Dolly Parton 50th at Opry

[montanajoe]

She was on this Saturday nite opry for 50th Anniversary. Was amazed both that she has been around for 50 years but more amazed her voice hasn't changed over the years, got a couple of friends that were amazing singers in bands when young but after they hit 50 they stopped cause the voice was gone...

It was great show if that's your musical style would highly recommend it...

[Applewood]

@montanajoe

I love Dolly.  The term "national treasure" is thrown around indiscriminately these days, but in my opinion, the term applies to Dolly.  She is genuinely talented, not like so many of today's artists.  And you don't hear any scandals about her.  Married to the same man for decades.  No reports of drugs, alcohol, cheating on her husband, crashing her Mercedes or whatever   And she is generous too.  Has a charitable foundation, of course, like so many artists, but  I read that she raised money for victims of the Smoky Mountain wildfires a few years back.   Great sense of humor too, particularly about herself.  Dolly always seems like the kind of woman I would want as a friend. 

I'm sorry I missed the show.  I'll have to look for it on You Tube.

[berdie]

@montanajoe

I love Dolly.  The term "national treasure" is thrown around indiscriminately these days, but in my opinion, the term applies to Dolly.  She is genuinely talented, not like so many of today's artists.  And you don't hear any scandals about her.  Married to the same man for decades.  No reports of drugs, alcohol, cheating on her husband, crashing her Mercedes or whatever   And she is generous too.  Has a charitable foundation, of course, like so many artists, but  I read that she raised money for victims of the Smoky Mountain wildfires a few years back.   Great sense of humor too, particularly about herself.  Dolly always seems like the kind of woman I would want as a friend. 

I'm sorry I missed the show.  I'll have to look for it on You Tube.

Yep...and she also appears to be a very shrewd business person.

Dolly was one of those people I learned to appreciate later in life...much like Roy Orbison. I just watched the Country Music doc and it seemed to me her voice was different in earlier years.

But she is funny as all get out!

[Applewood]

@berdie

My favorite Dolly Parton line, when asked about her plastic surgery:

"It takes a lot of money to look this cheap."

 

[berdie]

@berdie

My favorite Dolly Parton line, when asked about her plastic surgery:

"It takes a lot of money to look this cheap."

 

Without a doubt, @Applewood , that quip had me cracking up. I think she would be very, very interesting and have a conversation with.

[sneakypete]

@montanajoe

I love Dolly.  The term "national treasure" is thrown around indiscriminately these days, but in my opinion, the term applies to Dolly.  She is genuinely talented, not like so many of today's artists.  And you don't hear any scandals about her.  Married to the same man for decades.  No reports of drugs, alcohol, cheating on her husband, crashing her Mercedes or whatever   And she is generous too.  Has a charitable foundation, of course, like so many artists, but  I read that she raised money for victims of the Smoky Mountain wildfires a few years back.   Great sense of humor too, particularly about herself.  Dolly always seems like the kind of woman I would want as a friend. 

I'm sorry I missed the show.  I'll have to look for it on You Tube.

@Applewood

She is a VERY bright,hard-working woman with huge talent,but she most likely ain't the innocent you think she is. A couple of her best friends are Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. There is an excellent chance her husband is her "Beard".  Actually,the possibility of her being a lesbian/switch hitter doesn't upset me,but the friendship with leftists Fonda and Tomlin does. She naturally doesn't have much to say about this because it could affect her career,and once again,she is pretty damn sharp.

As for her voice being so good even at her age,I suspect that is because it is her natural voice,not something she learned to do,and she takes care to not abuse it.

Smart,smart woman with an immense amount of talent who was willing to put in the hard work necessary to make it big in the music business. Look at how long she stayed with Porter Wagoner,and when she finally left him to become the super star she is now,she "gave him" "I will always love you" to produce as her way of saying goodbye. NOT a bad going away present!

[Applewood]

@sneakypete

Just because Dolly may be friends with Jane and Lily doesn't mean she shares their political and moral views. I don't really know what Dolly's views are because it seems she keeps those to herself. I don't see Dolly going to DC and getting arrested and never heard of her cozying up to the North Vietnamese during the war as Jane did.   In the entertainment business, which is infested with liberals/socialists/communists, it is often prudent to stay out of the political fray as much as possible in order to be a success.   Doesn't mean that by keeping quiet or being friends with others in the business that don't share your politics or religion, a person has that same viewpoint on those matters.

I myself come from a small town and a family that is almost all liberal Democrat.  I was a liberal Democrat too as a youngin'.  Over the years, I became a conservative, but I didn't shun my family or ditch my friends when my views changed.  My brother is a Trump fan.  Am I going to not speak to him ever again because I don't like Trump?  No.  In this forum, I express my political views.  In real life, generally I don't.  If I did, I would have no family or friends.  In real life, politics and religion are two subjects I, my family and friends scrupulously avoid.  Instead we focus on the things we have in common.  It's quite possible Dolly does something similar.

