Sony/ATV Music Publishing has signed a deal to represent the catalog of legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. The agreement takes in songs from across Parton’s entire career, including the record-breaking “I Will Always Love You,” the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “9 to 5,” country No. 1 hits such as “Jolene,” “Love Is Like A Butterfly” and “Two Doors Down” and newly-written compositions. It covers North America and territories not covered by existing sub-publishing arrangements.
Sony/ATV Chairman and CEO Martin Bandier said: “Dolly Parton is a true musical icon and we are unbelievably excited to get the chance to work with her again. Her importance, influence and legacy as a recording artist is recognized the world over, but more than anything she stands out as an exceptional songwriter with a peerless catalog of songs, which we are honored to represent.”
“I am very excited to be working with Sony/ATV. They know my catalog and they know me. Get ready, you're going to be hearing a lot more from me!” - Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton manager Danny Nozell, CEO, CTK Management, said: “With so many years of Dolly's career being under Sony, we feel this is a great home for Dolly's publishing administration and we're looking forward to the partnership.”
The most-decorated female country music performer of all time, Dolly Parton still thinks of herself first and foremost as a songwriter. As she said when receiving the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame, songwriting “is my favorite thing to do. It’s my private time with God. That’s when I feel closest to God.”
Growing up in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, she started writing songs as a child and made her performing debut at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville as a teen. Her first success, however, was as a songwriter; two songs she wrote with her uncle Bill Owens became Top 10 hits for country singer Bill Phillips.
Parton’s own first hit as a recording artist soon followed, beginning a run of success that has included 25 Billboard country No. 1 hits, more than 50 Top 10 country songs and a record 44 Top 10 country albums. Many of her hits were self-composed, including the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “9 to 5,” “Joshua,” “Jolene,” “Love Is Like A Butterfly,” “The Bargain Store,” “Two Doors Down,” “Coat Of Many Colors” and “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind.” Her classic song “I Will Always Love You” reached No. 1 on two separate occasions for Parton before Whitney Houston recorded it for the film "The Bodyguard." Houston’s version became the biggest-selling single by a female artist of all time as it topped charts around the world, including 14 weeks at No. 1 in the United States.
During her illustrious career, Parton has won numerous awards, many for songwriting. Her honors include 10 Country Music Association awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards, three American Music Awards and eight GRAMMY Awards, including Best Country Song for “9 to 5,” the title song of the motion picture in which she co-starred. “9 to 5” was also nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe, while a musical based on the film and featuring her songs opened in Los Angeles in 2008 and has gone on to be performed around the world.
She has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, which also honored her with the Johnny Mercer Award, given to an individual songwriter or songwriting team for having established a history of outstanding creative works.
In February during GRAMMY Week, she became the first country star to be recognized as MusiCares Person of the Year, receiving the honor at a star-studded tribute event in Los Angeles where artists performing her songs included Miley Cyrus, Don Henley, Shawn Mendes, Willie Nelson and Pink. The salute extended to the GRAMMY Awards ceremony where Parton performed music from her new hit album and Netflix series Dumplin’ and Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Katy Perry covered some of her classic songs. Dumplin’ includes the song “Girl In The Movies,” which was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2019 Golden Globe Awards.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing, established in 1995, is the world’s leading music publisher.
Pictured Above: Troy Tomlinson (Sony/ATV Nashville President/CEO), Bruce Scavuzzo (Sony/ATV SVP, Business & Legal Affairs), Danny Nozell (CTK Management CEO), Dolly Parton, Martin Bandier (Sony/ATV Chairman and CEO) and Brian Monaco (Sony/ATV President, Global Chief Marketing Officer).
Photo Credit: Michael Kovac
In 1986, Dolly was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, an organization that serves to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy associated specifically with the Nashville music community.
One of the world’s most prolific songwriters, Dolly once said,
"Anybody can sing, but not everybody can write.”
For Dolly, writing is more of a self-expression, as evidenced by the powerful storytelling exhibited in some of her greatest hits. On several occasions, when asked what she is proudest of in her career achievements, Dolly places her songwriting at the top of the list.
