Dolly Parton (Born 1946)

Now a huge star, she started performing as a child, singing on local radio and television in East Tennessee near her family’s home in Locust Ridge in the Great Smokey Mountains. She first performed at the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 13 and came to Nashville for good right out of high school in 1964. Her initial success came as the writer of hit songs for Hank Williams, Jr. and Skeeter Davis, among others. Her own stardom was assured when she was teamed with Porter Wagoner in 1967. She has since established herself in concert performance, movies, and television. The winner of 7 Grammy’s and innumerable other awards, she is a member of the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1974
Studio portrait/Vanderbilt