Dolly-Parton

Dolly Parton escaped the struggles of her life early on by using her creative and imaginative imagination. Before she was able to write or read, she was making up her own music. The first time she picked up a guitar was when she was 8 and started performing on a Knoxville Tenn radio station at the age of 11. The same year, Gold Band Records was a tiny independent record label. She made a name in the local scene while in high school, however she always dreamed of having a bigger stage. After graduating from high school in 1964 she immediately moved to Nashville. Her first charting records with Monument Records included Dumb Blonde and Something Fishy both in 1967. Porter Wagoner's syndicated tv show was in need of an additional singer around this point. Parton was hired in the year 1967 and signed by RCA Records by 1968, she joined the Grand Ole Opry. The year 1974 was the first that she opted to walk away from Wagoner's program as the popularity of her solo albums such as Joshua Coat, Many Colors, and Jolene had outstripped their collaborative efforts. Parton following the breakup of their collaboration with Wagoner, wrote I Will Always Love You and had it reach the top spot at No. For the first time, in 1974.