7 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Dolly Parton

Feb 03, 2019 by apost team

Dolly Parton is one of the most famous musicians in the world. She's been nominated for 47 Grammys; she's been awarded 25 RIAA certifications in gold, platinum, and double platinum. She's been nominated for everything from Academy Awards to Country Music Association Awards. She's even been inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame!

However, there's still a lot that people don't know about this illustrious singer. She's lived a long, full life, and not everything has been shared with the cameras. There are plenty of fears, habits, and quirks that she's kept to herself over the years, and only dedicated fans are in the know!

Do you want to be one of them? Are you ready to learn some Dolly Parton trivia? Here are just seven fun facts that might blow your mind.

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With her permed hair, glitzy outfits and old-fashioned country charm, you might not expect Dolly Parton to be inked. However, the singer revealed in an interview with The Today Show that she has several tattoos.

"I do have a few little tattoos," she admitted. "They were mostly done to cover scars because I'm so fair."

Rumors had swirled for years that Dolly had tattoos hiding under her long-sleeved gowns, and many people assumed that they were covering the scars of a breast augmentation surgery. While Dolly has never confirmed that part, there seems to be some truth to the idea that the tattoos are functional as well as fashionable.

Most people associate "I Will Always Love You" with Whitney Houston. But that version is just a very famous cover!

In 1974, Dolly Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You" as a tribute to her partner and mentor after she decided to leave his label and pursue a solo career. It was an immediate hit, and it even topped the charts for a second time in 1982 when Dolly re-recorded it for a movie. To this date, it's one of the only songs in the world to reach #1 twice on the Billboard charts.

As for the Whitney Houston version, its success put millions of dollars into Dolly's pocket. She made a killing off royalties!

Dolly Parton created Dollywood in 1986. Located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, it's only a few miles from where her family grew up in poverty on the edge of the Smokey Mountains. Dolly didn't have it easy as a child. She was born in a one-room cabin to a homemaker and a sharecropper, and there was never enough money to go around. Her parents were loving and hard-working, but they had a whopping 12 children to support.

Music was Dolly's ticket out of the wilderness. She moved to Nashville when she was still a teenager, and from there, she was able to build a career as a country music star. At the height of her success, Dolly decided to create Dollywood. It's a theme park that offers everything from water slides to the world's largest wooden roller coaster, and it attracts millions of visitors every year.

Just don't expect to see Dolly hopping on the Lightning Rod or the Tennessee Twister. "I've got too much to lose — like my hair!" she joked to USA Today. "Lord knows what else could fall out of me."

Dolly Parton might have faced a lot of challenges as a young country singer trying to make a name for herself, but there were good times as well. One of her fondest memories was watching Johnny Cash perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

"I was sitting in the audience and that's when I first knew about sex appeal," she told reporters, laughing. She described the feeling as "someone striking and [making] me feel something inside." She was so attracted to him that she was even willing to forgive his funny little habits. "He had this tick when he moved his shoulder," she recalled, "and it was still sexy. It still got to me."

Dolly Parton is still head over heels for the man who captured her heart as a young girl in Nashville. They've been married for more than 50 years! In a twist of fate, Carl was actually one of the first faces that she encountered in Nashville.

"I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face," she wrote on her website, adding that such a courtesy was a rare thing for the busty teenager.

It isn't unusual for country singers to moonlight as chefs, and Dolly Parton joined the bandwagon in 2006 when she released Dolly's Dixie Fixin's: Love, Laughter and Lots of Good Food.

Like everything else attached to the Dolly Parton name, it was a smash success. Not only did audiences appreciate her recipes, but they were also charmed by her life tips and funny childhood stories. The cookbook has five-star reviews everywhere that it's sold.

With dozens of awards under her belt, one of the most surprising things about Dolly Parton is that none of them touch her heart like a simple statue.

Erected in her hometown of Sevierville, it's a testament to the people's love for her. They raised money for months to be able to afford it, and when Dolly heard about their efforts, she flew to Sevierville and thanked them personally. She even cried when she saw it.

"One of the greatest things that ever happened to me in my whole career, in my whole life really, is the statue of me in the courthouse yard in Sevierville," she's said.

What do you think of these Dolly Parton facts? How many of them surprised you? How many did you already know? Is there anything that we're missing? Sound off in the comments!