Born in 1946, Dolly Parton grew up dirt-poor in a cabin on Tennessee’s Little Pigeon River. Her rise to success since that hardscrabble beginning is one of America’s classic rags-to-riches stories. Parton has sold over 100 million records worldwide, composed thousands of songs—many of which remain unpublished—acted in movies, written books, founded one of America’s premier entertainment centers (Dollywood), and won dozens of awards. Today, fans and critics alike rightly consider her a country music legend.
In the Smokies, Parton is also known and loved for her generosity to the place she calls home. Most recently, for instance, Parton and her businesses donated $2 million for the relief of victims of Hurricane Helene.
