Mind-Blowing Facts About Queen Of Country, Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton, the singer of “9 to 5,” is America’s beloved Queen of Country. While she might be known for her chart-topping hits and iconic blond hairstyle, there are some other hair-raising facts you probably don’t know about this musician. Here are all the tidbits that’ll make your jaw drop.

1. Dolly’s parents paid for her birth with a bag of oatmeal

Dolly Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in a tiny cabin in  Sevierville, Tennessee. She was the fourth of 12 children, and her family struggled so much financially that all they could pay the doctor who delivered her was a sack of grains. Dolly’s father, Robert, was a sharecropper before he started his own tobacco farm. Despite her rising success, Dolly never forgot where she came from. As a result, she was very financially generous with her family.

@dollyparton Play a song, and let your banjo ring ♬ Applejack – Dolly Parton

2. “Jolene” was written about a bank teller

Many people think that this 200-word song was written about being jealous of a woman who wanted to steal her man, but the original idea was much more innocent. On stage during a performance, Dolly noticed a little girl with red hair who held up a sign she hoped Dolly would autograph. When Dolly complimented her and asked her name, the girl responded, “Jolene,” to which Dolly responded, “Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I’m going to write a song about that.” She was also inspired by a pretty redheaded bank teller who flirted with her husband, Carl, and as a result, the song was written!

3. She lost in a Dolly Parton Lookalike Contest

Dolly is quite the prankster; One day, she decided to participate in a celebrity impersonator contest in LA, masquerading as a drag version of herself without revealing her true identity. She claims she made her look “exaggerated” with things like her hair, eyes, and beauty mark, but claims that she got the least amount of applause compared to the other drag queens.

@dollyparton Happy 50th Anniversary to my song, “I Will Always Love you.” It will always hold a special place in my heart as I hope it does yours   ♬ I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton

4. She’s named all of her wigs

During a sit-down with Jennifer Aniston and James Corden, Corden took out a famous image of Dolly, claiming she was wearing his favourite wig. She said the wig’s name was “Dragzilla” and told her celebrity colleagues that she always named her wigs so that her hairstylist and wig expert, Cheryl Riddle, would know what look she was aiming for. Her other wigs include the crimped “Chunky Monkey” and the “Twist and Spout.” Dolly admitted to wearing a wig every day, so she must have hundreds! Apparently, her natural hair can’t maintain the volume and lift that it once did due to all the teasing and bleaching over the years.