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The Words and Music of Dolly Parton: Getting to Know Country's Iron Butterfly

by Nancy Cardwell

A career study through Dolly Parton’s songs, recordings, and ventures

Regular price $68.18 USD
Regular price $68.18 USD Sale price $68.18 USD

Hardcover New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A career study through Dolly Parton’s songs, recordings, and ventures

Nancy Cardwell traces Dolly Parton’s path from east Tennessee to national visibility and cross-genre success, using her music as a central lens. The book examines key albums, songwriting patterns, story-driven songs, recurring characters, and the spiritual dimension identified in Parton’s work. It also places her singing and recording career alongside her work in film, Broadway, business, philanthropy, and the development of her theme park. Collaborations and Parton’s return to acoustic and bluegrass-oriented material broaden the portrait beyond her pop crossover years. With its emphasis on both words and music, the book offers a focused account of how songwriting, performance, and enterprise intersect in Parton’s public career.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Fans seeking a music-centered biography of Dolly Parton
  • Country and bluegrass listeners interested in songwriting and recording careers
  • Readers interested in women’s entrepreneurship in entertainment

Themes

Country musicSongwritingDolly Parton’s careerBluegrass rootsMusic and business

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

This insightful biography provides a closer look at one of the entertainment world's biggest stars, with a focus on what got her to the top--and what has kept her there.

Dolly Parton has an enviable record of accomplishment as a performer, songwriter, recording artist, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She has triumphed on Broadway, in the movies, and even with her own theme park. The Words and Music of Dolly Parton probes its subject's unique singing voice and prolific abilities as a songwriter, as well as her impressive business savvy, fearless attitude, and an imagination as towering as the Smoky Mountains among which she grew up.

This book focuses on Parton's most important albums and songwriting style, examining her career from her early days in the east Tennessee mountains through her national television exposure on the Porter Wagoner Show, her crossover success in pop music, and her return to her acoustic/bluegrass roots. In addition, it explores Parton's story songs and characters, the spirituality reflected in her music, and her important collaborations with other artists.

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