Tennessee’s Angry Grandmother pays tribute to Dolly Parton

I am in denial and my heart is so heavy because Dolly Parton died and I assumed she would always be here. She was less than a decade older than I am and I have always been a fan.

There was a showman named Cas Walker who owned a small chain of grocery stores in Knoxville and he was a genius when it came to his marketing — for the opening of his first store he threw live chickens off the roof with a promise that you got to keep any chicken you could catch. 

Walker was from Sevier County, just like Dolly. In the 1950s, Dolly first sang on his radio show — the Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour — as a 10-year old and she became a regular on his popular television show, The Cas Walker Show.  

Walker was known for his antics and politics and the viewer never knew what would happen next. He was never ever boring. 

The Knoxville television stations were what we watched when we lived in Oneida and my father and I both loved country music shows including Walker’s. Every week Daddy and I watched syndicated country music shows starring Porter Wagoner, Bonnie Lou and Buster,  Flatt and Scruggs and the Wilburn Brothers.

We both loved Dolly who became famous as Wagoner’s “girl singer.” as female singers were introduced at that time. I was a fan of Dolly’s singing before I entered the first grade. 

I followed the careers of Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and Kitty Wells but there was something special about Dolly. When my family moved to Nashville in the early 1970s, Dolly had already written and sung her hit “Coat of Many Colors,” and was soon to release “Jolene.” I loved the storytelling Dolly used when she wrote about her own life and I remember thinking “good for Dolly,” when she left Wagoner to start her solo career. 

In Nashville, some people resented her going solo and “going pop.” She wrote her greatest hit “I Will Always Love You,” in honor of her gratitude for Wagoner having her on his show. 

Ole Porter sued her and wanted a portion of her income for years to come and Dolly stayed on course, settled with him and used her business sense to be a role model for women — and men. She got on with her life and it took guts.

Looking back on my career and remembering Dolly makes me appreciate her courage even more today than I did during my career years. She was a risk taker, brilliant, gracious and self educated. 

Country music radio stations did not give the same amount of air time to women singers that they did to men and management did not even pretend to be fair. 

Dolly was the first to be on national television shows, star in movies and be so engaging that many of the decision makers in music had to take notice. I do not know how she did it because when I experienced unfairness, I was less than gracious.

For many years I worked for Jane Jones Enterprises, an employment agency later bought by Randstad. Jane was savvy and smart like Dolly and soon gained the trust of some of the major music labels and publishing houses on Music Row. 

Jane trusted me to handle these clients and the business people I worked with were all in awe of Dolly. I never, ever heard a disparaging word about her. During those years, most of the decisions of the major record levels for country music were made in Nashville and in some ways it was a closed community. Word traveled fast if a business was unethical and I was fortunate to attend many events featuring Dolly and her ability to perform was the best.  

She had the reputation for being trustworthy and was so good with musicians that when musicians talked about how great she was to work with, people listened. Dolly put in the sweat and labor to earn their respect and women had to prove themselves over and over. Dolly made it look effortless.

Her generosity never stopped. I hope her Imagination Library continues for decades to come. The sooner a child holds their own book, the quicker they will learn to read.  We may never know how many millions she gave to others for healthcare, food projects and home repair. Her business decisions have provided jobs for so many.

There will never be another Dolly. She is irreplaceable and I will try to keep her spirit alive by being a good neighbor. 

She intentionally stayed out of politics and publicly embraced everyone so I am going to try to channel my “inner Dolly.” She lived her faith, was kind, made everyone feel welcome and made you want to be around her. I am finding comfort in her rendition of the hymn “Farther Along,” from her album “Trio,” with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris as they sing “We’ll understand it all by and by.”  

She was loved and there has been an outpouring of tributes about her from all over the world. I do not remember anyone being more beloved. The world is a better place because Dolly was alive: let’s work together to pay her kindness forward.