Dolly Parton: Singer, Songwriter, but not a Dancer

Dolly Parton, who performed on ABC’ s “Dancing with the Stars” today, had been asked to appear on the show several times before but always declined. “I told them I couldn’t dance,” she says, laughing. Instead, Dolly waited for an opportunity to perform a single from her upcoming album, Backwoods Barbie.

“I love Dancing with the Stars,” she said. “I love the clothes. I love watching everybody else dance. I love the highlights and waiting to see who’s going to go.”

Well known for her down-to-earth style and self-deprecating humor, Dolly recently became a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council. Parton spoke to more than a thousand Girl Scouts as she proudly received a lifetime membership pin. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be just like you,” she told the Girl Scouts. “About all we had were our dreams, and I started dreaming early.”

Dolly’s humble beginnings in Locust Ridge Tennessee, where she grew up in a poor family with twelve children, are the stuff of legend. Fans love her story of rising out of poverty as much as they love her singing and songwriting. Even one of her old cars has achieved stardom as part of a “Cars of the Stars” traveling Classic Corvette and Classic Chevy car show. The event features “Dolly Parton’s 1968 Comaro.”

While many fans know Dolly Parton for her singing and acting performances, few know that she is an even more successful songwriter. “I saw some great songs come to life, not always knowing if we were going to have a meal the next day,” she said. A long-time member of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, Parton was on hand recently to announce the Hall of Fame has finally found a home in the former Sony Records building on Nashville’s Music Row. The building is currently holding a classroom for Belmont University’s just-launched songwriting curriculum, where Dolly was offered a professorship.

Mike Curb, chairman of Curb Records, told Parton: “You exemplify what every songwriter would dream of being.”

Dolly Parton will be touring Canada, Europe and possibly Australia next year. “I’m a gypsy at heart,” she asserted. “I love to be out with the people.  I hope to fall dead on stage,” she said. “Right in the middle of a song — and hopefully one I wrote.”
Although her tour dates still haven’t been set, local fans are hoping that Dallas will make the schedule: “Dolly Parton is the epitome of an American performer,” said Ron Sturgeon, owner of DFW Elite Auto Rental and DFW Drive Your Dream. “Her music and songs are every bit as good as her character and spirit.”

Written by Anthony Armstrong of www.ArmstrongEditorial.com. Read more of Antony’s writing in our exotic car rental news.