Episode 63: Dolly Parton at the Intersection of the Music, Politics, and Culture of the 70s
PLAYLIST
My Tennessee Mountain Home (1972)
I Will Always Love You (1974)
Jolene (1973)
Light of a Clear Blue Morning (1977)
Here You Come Again (1977)
Two Doors Down (1977)
9 to 5 (1980)
SUMMARY
If there is any one individual who was sitting right at the intersection of the music, politics, and culture of the 1970s, it was Dolly Parton. Her appearances on "The Porter Waggoner Show" helped make her a country star, but she had eyes on more than being a side act. She had eyes on being a star and she accomplished that, all while navigating the sexism and the questions and the decisions that she made to push her career in the direction she wanted it to go. This episodes examines those choices and the inconic music that she has left as part of her enduring legacy.
SOURCES
Abumrad, Jad and Shima Oliaee. WNYC Studios. “Dolly Parton’s America.” Podcast. 2019.
The Big Interview with Dan Rather: Dolly Parton. 2014. AXS TV.
Carter, Tom. 1978. “Self-Made Dolly Parton Admires Her Maker.” Tulsa World (Tulsa), May 19, 1978.
Cottom, Tressie M. 2021. “The Dolly Moment.” Tressie McMillan Cottom | Substack. https://tressie.substack.com/p/the-dolly-moment.
Florida Times-Union. 1977. “Dolly Bombs; Stones Score a Hit.” October 26, 1977.
Goldberg, Lily. “Dolly Parton: ‘I Will Always Love You’ Track Review.” Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/dolly-parton-i-will-always-love-you/
Morris, Mitchell. The Persistence of Sentiment: Display and Feeling in Popular Music of the 1970s. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013.
Piner, Chris. 2024. “Dolly Parton Recalls How Porter Waggoner Cried The First Time He Heard "I Will Always Love You."” American Songwriter.
Simi Valley Star. 1979. “Porter Waggoner Still Chasing After His Dolly.” March 22, 1979.
Sissel, Randy. 1978. “Dolly.” Springfield Leader and Press, June 24, 1978.
Taylor, Alex. 2024. “The story of I Will Always Love You, 50 years on - from Dolly Parton to Whitney and Elvis.” BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68543777.
Tribune Media Service. 1992. “Parton Fulfills Dream with Video of "Light of a Clear Blue Morning."” Express-News (San Antonio), July 3, 1992.
“Two Doors Down by Dolly Parton.” n.d. Songfacts. https://www.songfacts.com/facts/dolly-parton/two-doors-down.
Vitale, Tom. 2008. “Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' Still Haunts Singers.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2008/10/09/95520570/dolly-partons-jolene-still-haunts-singers.
Witter, Brad. 2026. “Dolly Parton Was Inspired to Write “9 to 5” After Strumming Her Acrylic Nails.” Biography. https://www.biography.com/musicians/dolly-parton-9-to-5-theme-song.