Dolly Parton reveals musicians were 'always willing to drive' her home when she first moved to Nashville
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Dolly Parton, 78, recently revealed to social media influencer and podcaster Bunnie XO, who is also Jelly Roll's wife, how several musicians offered to drive her home when she initially moved to Nashville.
On Bunnie XO's 'Dumb Blonde' podcast, the country music icon discussed everything from her modest upbringing in the Great Smoky Mountains to her current empire as the Queen of Country music, as per Whiskey Riff.
Dolly Parton reveals some musicians were 'thinking they might get more' when they helped her
Bunnie XO informed everyone that the 'Jolene' singer was her ideal guest when she initially launched her podcast and that Dolly Parton, one of the original "dumb blondes," served as a major inspiration for the show's moniker.
Parton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, right after graduating from high school in 1964, and it's pretty well-known that she didn't have much when she relocated to Music City because she came from a large poor family.
Although the music icon was undoubtedly poor, that began to change when she was able to connect with a publishing house that was looking for a female vocalist.
"Well, I was lucky because there are so many songwriters in Nashville, and a lot of the people that write songs are not good singers. So all the publishing companies, if there are female songs, you could get a job singing those songs," Parton explained on Bunnie XO's podcast.
It sounds like Parton's big Nashville move couldn't have come at a better time, but her transportation and living situation were dire.
The '9 to 5' singer claimed that her patented good looks, however, compensated for her lack of a personal vehicle and even covered the cost of several meals.
"I didn’t have a phone. I didn’t have a car. I didn’t have anything. So all these musicians – cause I was a ripe, pretty girl at that time – I had all these musicians that were on the sessions always willing to drive me home," Parton shared.
She added, "Always willing to stop somewhere and buy me a burger. Some of them thinking they might get more… and some of them might have."
Parton continued by expressing her gratitude to everyone who generously helped her in the early days of her Nashville career, adding that having a large family helped her make friends in the music business.
"They were always so good to me, and everybody seemed to know that my heart was in a good place and I was just a country girl," the 'Here You Come Again' hitmaker stated.
"And I was funny. I was always cracking jokes. Everybody got a kick out of me, so I was just one of the boys because I had six brothers. I was not a bit shy around the men and I knew how to maneuver," she recalled.
Dolly Parton attributes her personal and professional harmony to her family
Dolly Parton was quick to attribute the harmony she has found in her personal and professional lives to her hardworking father and spiritual mother.
The country star revealed that she used to assign her siblings household tasks to get them to help with her recording or sing backups on her songs.
She shared, "They knew me as someone who would offer to do their chores if they would come help me sing on a song, or add some background," as per Audacy.
Although everyone in her family was aware of her musical abilities, it was her mother's brother, Bill, who encouraged her the most and eventually helped her get her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1959 when she was just 13 years old.
Recalling the night of her debut, Parton said, "It was scary. I remember my heart was beating like a drum," and that's quite natural, as she was introduced by none other than Johnny Cash.
She reportedly performed George Jones' 'You Gotta Be My Baby' and received three encores.
