Submitted by UAR-mwfree on Feb 23

Dolly Parton – Collector’s Series (1985):  It would be difficult to name an entertainer who is more larger-than-life than Dolly Parton, beginning with her mane of golden hair and generous physical assets (Parton has always been open and playful about her cosmetic surgeries and face lifts over the years).  Dolly Parton’s recording career dates back to the late 1960’s, when her hit song called “Dumb Blonde” caught the attention of country star Porter Wagoner; and he hired her as the female vocalist for his long-running television show The Porter Wagoner Show.  Actually, Dolly Parton is hardly a dumb blonde but instead is known for being one of the smartest women in show business:  Dolly Parton has written at least 3,000 songs, and among other business ventures, she bought a failed theme park in 1985 that she redeveloped into Dollywood, which attracts 3 million visitors per year.  Most of Dolly Parton’s early hit songs were duets with Porter Wagoner, and she has recorded numerous such albums over the years since, notably Trio (1987) and Trio II (1998) that she made with two other music legends, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.  Dolly Parton has also appeared in many major motion pictures, such as 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Steel Magnolias; she had two Golden Globe nominations for 9 to 5, and the title song “9 to 5” was a Number One pop hit.  As with the Willie Nelson album The Best of Willie (also on RCA Victor Records), Collector’s Series is not a comprehensive Dolly Parton greatest-hits album, though it includes a number of Dolly’s best-known songs, such as “Jolene” – which was recently rewritten as “Vaccine” in order to encourage Covid-19 vaccinations – “Coat of Many Colors”, “Me and Little Andy”, and her signature song “I Will Always Love You”; “I Will Always Love You” later became an international hit for Whitney Houston.  By the way, “I Will Always Love You” is not a love song but is instead a tribute to Porter Wagoner who gave Dolly Parton her big break in the music business.