Dolly Parton Photography

Dolly Parton started writing songs for other artists, but given her natural charisma, it was only a matter of time before she became a star herself. Country audiences first heard this Tennessee native in the early ’70s with classics “Coat of Many Colors” and “Jolene.” She became a true crossover superstar when 1977’s platinum-plus “Here You Come Again” reached the top of both the pop and country charts.

She began the 1980’s with a co-starring role and theme song for the hit comedy 9 to 5, but her biggest Hollywood splash came when Whitney Houston remade Parton’s 1974 song “I Will Always Love You” for 1992’s blockbuster The Bodyguard. The late ’80s and early ’90s found Parton recording with Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette.

Even amongst all those other iconic women, Parton is still the most honored female in country music history with over 3,000 credited compositions and 25 chart-topping hits. And she’s still as active as ever, even reuniting with “Islands in the Stream” duet partner Kenny Rogers on 2013’s instant classic “You Can’t Make Old Friends.”