After their contract with Combine Music ended, Dolly and Uncle Bill made a strategic move to start their own publishing company. Using parts of their last names, they called it Owe-Par. Their proven chemistry and talent made a great combination. Dolly said,
"As writers we were on the same wavelength. We wrote a lot of great songs together... We had the same kind of energy when it came to our careers. Neither of us ever gave out as long as something was happening or at least had the look of something that might happen."
As songwriters, they had experienced success with Bill Phillips' versions of their "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" and "The Company You Keep." Owe-Par Publishing Company allowed Dolly and Uncle Bill to copyright their songs for themselves. It was a significant business move for Dolly at 20 years old, especially because she held a controlling interest in the company.
Click below for a preview of "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" via SoundCloud.
After hearing Dolly sing on the demo, for "Put It Off Until Tomorrow," Bill Phillips requested she sing harmony with him on the track. Her backup vocals gained a lot of attention from disc jockeys around the country.
Listen to a free preview of Dolly singing "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" via SoundCloud
After years of hard work and determination, Dolly and her Uncle Bill were beginning to see that hard work pay off with publishing success and chart-topping singles. "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" rose to No. 6 on the US country charts and was named BMI’s Song of the Year, in 1966. Naturally, Dolly and Bill were excited and encouraged by the success and the award show attention. Dolly said,
"Uncle Bill and I were so excited about going to the big ceremony to accept our awards. After all, this was the first of our songs to be recorded by a major artist. To have it recognized in that way by all of those established songwriters was a huge confidence builder for both of us."
Phillips also recorded "The Company You Keep," another song written by Dolly and Uncle Bill Owens, which went to No. 8 on the US country charts.
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.
Dolly and her Uncle Bill Owens shared a love of music and songwriting and a passion to break into the music industry. By 1962, the two had written several songs together and put their efforts into being noticed by Nashville music executives. Their determination ultimately led to a meeting with Buddy Killen at Tree Publishing. Buddy liked their songs and signed them to Tree Publishing. Buddy also had Dolly record a demo for Mercury Records.
She recorded "It's Sure Gonna Hurt," a song written by Dolly and her Uncle Bill Owens, and "The Love You Gave Me." Both songs released on Mercury Records received airplay on local stations near Sevierville, TN. Dolly said,
"I will never forget hearing [myself] on a Knoxville station, WIVK. There I was, actually hearing myself sing, not on a tape or studio monitor but on a real radio station that thousands of people were listening to... at that very moment. I was so proud I walked around for days with my chest all stuck out. Somehow, nobody noticed."
With her first single on Goldband Records at age 13, a publishing deal with Tree Publishing just a couple years later, Dolly's recording deal with Mercury Records was the next step towards her journey to stardom. Her relationship with Buddy Killen would prove to be a long, successful part of her professional career and can be credited for much of her incredible success early on.
About Buddy Killen:
William Doyce “Buddy” Killen (November 13, 1932 – November 1, 2006) was a record producer and music publisher, and a former owner of Trinity Broadcasting Network, and the largest country music publishing business, before he sold it in 1989. He was also the owner of Killen Music Group, involved with more diverse genres of music, such as pop and rap. [source]
After making musical connections while performing on the Cas Walker Show, Dolly and her Uncle Bill Owens managed to get a guest spot on the Grand Ole Opry in 1959. Friends, Carl and Pearl Butler were instrumental in getting Jimmy C. Newman to agree to give up one of his regular Saturday night spots to Dolly. Johnny Cash introduced her saying,
"We’ve got a little girl here from up in East Tennessee. Her daddy’s listening to the radio at home and she’s gonna be in real trouble if she doesn’t sing tonight, so let’s bring her out here."
Dolly recalls seeing the classic WSM microphone stand and being in awe standing on the Ryman Auditorium stage. Dolly said,
"As I heard the band play my introduction, I lifted my head and looked up toward the lights. I smiled at the people in the balcony and then let ‘er rip."
Dolly sang George Jones’ song, "You Gotta Be My Baby" and received three encores that night.
Listen to a free song preview below of Dolly singing "You Gotta Be My Baby" via SoundCLoud.
