1946personal
Born in a One-Room Cabin
1959
East Tennessee — already on a stage, guitar nearby, the mountains still in her voice
Photo credit“We were rich in kindness and love and understanding.”
She grew up in deep Appalachian poverty, but her family was rich in music, storytelling, and love. Her mother sang old ballads; her father worked the land despite being unable to read or write — a fact that would later inspire her greatest philanthropic work.
Did you know
Dolly wrote her first song, "Little Tiny Tassletop," about a corn cob doll before she knew how to hold a pencil. Her father recalled she was writing songs from the very beginning.