Awards & Milestones
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Kennedy Center Honors

Published December 3, 2006 / Last Updated August 23, 2015
Team Dolly
Team Dolly
Team Dolly is a collaboration of writers, editors, and publishers assembled by Dolly Parton Productions. Each member is dedicated to accurately publishing the latest news and historical archives of the living legend that is Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Managing Editor - Jacob Timmons
Creative Director - Sarah Chapman
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Dolly recognized for lifetime contribution to American culture

Dolly was honored with the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 3, 2006, along with classical music conductor Zubin Mehta, musical artist Smokey Robinson, motion picture director Steven Spielberg, and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. The award recognizes a performing artist’s lifetime contribution to American culture.

Steve Buckingham, Dolly’s longtime record producer, was not surprised by the honor at all because he feels Dolly’s impact has been “huge… not just because of her body of work as a singer and songwriter and an actress but her philanthropic work… That impact isn’t limited to this country [U.S.]… I’ve been around different parts of the world with her, the U.K., Switzerland, Amsterdam, Paris… There’s no place you go…  that people don’t know her. I always say, the one thing you never hear when you’re anywhere with her is, `I wonder if that’s Dolly Parton?’ because there’s no doubt.”

Artists who performed or delivered remarks on Dolly’s behalf at the ceremony were actress Reese Witherspoon and musical performers Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers, Carrie Underwood, Alison Krauss, Suzanne Cox, Cheryl White, Shania Twain, Vince Gill and Jessica Simpson.

President George W. Bush praised the honorees for “enriching the cultural life of our country.”

Team DollyKennedy Center Honors
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‘Those Were the Days’

Published October 11, 2005 / Last Updated August 23, 2015
Team Dolly
Team Dolly
Team Dolly is a collaboration of writers, editors, and publishers assembled by Dolly Parton Productions. Each member is dedicated to accurately publishing the latest news and historical archives of the living legend that is Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Managing Editor - Jacob Timmons
Creative Director - Sarah Chapman
Team Dolly
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Dolly releases 39th album, ‘Those Were the Days’

On Oct. 11, 2005, Dolly released her 39th studio album “Those Were the Days.” The album is a collection of Dolly and friends covering classic songs. Dolly invited a myriad of artists including:

  • Judy Collins
  • Roger McGuinn
  • Nickel Creek
  • Rhonda Vincent
  • Mindy Smith
  • Kris Kristofferson
  • Mary Hopkin
  • Keith Urban
  • Cat Stevens
  • Alison Krauss.

Dolly worried people would perceive that she was making a political statement with the inclusion of many of the album’s songs but said,

“I’m certainly not into any kind of political thing or protest. People who know me will know I’ve chosen these songs to really kind of uplift and to give hope, like they were written for at the time… I just felt it was a good time to bring a lot of these songs back… We don’t want to be at war, but of course we have to fight if we have to. We don’t want to lose our children in war but of course we do. So we write about it and sing about it, and it kind of helps us relieve our grief and express ourselves.”

The album reached as high as No. 48 on the Billboard 200 and No. 9 on the country album chart.

Team Dolly‘Those Were the Days’
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‘Just Because I’m a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton’

Published October 14, 2003 / Last Updated August 23, 2015
Team Dolly
Team Dolly
Team Dolly is a collaboration of writers, editors, and publishers assembled by Dolly Parton Productions. Each member is dedicated to accurately publishing the latest news and historical archives of the living legend that is Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Managing Editor - Jacob Timmons
Creative Director - Sarah Chapman
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A tribute album featuring an elite group of artists performing Dolly’s songs

On Oct. 14, 2003, Sugar Hill Records released a multi-artist Dolly tribute album entitled “Just Because I’m a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton,” named after her 1968 song and album of the same name. The album included cover versions of Dolly’s songs from an impressive and diverse list of stars–

  • Alison Krauss
  • Melissa Etheridge
  • Norah Jones
  • Joan Osborne
  • Shelby Lynne
  • Mindy Smith
  • Emmylou Harris
  • Shania Twain
  • Kasey Chambers
  • Sinead O’Connor
  • Allison Moorer
  • Me’Shell Ndegeocello

The album’s last song is Dolly’s re-recorded version of the title song.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Shania Twain and Alison Krauss’ version of Dolly’s song, “Coat of Many Colors” received a GRAMMY nomination for Country Collaboration With Vocals. Emmylou Harris said of the album and Dolly,

“I believe it is the poet in Dolly, the songs that pour out from her soul and into our grateful waiting hearts that have both anchored and lifted her over the years… This is perhaps her most enduring legacy as an artist and the one we celebrate here with this album. Dolly you done good.”

Dolly’s reaction to the album and the contributions of so many young artists reflected her usual good humor and perspective,

“With all these young people (around), I had this joke I’ve been kidding them with… I said, ‘Hell, I was already into plastic surgery when you were still sleeping on plastic sheets!'”

Team Dolly‘Just Because I’m a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton’
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1999 Country Music Hall of Fame Induction

Published September 22, 1999 / Last Updated August 23, 2015
Team Dolly
Team Dolly
Team Dolly is a collaboration of writers, editors, and publishers assembled by Dolly Parton Productions. Each member is dedicated to accurately publishing the latest news and historical archives of the living legend that is Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Managing Editor - Jacob Timmons
Creative Director - Sarah Chapman
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Dolly inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during the Country Music Association Awards ceremony on Sept. 22, 1999.

Dolly also performed several songs at the show, most memorably “Coat of Many Colors” (video below). Dolly’s longtime friend and duet partner Kenny Rogers presided over her induction which included a montage video of her career highlights.

Portions of Dolly’s acceptance speech – (RAW video)

Footage courtesy of Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum Nashville

Dolly went on to say,

“I want to thank everybody that’s ever played a part in my career. And there’s so many I couldn’t possibly mention them, but there’s a few people that I really need to thank special. Porter Wagoner played a big part in my life. And Porter couldn’t be here tonight, but, I want to thank him. I know he’s out there watching ’cause it was because of him that I had all those great RCA records back in the early days and all our duets and a lot of wonderful things happened to me because he gave me that first big break.”

Dolly performs “Coat of Many Colors” (RAW video)

Footage courtesy of Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum Nashville

Team Dolly1999 Country Music Hall of Fame Induction
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‘Precious Memories’

Published April 17, 1999 / Last Updated August 23, 2015
Team Dolly
Team Dolly
Team Dolly is a collaboration of writers, editors, and publishers assembled by Dolly Parton Productions. Each member is dedicated to accurately publishing the latest news and historical archives of the living legend that is Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Managing Editor - Jacob Timmons
Creative Director - Sarah Chapman
Team Dolly
Latest posts by Team Dolly (see all)

Dolly releases an all-gospel recording, “Precious Memories,” with sales benefiting The Dollywood Foundation

Dolly released “Precious Memories,” an exclusive album, sold only at Dollywood. The album appears on the Blue Eye Label (co-owned by Dolly and Steve Buckingham).

“Precious Memories” features traditional religious standards. All of the proceeds from album sales were donated to The Dollywood Foundation.

On April 1, 1999, Dolly performed many of the songs from the album on a TNN special of the same name. The special included performances by Dolly, Alison Krauss and Union Station, and the Cox Family.

Dolly’s brother Randy Parton and her sister Rachel Parton Dennison, members of the group Honey Creek, also appeared on the show. The special was presented as part of TNN’s 20th Century Hitmakers Week.

Dolly spoke in an interview about how close her roots in religion, family, and music are,

“Gospel was an important part of life in the Smoky Mountains where I grew up… And religion was apart of everyday life… There’s something unique about family harmony singing, ‘blood harmonies,’ we called ’em, and not surprisingly, many of our greatest groups are families who started out singing in church together… There was even a group called The Parton Family Traveling Band.”

Team Dolly‘Precious Memories’

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