Dolly Parton is the queen of country music. For nearly six decades, her voice and vibrant personality have captivated audiences across America. But who first captivated Dolly? In a recent interview, Dolly Parton confessed that her first teenage crush was none other than the legend, Johnny Cash. Here is all you need to know about this cute bit of celebrity gossip: Dolly Parton started her career in her childhood, and she’s been entertaining audiences ever since. Born in 1946 in a rural part of Tennessee, music was always a part of Dolly’s life. Despite health struggles, her mother would regularly sing to Dolly and her twelve siblings.
Dolly’s own experiences with singing began at the Pentecostal church she and her family attended. From as early as six years old, Dolly enjoyed singing as a member of the choir. By the age of eight, she was already playing the guitar her uncle had bought for her. It was that same uncle who first introduced her to the country music scene in Nashville. Through him, she got her first glimpse at the music industry, and went to shows at the Grand Ole Opry. For Dolly, those early experiences would prove to be life changing. Eventually at the young age of thirteen, Dolly would get her first chance to perform on the famous Opry stage. Her performance was so popular that she received “three encores” from the audience.
That was also where she first met Johnny Cash.
Who is Johnny Cash?
Johnny Cash was born in 1932, in rural Arkansas. Like Dolly, Johnny grew up poor, and his family often turned to singing for entertainment. He also got his start by singing gospel music. By the age of 12, Johnny was already a singer-songwriter, although his career wouldn’t take off until the mid 1950’s. In between that time, Johnny served in the Army, and started a family. He lived in California with his kids, and first wife, Vivian. Eventually, they resettled in Nashville, which would prove to be the best move for Johnny’s career. In 1955, Johnny released his hit song, “Folsom Prison Blues”. The song gained him fame, and would eventually become a classic. From there, he continued to grow in popularity.
Unfortunately, Johnny’s stardom wasn’t all that it could’ve been. Throughout his career, he battled problems with both drugs and alcohol. His addictions led to numerous issues in both his professional and personal life. Yet Cash still delivered a number of boundary pushing albums. His work is still celebrated today, as an example of the potential of really great country music.
How did they meet?
Dolly first got saw Johnny Cash as an audience member for one of his performances. Talking about the experience, she says, “seeing him on that stage that night, it paralyzed me.” The performance left a huge impression on her, due to how starstruck she was by Cash. Luckily, Dolly would go on to become a successful fan, meeting her Idol at the Grand Ole Opry. In an interesting twist of fate, Johnny was the one to introduce her during her first performance. Of course, that performance would prove to be a star-making one. Dolly would go on to become one of the Opry’s most famous artists, with over six decades of performances at the venue. And throughout that, she remained friends with both Johnny and his wife June.
How did Dolly feel about Johnny Cash?
Dolly has never been one to hide her feelings. In a recent interview, she made it clear just how attractive she’d found Johnny Cash in those early days. On The Tonight Show, she confessed that, when she first saw him, he was “the sexiest thing I’d ever seen”. She later goes on to credit him as the one who made her understand what sex appeal was. At one point, she even told Johnny and June about her experience. She explained that the three of them “always laughed about it…I still see that to this day, just us talking about it.” Naturally, the two never had a real romance. Because of the substantial age gap, it was more of one sided, girlhood crush on Dolly’s part. But there was real, artistic admiration between them. Later on in her career, Dolly would cover one of his original songs, “I Still Miss Someone”. This shows just how much she respected him as a songwriter and performer. Dolly also went on to have a real romance, with someone outside of show business. She first met her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, in 1964, at a laundromat. Two years later, the couple were happily wed, as they have been ever since.
Where are they now?
Unfortunately, Johnny Cash died in 2003. Although he has passed on, he still captures the imagination of many music fans. His album, At Folsom Prison, is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. And his life even inspired the 2005 biopic, Walk the Line. Dolly Parton has also achieved legendary status. In addition to her storied music career, she’s done acting, philanthropy, and so much more. She transformed herself from a country western singer into one of the most well-known business women in the industry. Her famous songs have gone on to stand the test of time right alongside her. “I Will Always Love You”, a self-composed hit, even went on to be covered by another legend, Whitney Houston. And Dolly’s Christmas music is a holiday staple.
Some of her movies are equally classic. 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias are still remembered as great films. And Dolly hasn’t quite retired from film yet. She’s currently working on a second Netflix Christmas Special, set to air in 2020. With all her future projects, it’s hard to remember that Dolly Parton is now over the age of seventy. She’s had a long, successful career. But true to her humble nature, Dolly hasn’t forgotten the people who helped her and inspired her along the way.
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