By McKenzie Staggers
Contributor
On Aug. 25 country singer and songwriter Dolly Rebecca Parton passed away at 80 years old. The singer was well known for her philanthropy work, her very own theme park and her country music catalog. The news of her passing has affected fans across the world. Despite the grief of her passing, fans are keeping her spirit alive through sharing some of her famous quotes, posting her recipes, reposting her songs and sharing how much the singer means to them.
The singer grew up in a small log cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Sevier County, Tennessee with eleven other siblings.
At age ten she started performing at The Cas Walker Show in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In 1957, at age 13 the singer would go on to record her first ever single “Puppy Love” on Goldband Records. The single would later go on to be released in 1959.
That is the same year the singer made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage performing, “You Gotta Be My Baby.” Later, in 1966, the singer is signed to a combined publishing house and Monument Records. This is when her first full-length album, “Hello, I’m Dolly” was released to Monument Records. In the following year, she would make appearances on The Porter Wagoner Show.
By 1968, she would release her first solo single “Just Because I’m a Woman” which would become the title of her next album.
The songwriter would later decide to protect the financial rights to her music catalog, including her single “I Will Always Love You.” This would set the stage for the smart and clever business control she had in the music industry.
The musician’s legacy also includes the Imagination Library program, that has distributed over 200 million books to children globally. The singer said she created the program because her father never learned how to read.
In 1986, the singer also opened her own theme park Dollywood in her hometown.
The passing of the singer has been a massive loss for the country music community.
I would say that I was sad to hear about her passing, having been invested in her music and artistry for years.
Her career has had so many successful milestones, but I would argue that her philanthropic work was one of the most impactful contributions she has made during her career.
Along with her philanthropic work, the singer always stressed the importance of kindness and love.
I think, especially with the state of the world that the most important thing fans can do right now to keep her spirit alive is spread love and kindness.
Since her passing, I have been left with so many questions about the future of country music.
But my biggest question is how will the country music industry move forward?
