song "Jolene" was covered by Sherrié Austin (aka Sherrie Austin) on her third album "Followin' a Feelin" (2001).

Was a candidate for the hosting duties on Family Feud (1999) before Louie Anderson was hired.

When Drew Barrymore spoke about her film Home Fries (1998) prior to its release, she revealed that her character was a huge fan of Dolly Parton. She said that several of Parton's songs would appear in the film, and that they spent a two-day shoot at Dollywood. When the film was finally released, the only reference to Dolly Parton was on the walls of Drew's bedroom, which are covered with posters and pictures of Dolly.

In 1993, she was honored with the Country Music Association's very first "Country Music Honors" Award. As of 2009, she is still the sole recipient of this honor.

Purchased her hometown radio stations in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1991. She owned and operated WSEV 930 AM and WDLY 105.5 FM, the FM station billed as "Dolly's Station" until 2000 when she sold both stations. Stating at that time that she and her business partners had built up the audiences for both stations and could not take the stations to "the next level." She first appeared on WSEV-AM when she was 10 years old. While she owned the radio stations, WDLY-FM was broadcast every operating day from her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The small section of the park dedicated to the radio broadcast was known as "Radio Square.".

During the early 1990s, she filmed a series of sitcom pilots for CBS-TV. In 1994, "Heavens to Betsy" was made, starring Dolly and Constance Shulman; six episodes were completed before the sitcom was scrapped and the story revamped for the Movie of the Week Unlikely Angel (1996). Following the television movie, she was to develop a sitcom where she would star as a "caterer to the stars," which would have aired as Mindin' My Own Business (1996), but the pilot was never broadcast.

Dolly was in the acclaimed picture Steel Magnolias (1989) with Julia Roberts, and went on to appear in 15 movies and TV-movies for the 1990s, and garnered more more Country Music Association awards.

In 1988, she won another Grammy: Best Country Performance Duo or Group with Vocals, for "Trio".

She appeared as herself in the Dolly (1987) TV series.

She is the head of Dolly Parton Enterprises, a $100 million media empire, and in 1986 she founded Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, celebrating her Smoky-Mountain upbringing.

" She got more fame for appearing in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), and in Rhinestone (1984) with the song "Tennessee Homesick Blues".

" Dolly's movie debut was in Nine to Five (1980), where she got an Oscar nomination for writing the title tune, and also Grammy awards 2 and 3: Best Country Song, and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the song "Nine to Five.

In 1978, she became one of the few celebrities to have their own pinball machine. Manufactured by Bally Manufacturing Company. The "Dolly" pinball machine played Dolly's #1 single "Here You Come Again" while the pinball machine was active. This item is a highly sought after piece of Dolly Parton memorabilia.

In 1977, Dolly got her first Grammy award: Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her song "Here You Come Again.

She left him for good to become a solo artist in 1974. Dolly gained immense popularity as a singer/songwriter.

By the time her hit "Joshua" reached #1 in 1970, her fame had overshadowed his, and she struck out on her own, though still recording duets with him.

This petite (5'0") beauty was a natural for television, and by the mid-1970s she was appearing frequently on TV specials and talk shows before getting her own, Dolly (1976).

The children's television series Song of the Cloud Forest (1969) introduced a character in homage to Dolly Parton. She had purple skin and blonde hair and went by the name of Polly Darton.

Dolly won numerous Country Music Association awards (1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976).

In 1967 her singing caught the attention of Porter Wagoner, who hired her to appear on his program, The Porter Wagoner Show (1961). She stayed with the show for 7 years, their duets became famous, and she appeared with his group at the Grand Ole Opry; she also toured and sold records.

She fell in love with Carl Dean, who ran an asphalt-paving business; they married on May 30, 1966 and are still together.

After graduating from high school in Sevier County, Tennessee in 1964, she moved to Nashville to launch her country-singing career.

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946, one of 12 children of Avie Lee (née Owens) and tobacco farmer Robert Lee Parton, and grew up on a rundown farm in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. At 12 she was appearing on Knoxville TV and at 13 she was already recording on a small label and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry.