Many people know Dolly Parton, the famous singer. She’s been a star for a long time and doesn’t plan to stop. When she was 18, she decided she wanted to be a star, and she made that dream come true.
Dolly’s childhood was tough because she grew up in a big family with not much money. Even though they didn’t have a lot, Dolly always wanted to look good. She got inspired by someone in her town.
But trying to look good didn’t go well with her grandfather. Dolly shared that he physically hurt her because of how she looked. Despite these challenges, Dolly stayed connected to music, which has always been a big part of her life.
She was born on January 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Growing up with 11 siblings, money was tight. However, her family loved music. Her mom sang and played guitar, and Dolly performed in church, learning more about music.
Music was a big deal for her family, and her uncles helped her take the next step. One of them gave her a guitar, and she started writing her own songs. By age 10, she performed on TV and radio in Knoxville, Tennessee. At 13, she made her debut on a national country radio station, Grand Ole Opry, making about $20 a week.
Dolly always loved fashion, and she often surprises her fans with her amazing looks and outfits. Despite facing challenges, she continues to do what she loves—making music.
When Dolly Parton was young, she really liked dressing up and making sure she looked good. She got the idea from a local woman who dressed in a flashy way. This woman wore tight skirts, high heels, and had fancy accessories. Dolly thought she was beautiful and would look for her whenever she went out, hoping to see something cool she was wearing.
But not everyone liked Dolly looking different and glamorous, especially her father, grandfather, and a preacher. Her father didn’t do anything about it, but sadly, her grandfather physically hurt her because of how she looked.
Dolly was sensitive and didn’t like being disciplined, but she was determined to be herself. Even though it cost her, she went for what she wanted. Years later, in 2011, she wrote a song called “The Sacrifice” about this experience. The song talks about how she was willing to pay a price for her dreams and believes it was worth it for her.
Dolly Parton always did things her own way. Even when her record label wanted to control parts of her private life, she stayed true to herself.
“I’ve always been true to myself,” Dolly said. That’s what her mom used to tell her: be true to yourself. She believes in doing things her way, in a way that aligns with her beliefs. It gives her strength because she can say, “I can stand by this, I can live by this.”
While she cared about what people thought, it never stopped her from being herself. Dolly finished high school, being the first in her family to do so. In 1964, at 18, she decided to focus completely on her music career. She left home and went to Nashville, the heart of country music.
“I had a dream and a talent, I thought. And I really believed it was going to happen.”
In Nashville, Dolly became a star quickly. She worked with Porter Wagoner on The Porter Wagoner Show, and people loved their performances. She signed a contract with RCA Records, and in 1971, she got her first No. 1 country hit with “Joshua.” More hits followed, including the famous “Jolene.”
The song “Jolene” may only have 200 words, but it became a huge hit in the 20th century. Dolly Parton reached the top spot, No. 1, on the music charts. The song even got nominated for two Grammy Awards in the Best Female Country Vocal Performance category, for both the studio and live versions.
What’s more, “Jolene” earned the 217th spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004.
Dolly Parton is a prolific songwriter, having written over 3,000 songs. Some of her other famous songs include “I Will Always Love You,” “The Seeker,” “Love Is Like a Butterfly,” and “All I Can Do.” She received numerous awards and became a worldwide superstar.
In 1977, she won her first Grammy with “Here You Come Again,” and more hits followed. In the 1980s, Dolly expanded into movies, starring in the hit comedy “9 to 5” alongside Jane Fonda. She even opened her own amusement park, Dollywood, in 1986.
Dolly has sold over 100 million albums, topped the country chart 25 times, and won eight Grammy Awards. Despite all her success, she keeps creating new music, saying, “Almost every day I come up with a few song titles or a sweet melody.” She feels young at heart, claiming to be 35 in spirit and mind, even though she’s achieved so much in her career.
Dolly Parton, the famous singer, found the love of her life more than 55 years ago. In 1964, when Dolly was 18, she met Carl Dean outside a laundromat in Nashville, Tennessee. Carl was 21, and right away, he felt there was something special about her.
“When I first saw her, I thought, ‘I’m gonna marry that girl,’” Carl said. “And my second thought was, ‘Lord, she’s good lookin.’ That was the day my life began. I wouldn’t trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth.”
Dolly remembered that he hollered at her from his pickup truck, but when he asked her out, she said no. Instead, she invited him over while she was babysitting her nephew a few days later. That marked the beginning of a love story that has lasted.
