Dolly Parton

New Whole Earth Reference Library · Artists

Bio: Dolly Parton (1946–2026) was an American singer-songwriter and philanthropist from the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Over a six-decade career she wrote more than 1,000 songs — among them “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You” — and released over 100 albums while keeping ownership of her publishing catalog. In 1995, drawing on her own father’s inability to read, she founded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which has mailed nearly 300 million free books to children from birth to age five across five countries.

Parton’s core message never wavered: she believed in allowing people to be who they are and treating everyone with respect.

Link: DollyParton.com

Works: (most recent first)

• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (1995, ongoing): a free book, every month, for every child under 5 — Mails an age-appropriate book to every enrolled child from birth to age 5. Inspired by her father, who never learned to read. Nearly 300 million books sent across the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, and Australia. Free to register.

• “9 to 5” (1980): a workplace anthem — Written for and titled after the film she starred in, it became one of her best-known songs and a lasting commentary on office work and women’s pay.

• “I Will Always Love You” (1974): a farewell, twice over — Written as a goodbye to her mentor and singing partner Porter Wagoner; later became a global hit through Whitney Houston’s 1992 cover.

• “Jolene” (1973): one of the most widely covered songs in American music.

• “Coat of Many Colors” (1971): about the coat her mother sewed her from rags — one of her most personal songs about growing up poor in Appalachia.

  Search the Reference Library: New resources are added regularly. If this library is useful to you, consider a paid subscription. It helps us keep building it—more tools, more resources, and more practical knowledge every day.