And the same applies to sexual orientation.  Lily is gay; doesn't mean Dolly or Jane are too.  I read that Dolly and her husband have been married for more than 50 years.  Kinda hard to maintain a successful, heterosexual marriage that long if one party is gay.   But even if your unfunded speculation about Dolly's private life was true, that would not diminish my love and admiration for her.  I wouldn't go out and burn my copies of her recordings.  Hell, if I chose my entertainment options based on an artist's political, religious or moral views, I likely wouldn't have any music or other entertainment in my life.    I'd end up being an old curmudgeon like you.  LOL

You're right that Dolly worked hard to become a success.  Not easy to be successful in such a cutthroat environment as music if you are a woman.  She came from poverty -- one of 12 children to a poor farmer.  I think she helped raise her younger siblings too.  Not an easy life, but she worked hard and she made it.  She didn't sit on her backside and collect a government check.  She put her talent to good use.  Regardless of how I might feel if  it turned out Dolly was a flaming, liberal/socialist/commie bisexual, I am still going to admire her and be a fan.

[Sighlass]

@Applewood

She is a VERY bright,hard-working woman with huge talent,but she most likely ain't the innocent you think she is. A couple of her best friends are Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. There is an excellent chance her husband is her "Beard".  Actually,the possibility of her being a lesbian/switch hitter doesn't upset me,but the friendship with leftists Fonda and Tomlin does. She naturally doesn't have much to say about this because it could affect her career,and once again,she is pretty damn sharp.

Smart,smart woman with an immense amount of talent who was willing to put in the hard work necessary to make it big in the music business.

She is a smart cookie, and I agree, I think she is a lefty (and only lets her slip show every so often). Her allowing her leftist co-hosts do the liberal joke at the awards show was a tell tell. Don't tell me she didn't have the gumption to tell them she wanted no part of it... She just tried to cloak it by not being a major part of the joke telling, but you can bet she approved of it. They didn't just spring it on her, it was rehearsed.

Shut up and play seems to be in her playbook and she is wise enough to use it most the time. 

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete

Just because Dolly may be friends with Jane and Lily doesn't mean she shares their political and moral views. I don't really know what Dolly's views are because it seems she keeps those to herself. I don't see Dolly going to DC and getting arrested and never heard of her cozying up to the North Vietnamese during the war as Jane did.   In the entertainment business, which is infested with liberals/socialists/communists, it is often prudent to stay out of the political fray as much as possible in order to be a success.   Doesn't mean that by keeping quiet or being friends with others in the business that don't share your politics or religion, a person has that same viewpoint on those matters.

I myself come from a small town and a family that is almost all liberal Democrat.  I was a liberal Democrat too as a youngin'.  Over the years, I became a conservative, but I didn't shun my family or ditch my friends when my views changed.  My brother is a Trump fan.  Am I going to not speak to him ever again because I don't like Trump?  No.  In this forum, I express my political views.  In real life, generally I don't.  If I did, I would have no family or friends.  In real life, politics and religion are two subjects I, my family and friends scrupulously avoid.  Instead we focus on the things we have in common.  It's quite possible Dolly does something similar.

And the same applies to sexual orientation.  Lily is gay; doesn't mean Dolly or Jane are too.  I read that Dolly and her husband have been married for more than 50 years.  Kinda hard to maintain a successful, heterosexual marriage that long if one party is gay.   But even if your unfunded speculation about Dolly's private life was true, that would not diminish my love and admiration for her.  I wouldn't go out and burn my copies of her recordings.  Hell, if I chose my entertainment options based on an artist's political, religious or moral views, I likely wouldn't have any music or other entertainment in my life.    I'd end up being an old curmudgeon like you.  LOL

You're right that Dolly worked hard to become a success.  Not easy to be successful in such a cutthroat environment as music if you are a woman.  She came from poverty -- one of 12 children to a poor farmer.  I think she helped raise her younger siblings too.  Not an easy life, but she worked hard and she made it.  She didn't sit on her backside and collect a government check.  She put her talent to good use.  Regardless of how I might feel if  it turned out Dolly was a flaming, liberal/socialist/commie bisexual, I am still going to admire her and be a fan.

@Applewood

I don't really care about her sexuality,one way or the other. As far as that goes,she and her husband could well be asexual. Again,I really don't care BECAUSE she keeps it quiet and don't try to promote it.

Her politics do disturb me because there is something very,very wrong with anyone that would be friends with an airhead like Jane Fonda. Whatever Dolly Parton might be,stupid is never on the list,so I have to presume her friendship with Fonda is genuine or she wouldn't take the chance of putting her career at risk by offending country music fans.

I AM pointing out that her public persona is a carefully crafted piece of work designed to make her seem harmless and down to Earth,and the reality is she is neither. She is a VERY shrewd businesswoman who has been uber successful creating and selling her "brand". Started with nothing,and due to her own efforts and her own hard work,is a multi-millionaire several times over.

I do care about her politics,but not that much because she is smart enough to keep them to herself and not publicly try to promote them.