Tripadvisor describes dollywood, in Tennessee, as “one of the best theme parks in the world“. Owned since 1986, country music icon Dolly Parton, knows how to entertain fans on roller coasters, water slides, fancy hotels and dinner shows. But it is that now, in addition, as ‘The Washington Post’ has published, the legendary singer -also a composer, actress, producer and writer- a new goal has been scored in his philanthropic career by announcing that will bear the costs of the university studies of all the workers of the recreational complex. Starting February 24, all 11,000 seasonal, part-time and full-time employees at Herschend’s 25 US attractions, including Dollywood, can register for the ‘GROW U’ pilot program. Herschend Enterprises, the parent company of Parton Park, announced Tuesday that Dollywood will pay the 100% of tuition, fees and books for its 3,000 employees pursuing higher education in finance, technology, business administration or cooking. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2019 the average cost of university was 25,000 dollars (almost 22,000 euros).
The singer, who at 76 is still active, and this year is nominated to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is an example of celebrity. “She dreams more, learns more, takes care of herself more and knows more” are the principles that guide her, she once said. And these are some of the milestones that have made it an icon of pop culture.
1 million for the Modern vaccine
When at the beginning of the pandemic the vaccines against covid were still in development, the singer donated a million dollars for the investigation of the serum of Moderna. It was one of its main investors, along with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Emory University. She then waited for her turn to get inoculated, and took advantage of that day to do vaccination campaignrewriting the chorus of his ‘hit’ ‘Jolene’ for a Vaccine, Vaccine which was highly applauded.
Author of the ‘hit’ Whitney Houston
After achieving fame in the 60s with the country singer Porter Wagoner, Parton was even more successful solo. With the albums ‘Jolene’ and ‘All I Can Do’ she was critically acclaimed, and the songs ‘Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You’ They became an anthem. The latter, that even his own Elvis Presley wanted to coverwas resurrected more than two decades later by the hand of Whitney Houston in the triumphant soundtrack of ‘The Bodyguard’ (1992). It was a planetary phenomenon. “When the Whitney version came out [Houston]I made enough money to buy Graceland,” he said in a televised interview in 2006. He did not buy the mansion of the king of rock in Memphis (Tennessee), but invested in a black Nashville community buying an office complex there. And it is that, according to ‘Forbes’, Parton is estimated to have a fortune of 350 million dollars (296 million euros); a third won by its musical catalog and, to a greater extent, thanks to its theme park.
The issue of ‘Playboy’ October 1978 doubled the sale of copies and went down in history. Dolly Parton had become the first country artist to grace the cover of Hugh Hefner’s magazine dressed, yes, as a ‘bunny’. She was 32 years old. And on July 20, 2021, At 75, Dolly went back to dressing as a ‘bunny’ recreating the famous cover. In a video posted on Instagram, he explained it like this: “Do you remember a while ago I said I was going to pose in ‘Playboy’ magazine when I was 75 years old? Well, I’m 75 years old and the magazine doesn’t exist anymore… my husband always loved the original cover.”
Since 1966, Parton has been married to Carl Thomas Dean. Although he dedicated himself to her business – paving roads in Nashville – and almost never accompanied her on her performances, the couple is still as happy as the first day. They had no children, but Parton is godmother of the singer and actress Miley Cyrus. In the early 1990s he worked with his father, Billy Ray, around the time of ‘Achy Breaky Heart’. They performed together. And he was in the video for Parton’s song ‘Romeo’. So then when Miley was born, the 10-time Grammy winner asked for it to be hers.”fairy goddaughterThey have performed together numerous times, including at the 2019 Grammy Awards where they performed the classic ‘Jolene.’
He lent his name to a famous sheep
Ian Wilmutone of the two scientists at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh (Scotland) who created the famous dolly sheep, in 1996, explained where they had been inspired to baptize her. “Dolly comes from a mammary glandand we couldn’t think of a more impressive pair of glands than singer Dolly Parton’s.” The singer, who says she’s never had implants, though she does he had surgery to raise it, first, and then to reduce itbecause he suffered from back pain, use the US size 40DD.
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Heading into her 80s, Parton is still working, since, as she saidhas no intention of “ever” retiring. This next spring he will publish his first novel‘Run, Rose, Run‘, co-written with James Patterson (He had previously published two non-fiction and two children’s books based on his songs). The launch will coincide with a new album with 12 songs Inspired by plot. In addition, Parton already works at a new version of the central song of the film with which he made his debut in the cinema, in 1980, ‘Nine to Five’ (in Spain, ‘How to eliminate your boss’), along with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. This time he will record it in tandem with Kelly Clarksonas part of a documentary about the film that will premiere on March 13 at the South by Southwest festival.