Fred Foster signs Dolly and Uncle Bill Owens to Combine Music and Monument Records

While Uncle Bill Owens had been touring with Carl and Pearl Butler playing guitar, Dolly had been appearing on early morning shows such as "The Ralph Emery Show" and "The Eddie Hill Show." The two received a break when Fred Foster owner of Combine Music and Monument Records agreed to sign them to a publishing and recording deal.

Dolly recorded "I Wasted My Tears" (her first Monument single) and "What do You Think About Lovin," both written by Dolly and Bill Owens. She followed up with "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" and "Old Enough to Know Better."

During this same time period, Foster brought Ray Stevens in to produce Dolly's single, "Busy Signal," written by Stevens. The B-side, "I Took Him for Granted," was written by Dolly and Bill Owens.Foster invested a lot in Dolly’s career and even booked her on "American Bandstand." Foster said,

"I told Dolly, she would be a gigantic movie star someday. And she said, 'I think you have lost your mind.' Then I said, 'I didn’t have much to lose anyway Dolly, it’s okay.'"

"Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" brought success to Monument Records, charting at No. 108 on the pop charts and becoming Dolly's first charting single.