She was born into a "dirt poor" family in a remote Appalachian valley, and she grew up with profound Pentecostal roots. Her first public performance took place at the age of six in her local church, and now she is a committed Christian, artist and philanthropist who has helped a number of charitable causes including children's literacy, wildfire victims, cancer, HIV-AIDS and COVID-19 research (her contributions helped to develop the Moderna vaccine), but she has also denounced women's discrimination in the workplace or supported transgender women in her songs and films. Musically, she acknowledges the influence of her aunt Dorothy Jo, an evangelist, and the English, Welsh and Irish folk tradition through her mother, Avie Lee Caroline. Here you can find three lesson plans created by my former colleague Carmen B. based on three of her hits: Country Road with its lesson plan, Family with its lesson plan and I'll Always Love You (Whitney Houston's version) and its lesson plan. The level of the tasks is B2/ B1+ and you will find words like: fit, to spin, neon lights, to choke, a fast lane, ole, calico, a dead end, preacher, gay, stray, ain't, sinners, [to be] in your way, a step, darling, bittersweet, Other major Dolly Parton's hits include Jolene, Coat of Many Colors and Working 9 to 5. Dolly Parton is a self-made woman and the epitone of the American Dream, her net worth was estimated at $5 million in 2017, including her own theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennesse.
If you want further info, you can listen to the 2019 NPR podcast Dolly Parton's America which is a thorough account of her long career and how her songs have appealed to the most diverse audiences, from cowboys, hillbillies (derogatory for an Appalachian country person) and traditional families to lesbians, feminists or people dressed in drags for over 50 years (this 9 hour radio podcast without a script and full of American cultural references is recommended for "Experts", beyond C2 level). You can also watch a clip of her 1977 interview by Barbara Walters (4:02) where she talks about her hillbilly background and the outrageous image she has created for herself to succeed in show biz (C1 level), or you can watch the two full Barbara Walters' interviews (1977 and 1982) with commercials (C2 level), or you can read the recently published book Dolly Parton. Un retrato americano written by Spanish journalist Beatriz Navarro (Sabiñánigo, 1977).
You can click below to watch the two full Barbara Walters' interviews (1977 and 1982) on YouTube: