10 Reasons Why I Love Dolly Parton

1. "Coat of Many Colors" is one of a few songs which always makes me stop what I'm doing and listen to the lyrics. 
2. She is one of the best at singing harmonies, and she's done it with some of the greatest musicians (just listen to  "Trio" and "Trio II" with Linda Rondstad and Emmylou Harris and "Honky Tonk Angels" with Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn). 
3. She's not just a real artist in that she can entertain crowds, but she's also a great singer, songwriter, and plays numerous instruments.  You don't see that combination in just one person very often in the music business.  
4. She wrote the song that accompanied me throughout my teen years: "I Will Always Love You", which has been covered by many artists since (Whitney Houston,  Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, and Jennifer Hudson among others. Elvis Presley actually wanted to cover the song, but Parton didn't allow it as she had to sign over half of the publishing rights to him). 
5. She's very funny and doesn't take herself too seriously. "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap" is one of her favorite lines. 
6. She doesn't stick with any particular style of music, but dares to delve into others genres too. So far she has sung country, bluegrass, disco, pop, folk and gospel music.  
7. She has been recording since 1959 when she was only 13 years old, but teenagers today still know her name and her music. 
8. She is one of the remaining living legends, and I had a chance to see her in concert back in 2007. 
9. She sang "Coat of Many Colors", "The Sweetest Thing" and "Here You Come Again", three of my favorite songs by her. Listen to them through the links above that will lead you to Spotify, or below on YouTube. Hope you like them as much as I do. 
10. Because she always puts a smile on my face. 

You may also like:
A History of Bluegrass (Part 2)
A Few Very Surprising Duets 
Harmony Singing

Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors

Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Rondstad - The Sweetest Thing

Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again 

A History of Bluegrass ( Part 2)

By the time the folk music scene regained its popularity in the late 1950's, most famous Bluegrass singers  had lost their contracts and radio's stopped playing their music. Many folk singers, however, were heavily influenced by the Bluegrass style, and decided to bring this music back to the public. Moreover, in 1962 Flatt & Scrugs were asked to sing the theme song for the popular TV show The Beverly Hillbillies ("The Ballad of Jed Clampett"). They had no idea that by doing this, people would  forever identify bluegrass music with trashy white people. 

This revival of Bluegrass during the 1960's allowed some great old time Bluegrass singers to display their music to an entirely new audience. The Stanley Brothers and Bill Monroe were among those. The Louvin Brothers were another brother duo that regained popularity, be it on a small scale. Although they sing a number of different musical styles, I personally like the Bluegrass versions of their songs best. "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby" is one of my (and my father in laws') favorites. 

From the late 1960's until the late 1990's Bluegrass continued to be played, although it was largely overshadowed by other more popular music styles. During this time several country singers recorded Bluegrass albums (listen to Dolly Parton's Bluegrass Collection). The real revival, however, came in the early 2000's with the soundtrack of the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou". Some of the biggest stars in Bluegrass and Country music can be heared on this cd (Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris and the Carter Family). It also includes some bands which didn't achieve national fame yet, but rightfully did through this album (The Whites and the Cox Family). Thankfully, these artists didn't stop after the Oh Brother Soundtrack. The cd compilation "Down From the Mountain" is another one of my Bluegrass favorites, and includes many of the artists that are included in the Oh Brother Soundtrack.

Below you will find "I'm A Man of Constant Sorrow", the old time tradional folk song which Ralph Stanley brought to national fame. This is actually not really George Clooney singing, but Dan Triminsky, a musician in Alison Krauss' Union Station. Notice the woman at the beginning who's asking for the Soggy Bottom Boys, that's Gillian Welch :-). More about her will follow soon.

The Soggy Bottom Boys - "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow"