ABSTRACT
American country singer, songwriter, and guitarist, born Rebecca Parton in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Living with an uncle in Nashville, she sang locally and played guitar as a child, and signed a contract with the Monument label at age 20. “Dumb Blonde” was an early chart single (Monument #982, 1967), followed by another “Why, Why, Why” (Monument #1032; 1967). Parton began a 10-year association with Port Wagoner in 1967, producing 22 chart songs, among them “Lost Forever in Your Kiss” (RCA #0675; 1972) and “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me” (RCA #10010; 1974). Parton’s greatest solo hits of this era were “Coat of Many Colors” (RCA #0538; 1971)—which covered the poverty her family endured when she was a child-and “Jolene” (RCA #0145; 1973). The Country Music Association voted Parton female vocalist of the year in 1975 and 1976.
