Illustration by Kyle Webster
“Just because I’m blonde / Don’t think I’m dumb / ‘Cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool.” These lines from Dolly Parton’s first country hit, “Dumb Blonde,” were a clear warning shot: Don’t you dare underestimate her.
Parton grew up in Sevierville, Tennessee, in the shadow the Great Smoky Mountains. She’s described her family of 12 children as “dirt poor,” though her music revisits her youth in warm golden tones. Her 1971 song “Coat of Many Colors” tells the true story of when her mother lovingly sewed her a coat from old rags, a tale Parton recently turned into a Christmas TV special of the same name.