I was born among the years that Dolly Parton became first known to America for her unique voice and songs, and of course, all the notorious boob jokes. However, if  you think big boobs are all there is to her then the biggest joke of all is on you…

Dolly is at the core foundation for my love of music. I don’t recall my age but I can remember my feet just dangling over the edge of the front seat in my dads car as I popped in his newest 8 track of Dolly’s. It was the first time he ever let me touch his radio or any of his 8 tracks for that matter. I think he was packing and lighting his pipe, so I was given the privilege out of convenience not for a special moment. But that very moment and the tapes duration left an impact that affects me to this very day.

Dolly Parton was breaking glass ceilings before women knew they even had a choice to do so. She does not like to be referred to as “a feminist” because it is just a word used as a tool to advocate hate towards men. She loves and respects men and lives her daily life with the actions of what some self proclaimed feminist activist use in words only. Dolly Parton promotes equality for women by her very actions and putting it into song for all of us to feel the truth of our lives.

Podcast:  Sad Ass Songs/DollyParton’s America 

A young man, Jad Abumrad, from todays generation has put forth a podcast about Dolly and I implore you to just listen. Sad Ass Songs/DollyParton’s America I promise you that it will open your eyes to a side of her that has been hidden from the world while singing in plain sight.  

Listen to the words of her songs…she wrote lyrics that spoke for all of us long before the word feminist became a distorted thing. Eagle when she flies   Just because I’m a woman    The PMS Blues  There are hundreds more, I only clipped a couple to get you started.

Please take the time to really get to know who she is, even if you don’t care for country music. You are doing yourself a disservice by discrediting her ability and contribution to not only women but also to men and all of the human race. She is a genuine and kind human-being that came from nothing in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains to become a voice for women and mankind all over the world.

*Fun and Fabulous fact: Did you know that Dolly Parton gives free books to children from birth to age five in her home town and the United States? Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county. Today, her program spans four countries and mails over 1 million free books each month to children around the world. (United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Republic of Ireland.)

I went to Pigeon Forge this past spring with my father. I enjoyed ‘Dollys World’ with the man that first introduced her into my life. Her voice, the smell of pipe tobacco, the bounce of a car seat and an 8 track tape, all simple things that made a huge impact on a little girl sitting next to her dad.

Podcast:  Sad Ass Songs/DollyParton’s America