When Monument Records approached Dolly in 1965, she was still just 19 years old, but as ready as anyone can be for performing. The studio had initially thought of her as a mainstream bubblegum pop singer, but the singer was adamant that she wanted a career in country music. Monument initially resisted the idea, mostly because they believed her unique voice was not suited for the genre.
The young aspiring singer kept releasing singles until one of them made the list. It was the song “Put It Off Until Tomorrow”, which she recorded with Bill Phillips. With all that effort, however, she remained uncredited for that song. The song got to number six on the country chart and the studio gave her the green light to record a country album. She soon released her first album titled “Hello, I’m Dolly”.
Girl Wonder
From a very young age, Dolly Parton had already proven herself as a talented musician. She began performing as a child, mostly by singing on local radio and TV programs in East Tennessee. By the age of ten, the young singer had already appeared on "The Cas Walker Show", and found herself recording her first single just a few years later.
Parton also had a lucky encounter with legendary singer Johnny Cash while singing at the Grand Ole Opry hotel. The veteran singer told her to go after her dreams and trust her gut when it came to music. Although Dolly was appearing regularly as a performer, her family was still facing the same economic issues, as she was still years away from banking good money for her musical talents.
Moving to Nashville
When Dolly graduated from Sevier County High School in 1964, she didn't waste a single day and drove off to Nashville, Tennessee the following night. The city is known as the center of country music and many popular country artists achieved their claim to fame there. Upon arrival, she was signed with Combine Publishing and began writing various singles that were later recorded by successful music artists.
Despite being very successful as an up-and-coming songwriter, Parton knew that she was there for a different reason. At age 19, she was finally picked up by a major record label that wanted her in the spotlight. That’s when she really started gaining popular acclaim.
Teaming Up With Wagoner
Thanks to her rising popularity and promising future, Dolly was approached in 1967 by Porter Wagoner with an opportunity. The beloved country star and entertainer invited Dolly, who'd been in Nashville for just three years at this point, to work with him on various projects. The young singer got to participate in Wagoner's beloved TV program "The Porter Wagoner Show" and even took part in his roadshows.
Porter Wagoner was originally accompanied by Norma Jean, who was widely beloved among his fans. When Parton replaced her audiences were very public about their disapproval but over time Parton managed to gain the love of his audiences and was even signed on to Wagoner's label, RCA Victor. The two immediately hit it big and released hit after hit for a full six years enjoying much success, fame, and fortune in the process.
An Abysmal Solo Debut
Riding on the back of her success with Wagoner, Dolly decided to try her luck as a solo country artist. In 1968, she released her first solo single with RCA Victor, "Just Because I'm a Woman", and reached number seventeen on the country charts. For more than two years the singer worked hard to position herself as a successful solo artist, however, things weren't going for her and nothing seemed to work.
She received various awards for her duets with Wagoner and was even named with him as the Vocal Group of the Year by the Country Music Association but she wanted more. She wanted to be admired in her own right and not only as part of a duo. Wagoner believed in Dolly and was willing to stake some serious financial resources in seeing her succeed. Eventually, after a long and frustrating period, he had a brilliant idea, and asked Parton to cover Jimmie Rodgers' "Mule Skinner Blues".