Check It Out: There will never be another Dolly
By Joan Janzen
Two of Dolly Parton's most popular sayings were "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap" and "Find out who you are and do it on purpose." Dolly did exactly that before she left this earth less than a month ago.
As so often happens, you never really get to know about and appreciate someone until after they're gone. That was my experience with Dolly, since I didn't listen to her music and knew very little about her until just recently.
She described herself as a "performer and a showman" who wanted a distinctive appearance so she would be noticed. Which led to her bold makeup, big wigs, heels to prop up her five-foot stature, glittery clothing and implants that took her from a size 32B to 40DD.
She always used her keen sense of humour to make fun of herself instead of others, and loved telling stories and sharing jokes. Author James Patterson had the privilege of interviewing the famous singer for the last time during her 80 years.
Dolly said, "I could write a song standing on my head. I saw that it was a great way to express myself about things I go through. It's just something you're born with. It's just a gift and I'm really grateful for that gift."
She could also play the guitar, fiddle, piano, sax, recorder and banjo. "But I don't play any of those things that well," she quipped.
She grew up dirt poor in a family of six boys and six girls in Tennessee. Her dad couldn't read or write and worked two jobs in order to put food on the table. She later did her part to support literacy by launching a global book gifting program (also available in Canada) where children can receive a free book every month from birth until they go to school.
In spite of her childhood poverty, she didn't describe her past by what she lacked. She talked about what she had. She had faith, a loving, hard-working family, and a mom who filled their home with music.
She was never embarrassed by her roots, her upbringing, her accent, her story or her faith. Later in life she recorded a song, "There Was Jesus," which won a Grammy in 2021. The lyrics say, "In the waiting, in the searching, in the healing, in the hurting, there was Jesus."
"That was one of the things through the years that has carried me as far, if not farther than almost anything, is having that spiritual base. My grandpa was a preacher. My mother had a great philosophy of life and knew how to talk to you about things, and had good old common sense. You don't learn that in books," she explained in an interview. "Some of the smartest people I've ever known are people who did not have an education."
Dolly attributed her wise business decisions to her "good horse sense."
When her song "I Will Always Love You" became No. 1 on the country charts in 1974, Dolly Parton was on her way to success. At that time Elvis Presley wanted to record the song, but wanted to receive half the publishing rights. It was a songwriter's dream, but Dolly refused the offer.
Twenty years later Whitney Houston made that same country ballad into one of the greatest vocal performances in popular music history, and it sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Because Dolly had not given away the publishing rights to Elvis, Whitney's success produced a huge financial blessing to Dolly. She later joked she made enough money to buy Elvis' Graceland.
In Hollywood, relationships are often disposable. However, Dolly remained married to one man for almost 60 years. After her husband Carl died in 2025, she jokingly said in an interview, "No, I didn't marry Sylvester Stallone. I think Carl's waiting for me on the other side. If I show up at the pearly gates with somebody else, Carl wouldn't like that."
Even though there have been plenty of people who have attempted to duplicate Dolly's appearance, no one can duplicate her heart. She was authentic, humble and had integrity that was backed by genuine faith, and there won't ever be another Dolly.
Throughout her life she worked with people from all generations. She could sing country, pop, gospel and somehow she was always unmistakably Dolly. Now she's in the arms of Jesus, but her songs possess that enduring quality that will live on for generations to come.
She used her gifts to bless others and held on to her values and convictions. Her advice was to honour where you came from and faithfully steward your talents because you have no idea where they will take you.