Sigma Alpha Iota

distinguished member Philanthropist Parton Named Honorary Member I nternationally renowned songwriter, performer, and philanthropist Dolly Parton was initiated as an Honorary Member by the Knoxville Alumnae Chapter on June 17. Born January 19, 1946, on a farm in Sevier County, TN, Parton is the fourth of twelve children. Her parents, Robert and Avie, struggled to make ends meet in the impoverished East Tennessee hills. This hard, rural life was the foundation of Parton's career, as she began singing almost before she could talk, according to her father. She got her first guitar when she was 8 and began singing on a Knoxville radio station at age 11. That same year, she made her first recording on Gold Band Records, a tiny independent label. She made a name for herself locally while still in high school and moved to Nashville the day after she graduated. "I always wanted to be a star. It just seemed natural to me," she said. "Making music is all I've ever known." Parton penned songs for Skeeter Davis and Hank Williams Jr. and, in late 1965, signed with Monument Records as a pop singer. She charted with the single, "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby," and released her debut country album Hello, I'm Dolly in 1967. Her career took off when country music performer Porter Wagoner began featuring her on his popular syndicated television show, exposing Parton to over 45 million people in more than 100 markets and attracting the attention of record executives at RCA. She joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1969. Parton and Porter had 14 Top Ten hits together, and she quickly blossomed into one of the best-selling country artists in music history with solo releases such as "Coat of Many Colors" and "Jolene." By 1974, Dolly ended her working relationship with Wagoner. The end of the Wagoner collaborations inspired her to write "I Will Always Love You," which topped the country charts upon its release in 1974 and again in 1982 when it was revived in the movie Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, making Parton the first country artist to earn a number-one record twice with the same song. In 1992, the song was recorded by Whitney Houston for the movie The Bodyguard, sold more of 4 million copies, and sat at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for fourteen weeks. She was voted the Country Music Association Female Artist of the Year two years in a row and was named the CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1978. In 1976, she hosted a weekly TV variety show. Her musical style shifted toward pop music and her country-chart topping "Here 10 PAN PIPES FALL 2011 sai-national.org You Come Again" introduced her to the pop chart. She quickly became an icon to mainstream audiences. "I'm not leaving country," she said at the time, "I'm just taking it with me." Making her film debut in the 1980's 9 to 5, Parton garnered rave reviews and an Oscar nomination for her performance, along with her second and third Grammy Awards for writing the title song. Roles in Steel Magnolias, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Rhinestone, and Straight Talk followed, along with two network television series, television movies, network specials, and guest-starring roles in series television. In 2006, she earned her second Oscar nomination for "Travelin' Thru," which she wrote for the film Transamerica. It also won the Best Original Song award at the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards 2005 and was nominated for Best Original Song for the Golden Globes as well as Best Song by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. Parton saw a cherished dream become a reality in 1986 with the opening of her own theme park called Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN, at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains. In 2001, she built Dollywood's Splash Country, Tennessee's largest water park. Her entertainment businesses attract 4.5 million visitors annually and employ more than 3,000 people. The state's top tourist attraction, Dollywood won the 2010 Applause Award, the most prestigious award within the global amusement and theme park industry. Parton returned to her acoustic roots when she recorded the 1987 landmark album Trio with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Four of its singles reached the Top 10, and "To Know Him Is To Love Him" reached No. 1. Her 1989 single "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That" returned her to the top of the country charts. A 1991 Ricky Van Shelton duet, "Rockin' Years," reached No. 1 in 1991, and a duet recording of "I Will Always Love You" with Vince Gill won a CMA award for Vocal Event in 1996.

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