Legendary Country Music Icon, Humanitarian Dolly Parton Passed Away on Tuesday at the Age of 80

By: Tracy Heck

Ahead of her passing on Tuesday, Dolly Parton had more than earned her status as “America’s
Sweetheart,” with her charm, unique goodness, humility, quick wit, generosity, talent, business
sense and beauty.

She ruled country music, sparkled in her acting roles, built a business empire that included
everything from clothing to an amusement park and was legendary for her generosity.

Along the way she also had a heavy influence on the rock world, which culminated in her 2022
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction and 2023 release of her rock album Rockstar.

Here are just ten ways that she left her mark on the rock genre.
1: Rock N Roll has always had deep roots in rhythm and blues and country and much of Dolly's
work defied genres. She blended her brand of country with pop, rock, R&B and even disco
influences. The biggest example of this being her labor force exploitation hit “9 to 5.”

2. Dolly herself said many times that she had been rocking since the day she was born. She grew
up listening to and being inspired by artists like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.

3. Long before her rock album release, Dolly had a number of memorable rock covers. In
addition to a fiery rendition of Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire,” Parton tried her hand at Collective
Soul's “Shine,” The Beatles “Help,” The Animals “House of the Rising Sun” and John Lennon's
“Imagine,” among others.

4. At the same time, Dolly's music also inspired other artists and many of those were rock artists
who put their own spin on her music. Among those were The White Stripes, who performed a
raw live cover of “Jolene,” swedish punk rock band Millencolin, who recorded a version of “9 to
5,” and Sinead O'Connor, who covered “Dagger Through the Heart.”

5. Dolly’s husband Carl Dean, who she was married to for nearly 60 years, was a huge rock fan.
Dolly shared in many interviews that it was all he listened to and as a result, she was exposed to
a number of artists and songs that she was inspired by. Dean's favorite band was Led Zeppelin
and Dolly recorded their epic “Stairway to Heaven” as a bluegrass/gospel interpretation on her
2002 album Halos & Horns. She later did a more straightforward cover on her Rockstar album.

6. Much like her fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Fame contemporaries Jackson Browne and Tom
Waits, Dolly's songwriting was at the core of her success as an artist who crossed boundaries.
She wrote real stories about real people that everyone could relate to. She tackled issues like
suicide on “The Bridge,” feminism on “Just Because I’m A Woman,” vengeance on “I Don’t
Want to Throw Rice” and infidelity on “Jolene.” Of course, it is the beauty of “I Will Always
Love You,” which she wrote about leaving her song partner/mentor Porter Wagoner that she will
most be remembered for. Whitney Houston’s awe-inspiring cover is still the best selling female
single of all-time, which just highlights Parton’s songwriting skills.

7. Dolly's life was full of punk rock spirit. She set new standards: first as a female in a male-
dominated country world and then on a larger scale as a shrewd businesswoman who set
standards for artist control and as a philanthropist.

8. When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame came calling, Dolly initially turned down the invitation
because she felt there were too many deserving rock artists who hadn’t been inducted yet. Fans
across the world and a number of other musical artists urged her to accept the honor. She
reluctantly agreed, but not before deciding to record a rock album of her own and when Rockstar
was released, it featured collaborations from a number of rock mainstays from Paul McCartney
and Stevie Nicks to Elton John and Debbie Harry.

9. At the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, Dolly shined taking the stage in a black
studded latex jumpsuit and a black bejewelled matching black guitar and ripped through
“Rockin” a song she wrote just for the occasion complete with a shredding solo. Later, she
performed a rousing rendition of “Jolene” with All-Star group of musicians that included Pink,
Rob Halford, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart, Pat Benatar, Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow and Simon
Left Bon.
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10. Dolly always lived her life in a authentic way and much like Elvis was able to reach far
beyond just the country music world. Her impact on music,along with her impact on tv, movies,
fashion and humanity as a whole is immeasurable. She truly was a “rock star” in the truest sense
of the world.