Dolly Parton is a Tennessee-born American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and businesswoman. Parton is widely considered as one of the top singers in the world, with her records selling millions of copies.
Parton made her album debut in 1967 with Hello, I’m Dolly, following her success as a songwriter for others.
Net Worth: | $650 Million |
Date of Birth: | Jan 19, 1946 (76 years old) |
Gender: | Female |
Height: | 4 ft 11 in (1.524 m) |
Profession: | Businessperson, Author, Singer-songwriter, Actor, Musician, Composer, Multi-instrumentalist, Record producer, Film Producer, Philanthropist |
Nationality: | United States of America |
Table of Contents
Early Life of Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946, Sevier County, Tennessee. Her father farmed tobacco. She later described her family as dirt poor and recalls her father giving a bag of oatmeal to the doctor who assisted in her delivery.
Music had always been an essential part of her life, and many of her early performances took place in church. Parton was appearing on The Cas Walker Show by the age of nine and was eventually signed to the modest Louisiana label Goldband Records.
Dolly Parton went to Nashville the day after she graduated from high school in 1964. She rapidly became a successful songwriter. She collaborated on numerous charting tunes with her uncle Bill Owens.
Success
Dolly joined Monument Records in 1965 when she was 19 years old. Initially, she was promoted as a bubblegum pop vocalist. Her early pop tunes weren’t particularly popular.
Monument Records eventually saw the light and gave up their pop ambitions for Dolly after one of her country songs, performed by another artist (Bill Phillips – with Dolly on harmony), reached number six on the country charts.
“Dumb Blonde,” Dolly’s debut country single, peaked at number 24 on the country chart. She did not write this song, which is ironic.
It’s one of the few songs Dolly recorded during this time that wasn’t her own original composition. “Something Fishy,” her second single, peaked at #17. “Hello, I’m Dolly,” Dolly’s 1967 debut studio album, contained these two tracks.
She also recorded her own versions of a number of songs that other musicians had made popular for the album. The album’s position on the Billboard Hot Country Albums chart peaked at #11.
Dolly Parton’s Net Worth
Dolly Parton has a net worth of $650 million. For almost 40 years, Dolly Parton has been composing and performing hit country tunes.
She has 41 top-10 country albums to her credit, as well as 25 number one singles. She is well known for her songs “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” which were performed by Whitney Houston for the feature film The Bodyguard.
She has sold over 100 million albums as a solo artist during her career. This excludes the hundreds of millions of albums sold by other artists using her music.
Dolly has made significant philanthropic and entrepreneurial investments in her home state of Tennessee. Her theme park, Dollywood, is the 24th most visited in the United States, with 3 million people per year.
She had given and/or raised hundreds of millions of dollars to various organizations.
Wagoner, Porter
The same year, Porter Wagoner’s weekly syndicated talk show “The Porter Wagoner Show” requested Dolly to start making frequent appearances.
Wagoner soon persuaded RCA Victor to sign Dolly after recognizing her skill and unrealized potential. In addition, Porter took on the role of her producer and bought a 50% stake in Owe-Par, the publishing house she co-founded with her uncle Bill Owens.
Porter had a lot of riding on Dolly’s success because of this. 1968’s “Just Because I’m a Woman,” her second studio album, included a duet with Porter as its lead hit.
Between 1968 and 1980, Porter and Dolly would go on to create 13 studio albums together. 21 singles from their albums appeared on the country music charts, with “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me” reaching number one.
Unfortunately, Dolly’s solo career struggled for a while to get off the ground. Finally, she achieved huge success in 1973 with the song “Jolene.”
In February 1974, the song peaked at number one on the country chart and performed admirably on non-country charts all across the world.
The song would later be ranked 217th out of 500 on Rolling Stone’s list of the Greatest Songs of All Time. Out of all the songs she has written, “Jolene” would be the one that other artists would record the most, according to Dolly.
Although Porter Wagoner continued to produce Dolly’s songs into 1975, she parted ways with him in April 1974 for her solo endeavors.
ALSO, CHECK: Hilary Duff’s Net Worth: How Does She Use Her Finances?
I’ll Love You Forever
In 1973, Dolly started penning the song that would eventually become “I Will Always Love You.” As their seven-year professional collaboration came to an end, she wrote the song as a farewell to Porter Wagoner.
