Wonder Woman of the Week: Dolly Parton
This week's Wonder Woman is one of the most famous artists in the history of country music. A multi-instrumentalist, singer, song-writer, and music producer; Dolly Parton is also a businesswoman, entrepreneur, and humanitarian who's charity and donating has led to one of the most promising leads on what could become the world record for fastest vaccine ever developed in medical history. Parton began her country music career in the 1960's with her debut album Hello, I'm Dolly dropping in 1967. She spent years producing more music under the tutelage of country music producer Porter Wagoner before going solo in the 1970's.
During the 1970's and 80's Dolly Parton continued to succeed on the country music scene with a total of twenty-five songs throughout her career which reached the number one spot on the Billboard country music charts- a record she holds with Reba McEntire. As a musician and composer (having composed over three thousand songs), Parton earned a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. But before the the honor, Parton dabbled in acting and business as an actress and entrepreneur. As an actress, Parton starring in several successful films including 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Steel Magnolias. As an entrepreneur, Parton started a southern-US themed amusement park called Dollywood. Parton also became an active television and film producer whose work included Father of the Bride, Sabrina, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series (yes, you read that right).
Perhaps Dolly Parton's most important work is in her charity. Not only is Dolly Parton one of the most friendly country musicians to her fans, but her charitable donations have helped improve the lives of countless people. Since the 1980's Parton has been fundraising for books to donate to libraries and public schools across the United States and the United Kingdom along with parts of Canada, Australia, and Ireland. Parton has also fundraised for and donated extensively to the American Red Cross- especially in the field of HIV/Aids research. She has also donated extensively to the US Fish and Wildlife Service for the ecological recovery and protection of the bald eagle. In 2016, Parton was one of several country music stars who fundraised for relief efforts in response to mass wildfires in the Great Smokey Mountains and in 2020 donated one million dollars to Vanderbilt University's vaccine research which- as of the publishing of this article- is currently the most promising potential vaccine for Covid-19.
Comments