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The Latest Breaking News from Porter Wagoner

The music that made Dolly Parton a global icon

It was 1967, and country musician Porter Wagoner was introducing a guest on his weekly TV show.

The Conversation

“He wasn’t listening to anything I had to say. So I went home and wrote that song and took it back the next morning. I sang it and he was crying”: How Dolly Parton’s heart-wrenching ballad became one of the most famous songs of all time

“We had one of those love-hate relationships – it was just hard to move on”

MusicRadar

Country icon Dolly Parton wrote over 3,000 songs, but her trademark ‘thumb and flick’ playing style is essential learning for acoustic players

The late music icon had a distinctive approach to country rhythm, using alternating bassline picking and bluegrass soloing techniques

Guitar World

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How Dolly Parton built a life and career on her own terms

In 2019, in the first episode of the Dolly Parton’s America podcast, Jad Abumrad asked Dolly Parton the question everyone eventually asked her: did she think of herself as a feminist? “No, I do not,” she said. “I think of myself as a woman in business.”

The Conversation

“I Know Exactly What I Am Doing”: 6 Times Dolly Parton Shut Down Her Critics With Confidenc

“Well, I don’t want to offend anyone,” Parton said while addressing one of her controversies.

Bored Panda

Dolly Parton’s most iconic fashion moments from rhinestones to denim

The country music star was known for her bedazzling, flamboyant style

The Independent UK

Backwoods Barbie and the ‘God almighty’ PMS Blues: Dolly Parton’s 10 best deep cuts

From heartbreaking spoken word to wry takes on the double standards women face, here are some of the late country singer’s lesser known gems

The Guardian - AU

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Dolly Parton obituary

Glamorous and astute singer-songwriter whose bountiful talent had an appeal reaching far beyond her country roots

The Guardian - UK

10 Photos of Dolly Parton: From 'Jolene' to '9 to 5,' Her Greatest Hits and Legacy

Dolly Parton, a cultural icon, transformed personal stories into timeless music, expanded into film and philanthropy, and left a lasting legacy beyond her passing in 2026.

International Business Times UK

Dolly Parton dead at 80

Social media explodes in grief at passing of singer-songwriter, actor, philanthropist and absolute legend

Salon

Dolly Parton, beloved music and film icon known for her personality and songwriting, dies at 80

Music and film icon Dolly Parton has died

The Independent UK

Dolly Parton, country music legend, Miley Cyrus' godmother dies at 80 — The extraordinary life & legacy of the American icon

Dolly Parton, a celebrated singer and songwriter, has passed away at age eighty. Her career spanned over six decades, bridging musical genres and generations. She achieved significant success with hits like "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You." Beyond music, Parton built a business empire and championed philanthropy through her…

The Economic Times

How Dolly Parton became much more than country music’s 'backwoods Barbie'

Back in 2008 at age 62, Dolly Parton released a single proclaiming she was "just a backwoods Barbie, too much makeup, too much hair."

Radio France Internationale

Beloved US country music icon Dolly Parton dies at 80

US singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist Dolly Parton died on Tuesday at the age of 80, her family said in a statement. The prolific songwriter released 49 studio albums, more than 100 compilation and collorabative albums, won 10 Grammys and 13 Academy of Country Music awards, and racked up 26…

France 24

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The Independent UK

Dolly Parton, music star, actor and beloved figure who spanned generations has died at 80

Dolly Parton, the beloved music and film star known for her vibrant personality and poignant songwriting, has died

The Guardian - US

Dolly Parton’s peerless career turned country music cliches inside out

Beneath the wig and rhinestones, Parton was the genius behind strings of classic songs from Jolene to I Will Always Love You that continue to inspire new artists

The Guardian - US

Dolly Parton, country star, actor and philanthropist, dies aged 80 after cancer diagnosis

Songwriter of I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5 invested millions in child literacy, Covid-19 vaccine development and other causes

Louder

“They said a four-minute single containing lyrics about Jesus would never get played on pop radio”: The US singer loved by John Lennon and hated by right-wing Christian groups who wrote the last great hippie anthem – and then vanished into obscurity

Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit In The Sky was one of the greatest one-hit-wonders of the early 1970s

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Bored Panda

20 Famous Songs With Hidden Stories That Will Change The Way You Listen Them

Here are 20 famous songs with hidden stories that will change how you hear them.

MusicRadar

"I remember all the guys learning to play it and everybody thinking how cool a rhythm it was. I remember everybody in the studio just loving that song”: How Dolly Parton created a country classic later covered by The White Stripes, Beyoncé and more

“I was playing guitar pretty seriously back then,” Dolly said

BANG Premier

Dolly Parton rerecords Light of a Clear Blue Morning with 'very special women'

Dolly Parton has released a new version of her song Light of a Clear Blue Morning which she recorded with a group of "very special women" including Reba McEntire, Queen Latifah, Lainey Wilson and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus.

The Independent UK

Star of the Show: Is Dolly Parton having the final say on her career?

THE READING LIST: While she still keeps her romantic life firmly behind closed doors, Parton’s new book offers a lively narrative for her extraordinary career, finds Roisin O’Connor, from her impoverished childhood to the cherished country queen she is today

The Independent UK

Dolly Parton says mentor Porter Wagoner saw her rise as a ‘threat’

In a new book, the country star recalls tension over pay as her career took off

MusicRadar

“The thing I remember most was all the musicians when I came up with the little guitar lick saying: 'Damn, that’s so good, that's the coolest little lick'": How Dolly Parton created a country classic later covered by The White Stripes, Beyoncé and more

Following the sad news of her death, we look back on the making of the song that became Parton's first big crossover hit

MusicRadar

“It’s just the same word over and over. Even a baby can sing, ‘Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene’”: How Dolly Parton created a country classic later covered by The White Stripes, Beyoncé and more

“I was playing guitar pretty seriously back then,” Dolly said

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