In May 1966, Dolly and Carl got married in a private ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia. Even though her record label wanted them to wait because of her music career, they didn’t want to. They chose Georgia for the wedding to keep it private, with only Dolly, Carl, and her mother attending.
Dolly and Carl have been in love for a very long time. However, he doesn’t join her on the red carpet at award shows or charity events, except for one time when she received her first songwriting award at the age of 20.
After that event, as Dolly recalled, they got in their car and headed home. Carl turned to her and said, “Dolly, I want you to have everything you want, and I’m happy for you, but don’t you ever ask me to go to another one of them dang things again!”
In 2016, they celebrated their 50th anniversary, and to make it special, they renewed their vows. Dolly said it was a sweet and special moment for them. Despite being in the spotlight, they’ve kept their love strong and private.
“We didn’t feel any pressure at all. We had our own little ceremony in a small chapel on our property. After that, we went in our little RV down to Ringgold, Georgia, and spent the night where we got married 50 years ago. We took some beautiful pictures, got all dressed up, and had a lot of fun, really.”
“We’ve always been good buddies. We have a lot of fun and a lot of respect for each other. It was his first marriage and mine, and we never thought we’d ever want to do that again. Why bother?”
Dolly Parton has been in the entertainment business for her whole life, and it has been great to have the support of her one true love through it all. Nowadays, they can pretty much do whatever they want, and we truly think they deserve it all.
But there’s one thing that Carl and Dolly decided against – having children. Dolly had a simple reason for not wanting kids: her career.
Now, Dolly Parton is 77 years old, but we hope to see her perform and make albums for many more years.
‘Outdated, punishing rules’ – Mom fights for son, 8, to keep his long hair despite schools rejecting him
Despite the fact that we all have mixed memories of school, we can all relate to the rules. This is a tumultuous moment of highs and lows.
While some rules, like the one against wearing jewelry to athletic events, make sense, it seems unnecessary to send someone home because they brought a certain soda or because they are wearing too much makeup. It also misses teaching opportunities for the kids involved.
The strict dress codes enforced by schools often clash with the times in children’s lives when they want to be different and express who they are.
For one mother and her child, these rules might have been excessive, and they might have kept an 8-year-old boy from getting an excellent education.
Farouk James of London, England, attracts the attention of model scouts due to his amazing hairstyle. He is currently working as a child model and has completed photo shoots in Italy and New York.
But his appearance has only made things difficult for him in the classroom; multiple institutions have rejected him due to the length of his hair.
Bonnie Miller, James’s mother, says she was told when her older brother was in school that his hair was too short.
Bonnie claims that Farouk’s father is from Ghana and that, in accordance with traditional traditions, his parents waited until he was three years old to cut his hair.
“At that point, he was attached— and so was I, to be honest— with his beautiful hair,” Bonnie stated to CBS News. “We kept the hair only.”
The family lives in the UK, where most schools have a policy against guys wearing long hair, even if girls are allowed to.
Bonnie claims that cutting a child’s hair violates their human rights.
“I will not give up trying to persuade governments to put legislation in place to protect children from these outdated, punishing rules,” his mother Bonnie wrote in an Instagram post.
“Despite the fact that Farok has done nothing wrong, you reject him! He will have to say farewell to his buddies when they are all accepted into the universities he so desperately wants to attend.
Because of this, Bonnie even started a Change.org petition to make hair discrimination illegal in the UK.
“We’re assembling a real team and dubbed it the Mane Generation,” Bonnie said. “We are going to fight this until these rules are changed. It also spreads over the entire world, not only the United Kingdom.
Farouk’s mother has an Instagram account that boasts over a quarter of a million followers, showcasing his lively nature and role as a child model.
They still get hate mail, though, despite all the love and support he gets online. Bonnie stated she received a lot of negative comments after discussing the family’s search for a school that will welcome Farouk and his hair on the well-known U.K. TV morning show “This Morning.”
“This is mental health week, so I’m surprised to be receiving lots of negative comments about Farouk’s hair,” Bonnie said in May of last year.
“Farouk refuses to cut his hair to appease people; it is a God-given feature of him, and he does not keep it long at my request.”
Bonnie argues that the clothing regulations for boys and girls in schools are outdated and often discriminatory because many schools prohibit braids and dreadlocks.
The mother vows that she will never give up on gaining acceptance for Farouk, his hair, and all the other children who encounter discrimination because they want to display their cultural heritage and identity.
In 2022, it will not be acceptable for people in charge of our children’s education to turn away a student because of the color of their hair. Farouk’s hair is an essential component of who he is. These rules should be prohibited.
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