Not just wigs and rhinestones: Dolly Parton’s 80th birthday
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed, it’s official: today is the Dolly Parton Day. “His talent and generosity have had a lasting impact on the world,” Lee says, adding that it was “right that we honor his 80th birthday celebrating his extraordinary legacy.” A force of nature, an iconic voice and a brilliant mind who deserves to be honored properly.
The American dream (but less arrogant)
The tribute from “her” Tennessee is certainly a welcome thing for Dolly Parton. Pride in his roots is all in 1973’s “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” an album-long ode to his rustic childhood. The album’s title track finds Parton reminiscing about simple joys like sitting on a porch listening to crickets chirp — and later became the soundtrack to her “Dollywood” theme park.
Dolly’s story is the quintessence of the American dream, but without the veneer of arrogance that often accompanies it. Born in a one-room log cabin in Tennessee, the twelfth of twelve children, Dolly knew transform poverty into poetry. Songs like “Coat of Many Colors” are splendid testimonies of life, imbued with dignity and sung with that voice that has bewitched the entire planet, with its crystalline vibrato. That song in particular tells of a coat patchwork made by her mother with scraps (initially set aside to make a blanket for Dolly’s little brother who died in infancy) and the teasing she suffered at school because of that dress.
Dollywood, an empire
Often underestimated in her early days for her flamboyant looks — the voluminous wigs, sky-high stilettos and rhinestone-encrusted dresses — Parton has always used irony as a shield from prejudices. “It costs a lot of money to look so cheap!” or even “I’m not offended by all the jokes about stupid blondes because I know I’m not stupid – and I also know I’m not blonde” are lines that give an idea of the singer’s biting and mocking spirit.
Underestimating it is an unforgivable sin. How can you underestimate an artist who writes “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” in the same night? A creative miracle which alone would be enough to guarantee her a place in the Olympus of eternal successes. The empire he built with his own hands, Dollywood, was not only created for profit, but also to provide work and hope to his homeland (and beyond).
Philanthropy
Dolly Parton’s legacy is not only musical, but also charitable. Through his “Imagination Library” has donated over 200 million books to children around the world, promoting literacy with a silent but constant dedication. During the pandemic, his generous donation helped fund research for the Moderna vaccine.
A few days ago, on January 16, Parton released a new version of 1977’s “Light Of A Clear Blue Morning”, featuring Queen Latifah, Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson and his goddaughter Miley Cyrusto celebrate – as well as the birthday – also the 50th anniversary of the song. Proceeds from the song and its accompanying music video will go to the program of cancer research of a children’s hospital of Nashville.
