Dolly Parton’s charitable projects recalled in the US
In the United States, singer Dolly Parton has become the subject of a column devoted to her music career, work in her home state of Tennessee and charitable projects. As Premium Times Nigeria writes, after graduating from school in 1964, Parton moved from the Smoky Mountains to Nashville to pursue a career in country music.
Collaboration with Porter Wagoner
In 1967, country performer Porter Wagoner invited 21-year-old Parton to become a vocalist on his television show, which was broadcast nationwide. Their professional collaboration lasted seven years. In 1974, the singer decided to leave the program and wrote the song I Will Always Love You for Wagoner.
The column’s author notes that Wagoner later filed a lawsuit over breach of contract and demanded $3 million in compensation. According to the author’s account, the parties settled the dispute out of court for $1 million, which Parton paid in installments. The column also states that after Whitney Houston recorded I Will Always Love You for the film The Bodyguard, Parton received substantial royalties because she retained the rights to the song.
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Help for victims and support for reading
In November 2016, wildfires in Sevier County, Tennessee, claimed the lives of 14 people and damaged or destroyed thousands of buildings. According to the column, within 48 hours of the disaster, Parton and the Dollywood Foundation established the My People Fund. Families whose primary homes were destroyed or made uninhabitable by the fire were promised $1,000 a month for six months; 921 families received assistance.
The article also mentions the Imagination Library program, through which children from birth to age five receive books free of charge. Separately, the author writes about the transformation of the Silver Dollar City entertainment complex in Pigeon Forge into Dollywood in 1986. According to him, the project was intended to help create jobs and economic opportunities for residents of the singer’s home region.
