A new album, her first novel and $1m to fund the vaccine fight — the First Lady of Americana shows no sign of slowing down. Laura Craik salutes an icon
He is a rainbow, a sunflower, an angel in human form. Even if you hate country music and feel violent every time you hear Islands in the Stream, you can't hate Dolly. The woman donated $1 million to help fund Moderna Vaccines. He is a saint for this act of charity.
But "Saint" is just one of the many strings of Parton's bow. Not satisfied with being a philanthropist, an actress, a businesswoman, a humanitarian, and one of the most successful recording artists of all time (more on all of this in a moment), she is publishing her first novel, Run Rose Run. And not just any novel but co-written by America's most successful crime writer James Patterson, who previously co-wrote a book with Bill Clinton.
Put the Queen of Country and King of Thrillers together and you have a bestseller in your hands—one, which will be in first publication, accompanied by a country album of the same name that brings the characters' songs to life. The book was Patterson's idea—she flew to Parton's hometown of Nashville to pitch in person—and is said to have been unexpectedly on hand, telling the New York Times: "She's not going to do anything. if he doesn't think he's going to do it well."
The pair worked on the project in secret for eight months in 2020, and while details of the advance they received from publisher Little Brown are not known, insiders believe it will easily expand into the seven figures (when Patterson and Clinton's novel, The President Is Missing, was released in 2018, the TV rights alone were sold for $5 million).
The literary success is yet another testament to Parton's cross-cultural appeal—which has pulled off one of the worst public image balancing acts in the entertainment business for decades. She loves conservatives, yet is also an LGBTQ icon. He is a multi-millionaire who has never alienated the working class in the southern states.
There's a reason Dolly Parton's America's tagline—the acclaimed 2019 investigative podcast series about her life and influence—is "the story of a legend at the crossroads of America's culture wars." As journalist and podcast host JD Abumrad wrote at the time: "In this intensely divided moment, one of the few things that everyone still agrees on is Dolly Parton."
In this deeply divided moment, Dolly Parton is one of the few things everyone still agrees on
The key to her broad appeal is perhaps that, like the Queen, she is staunchly apolitical, her non-partisan stance even earning her own moniker, Dolitics. The term was coined by his nephew and bodyguard, Brian Seaver, in response to the fact that he refuses to answer any questions about politics, even for or against Donald Trump. Do not come. Rain or shine, Obama or Trump, Parton stands immaculately, his crystals bathing in an eclectic light even in the most divisive times.
Witness the handling of the 2017 controversy over the Dixie Stampede, a dinner show and one of Dollywood's main attractions, which divided the room into North and South when a "lily-white kitsch extravaganza that plays-acting" was written by an American journalist. It has been criticized as does". Civil War but never mentioned slavery. Instead, it romanticizes the Old South, with generous portions of corn on the cob and Southern Belles festooned in Christmas lights. A year later, Parton resumed the show. When conservative fans claimed she was erasing history, she replied that she "just didn't want to make anyone feel bad".
Even when she discussed her political views with Abumrad in 2019, she managed to avoid making political statements. Although she said she doesn't consider herself a feminist, speaking to Time magazine in 2020, she clarified: "I'm a feminist if I think women should be able to do anything," But also admitted that he was the kind of fan who got the label wrong. "I don't have to, for myself, go out and carry the sign," she said.
Not alienating the Christian right has proven to be a sensible business move. Forbes estimates that her music catalog (which she owns) accounts for just a third of her $350 million net worth, which brings in $150 million in royalties annually (she's written more than 3,000 songs, won 11 Grammys and won the world's most popular songs). sold over 100 million records throughout). But Dollywood is his biggest asset. Established in 1986 in a philanthropic bid to bring back some of its earnings to its home state, it proved extremely popular from the start. It is now Tennessee's most-visited tourist attraction, attracting nearly three million visitors annually. Parton's stake is worth about $165 million.
Guest data collected in 2020 indicated that, while visitors from all 50 US states enjoyed a slice of their homely view of America, the vast majority of Dollywood-goers were loyal fans of Tennessee. Hardline Republicans, more than 80 percent of adults in the state identify as Christians—and many find Dollywood a truly delightful place to spend time.
That people across the political spectrum are warmly drawn to him, perhaps less so than the fact that Parton is the embodiment of the American Dream—a powerful reminder that humble beginnings, hard work, and talent are yours. Born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, in 1946, the fourth of 11 children said she grew up "filth poor."
Yet his desire to break into the country music scene took him to Nashville the day after graduating from high school. Success did not happen overnight. She came in 1964 and her first real hit came almost 10 years later, when Jolene topped the country charts in 1974 as I Will Always Love You, arguably the most important song of her career.
Skating over the fact that its writing is mistakenly credited to Whitney Houston, it is more significant as it was not sung by Who. Legend has it that Elvis Presley wanted to record it, but when Parton was informed by his manager that it was standard procedure for a songwriter to sign over half the publication rights to any song Presley had recorded, he refused. refused.
It was a sensible decision that has made him millions more in royalties and is the first of many clever business moves. Being the godmother of Miley Cyrus has helped fuel their cross-generational appeal and they have often performed together. It's worth noting that Parton played Glastonbury five years before Cyrus—in 2014, aged 68, the Pyramid stage drew a crowd of 180,000.
And now that he has conquered the universe, Parton's next step is to conquer the metaverse. Earlier this month, she announced that she would be appearing for the first time at Texas music festival SXSW, performing songs from the album tied to her novel.
The event will stream for free on Doliverse via Eluvio, a blockchain platform offering NFTs of Run, Rose, Run albums as well as some Parton-inspired artwork.
Will his first foray into the NFT fetch $1.1 million, as did Paris Hilton? Some will bet against it. Parton has always been ahead of the curve: Her highly stylized looks and winning way with soundbites were made for social media.
Whether over the universe, the Metaverse or the Doliverse, she can rule for a long time.