Dolly thought about letting Elvis record the song after he expressed interest in doing so, but Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager, asked she gives up half the publishing rights.
Dolly turned it down and started working on her own solo rendition. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard country chart on March 18, 1974, after its release.
It really made it to the top of the charts twice, repeating the feat in 1982 after being redone for the film “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”
Clive Davis, a music producer and Whitney Houston’s mentor, was disappointed to discover how little her musical abilities were utilized in an early cut of “The Bodyguard” in 1991.
Kevin Costner and other producers were pressured by Clive to find Whitney a song to sing in the movie’s climactic sequence. Costner chose “I Will Always Love You” as the music after concurring with the criticism.
One of the top 10 hits of all time, Whitney’s rendition spent 14 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold more than 20 million copies. The most popular female artist single of all time is Whitney’s rendition.
Royalties
Whitney’s rendition helped Dolly earn $10 million in royalties in the early 1990s, or about $20 million after accounting for inflation. Later, she would quip that the song had brought in “enough money to buy Graceland.”
Dolly still receives around 8 cents every radio play and $2 per album sold as the owner of the authorship and publishing rights.
Popularity and a Career in Acting
Dolly continued to have country hits between 1974 and 1980, with eight of her singles reaching number one. Between 1976 and 1977, she served as host of her own variety show.
Pop music and production were featured on her self-produced album “New Harvest… First Gathering,” released in 1977. She covered the R&B anthems “My Girl” and “Higher and Higher” for the album.
MUST READ: Leann Rimes’s Net Worth: Her Personal Life and Assets Information!
Dolly co-starred with Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin in the 1980 film “9 to 5”. The movie’s title song was also written and performed by her.
Dolly received four Grammy nominations and an Academy Award nomination for the song “9 to 5”. In the end, she took home the Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance Grammys.
Additional noteworthy Dolly movies include “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” from 1982, “Rhinestone” from 1984, “Steel Magnolias” from 1989, and “Joyful Noise” from 2012.
Personal Life of Dolly Parton
Dolly wed Carl Thomas Dean in 1966. Dean avoids the spotlight. He devoted a large portion of his life to operating a Nashville asphalt road surface paving company. He seldom goes with his wife to official functions.
READ MORE: Leann Rimes’s Net Worth: Her Personal Life and Assets Information!
Parton claims that Carl has only EVER seen her perform in public. Although Parton is childless, she is involved in the lives of her nieces and nephews and is Miley Cyrus’ godmother. Parton and Dean assisted in the upbringing of several of Parton’s younger siblings.
House of Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton paid $18 million for an 11,300-square-foot luxury house. Dolly Parton then hired an architectural design firm and spent an additional $2 million to remodel and extend the mansion.
Dolly Parton ordered German oak flooring for this luxurious home’s huge great room, which features dedicated zones for sitting, dining, and cooking.
One end of the room is warmed by a fireplace. Dolly Parton’s home also has a library and a fireplace in the corner.
The house was constructed with minimalistic decor and furniture to reflect Dolly Parton’s style, with the main bedroom featuring walls of glass that open directly to the backyard.
How Much is Dolly Parton’s Music Royalty Income?
Forbes says that Dolly Parton is one of the top-earning musicians of all time, with a yearly income of more than $85 million. Dolly Parton gets this money from a number of music services, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, etc.
Conclusion
One of the most popular musicians in the world is Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton also manages a number of the very lucrative enterprises that bring in millions of dollars for her annually.
Over the next few years, it is predicted that Dolly Parton’s net worth would increase at a pace of 32%. Dolly Parton’s fixed assets are made up of cash-generating properties that provide her with steady revenue while also lowering her overhead costs.
According to current projections, Dolly Parton’s net worth will hit $1 billion in less than a year, making her one of the richest musicians in the world and placing her on the Forbes Richest Person list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Husband of Dolly Parton?
Carl Dean is the name of Dolly Parton’s husband.
What is Dolly Parton’s Height?
How tall is Dolly Parton’s husband? (1.52 meters).
How Much Does Dolly Parton Make a Year?
Her husband makes $4 million every year.
Comments are closed.