Dolly Parton Speaker & Booking Information

Born on January 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, Dolly Parton was one of twelve children. After high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue music. She has won a number of Country Music and Grammy awards and starred in the hit films "9 to 5" and "Steel Magnolias." She opened her Dollywood theme park in 1986 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

Country music icon and actress Dolly Parton received her first guitar from a relative and soon started penning her own tunes. At age 10, she started performing professionally, appearing on local television and radio shows in Knoxville. Parton made her Grand Ole Opry debut three years later. Set on a career in music, she then moved to Nashville after finishing high school.

Parton's singing career really started to take off in 1967. Around this time, she partnered with Porter Wagoner on The Porter Wagoner Show. Parton and Wagoner became a popular duo and the pair recorded a slew of country hits together. Much was made of her shapely curves, petite stature and warm personality. Parton scored her first No. 1 country hit in 1971 with "Joshua." More hits soon followed, including 1973's "Jolene" and 1974's "I Will Always Love You," now one of Parton's signature songs. She won the Country Music Award for female vocalist in 1975 and 1976.

In 1977, Parton had her first cross-over smash with the uptempo but bittersweet "Here You Come Again." The song reached the top of both the pop and country charts. She also received her first Grammy Award for her performance of this tune.

Parton perhaps reached the apex of her mainstream success in the 1980s. She not only starred the 1980 hit comedy "9 to 5," which marked her film debut, but she contributed to its soundtrack. The title song proved to another No. 1 hit for Parton on several charts and earned her an Academy Award nomination.

Over the years, Parton has enjoyed many other successful collaborations. She recorded the Grammy Award-winning album Trio with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt in 1987. Parton explored the music of her Appalachian roots with The Grass Is Blue (1999) with a little help from such talents as Alison Krauss and Patty Loveless. The record won a Grammy for best bluegrass album in 1999. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame the following year.

Continuing to write and record, Parton released Backwoods Barbie. The album featured two country hits "Better Get To Livin'" and "Jesus & Gravity." Parton got into public feud with satellite radio shock jock Howard Stern around this time. She was upset after he aired a segment in which previous spoken recordings were manipulated to make it sound like she made some obscene statements.

Even after entering her 60s, Parton showed no signs of slowing down. She released Better Day in 2011, which fared well on the country album charts. The following year, Parton published her latest book "Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You." She is also the author of several other works, including "Dolly: My Life" and "Other Unfinished Business." 2014 saw the release of her next album, "Blue Smoke."