Dolly Parton

If you ask anyone who the Queen of Country is, there's a pretty good chance that Dolly Parton is at the top of the list. Even after her passing, Dolly's legacy will have forever changed the landscape of country music.

A truly rags-to-rhinestones story, the revered lyricist that we now clamor over began writing songs at the age of five, and by ten was making $20 a week singing on a nearby Knoxville television show.

In 1964, the day after becoming the first in her family to graduate from high school, she headed for Nashville.

The decorated entertainer's first solo No. 1 came in 1971 with 'Joshua', and paved the way for three more chart-toppers in 1974: 'Jolene,' 'Love Is Like a Butterfly' and 'I Will Always Love You', which showed the world the beginnings of her songwriting prowess.

As her star continued to rise, she began to expand outside of the music world, starring in a variety of shows and movies, including 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, among others.

A multi-hyphenate talent with the titles of songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, author, actor, businesswoman and philanthropist, Parton's six-decade-long career has seen her propel 25 songs to No. 1 on the Billboard country charts, nab over 40 Top 10 country albums and chart more than 110 singles.

To her credit, Parton has earned a long list of awards and accolades, including nine Grammys and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, nine CMA Awards – of which she's only one of seven females to be named Entertainer of the Year – 13 ACM Awards and three American Music Awards.

Parton has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In 2004, the Library of Congress presented Parton with the Living Legend Award for her contributions to the United States’ cultural landscape, and a year later, she received the National Medal of Arts. She's also received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Dolly Parton sadly passed away in August 2026.