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Dolly Parton has penned some of the most celebrated songs and is the most honored female country performer of all time. Twenty-five of her singles or albums have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum; and 26 of her songs have reached number one on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist, including 1977's crossover hit Here You Come Again. Her mega-hit I Will Always Love You topped the charts in 1974 and again in 1982, revived in the movie Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, making Parton the first artist to earn a number one record twice with the same song. She has 42 top ten country albums, a record for any artist, and 113 charted singles over the past 40 years. All inclusive sales of singles, albums, hit collections, paid digital downloads and compilation usage during her career reportedly top a staggering 174 million records worldwide.

Parton has garnered eight Grammy Awards, including a 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award; 11 Country Music Association Awards; nine Academy of Country Music Awards; three American Music Awards; two Academy Award nominations; a Tony nomination; and is one of only six female artists to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award.

In 1999, Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and, in 2001, became a member of the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters Hall of Fame. The U.S. Library of Congress presented Parton with the Living Legend Award for her contribution to the cultural heritage of the United States in 2004, and the following year she was presented the National Medal of Arts by the President. In December 2006, Parton was a Kennedy Center Honoree and the following year was the recipient of the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

Inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2009, Parton received the Academy of Country Music Jim Reeves International Award the same year and her hit album Backwoods Barbie also topped the Country Music charts, with a sold out tour of the U.S. and Europe. In addition, she received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Score and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original score for the stage musical adaptation of 9 to 5.

The 1980 hit film 9 to 5 inspired the acclaimed stage musical, and Parton earned rave reviews for her film debut performance. She also received her first Oscar nomination for writing the title tune. Roles in Steel Magnolias, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Rhinestone and Straight Talk followed, along with two network television series, longforms, network and HBO specials, and guest-starring roles in series television. In 2006, Parton earned her second Oscar nomination, for Travelin' Thru, which she wrote for the movie Transamerica.

Parton formed Sandollar Productions with former manager Sandy Gallin, and the company has produced feature films such as Father of the Bride I and II, Straight Talk, Sabrina, Shining Through, and I.Q., the Fox series Babes and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary.

In 1986, she opened Dollywood, Tennessee's number one tourist attraction, and named by the theme park industry as one of the top three theme parks in the world in 2006. The Dollywood Foundation funds the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which has given 40 million books to children in North America from birth to kindergarten since its inception in 1988.

A native of Tennessee, Parton was singing on local radio at nine years of age and at 13 she appeared at the Grand Ole Opry. In 1967, her career took off when country music superstar Porter Wagoner began featuring her on his popular syndicated television show, attracting the attention of RCA record executives. Parton and Wagoner had 14 Top Ten hits together. She established Velvet Apple Music with BMI early in her career and owns the copyrights and publishing for her vast songwriting empire as well as her own successful record label, Dolly Records.

Her 1994 autobiography is aptly titled My Life and Other Unfinished Business.