Dolly Rebecca Parton born January 19, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton released her debut album in with Hello, I'm Dolly , commencing a career spanning 60 years and 49 studio albums , including 's Rockstar , which became her highest-charting Billboard album, peaking at number-three.
Described as a "country legend", Parton has sold more than million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has had 25 singles reach No. She has 44 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has career-charted singles over the past 40 years. Parton has received various accolades , including 11 Grammy Awards from 50 nominations. She has won ten Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, being one of seven female artists to achieve it.
In , Parton received the National Medal of Arts. Outside of her work in the music and film industries, she also co-owns The Dollywood Company , which manages a number of entertainment venues including the Dollywood theme park, the Splash Country water park, and a number of dinner theatre venues such as The Dolly Parton Stampede and Pirates Voyage. She has founded a number of charitable and philanthropic organizations, chief among them being the Dollywood Foundation , who manage a number of projects to bring education and poverty relief to East Tennessee , where she was raised.
He also worked construction jobs to supplement the farm's small income. Despite her father's illiteracy, Parton has often commented that he was one of the smartest people she has ever known with regard to business and making a profit.
Parton's mother cared for their large family. Her 11 pregnancies the tenth being twins in 20 years made her a mother of 12 by age Parton attributes her musical abilities to the influence of her mother; often in poor health, she still managed to keep house and entertain her children with Smoky Mountain folklore and ancient ballads.
