Many people know Dolly Parton, the famous singer. She’s been a star for a long time and doesn’t plan to stop. When she was 18, she decided she wanted to be a star, and she made that dream come true.
Dolly’s childhood was tough because she grew up in a big family with not much money. Even though they didn’t have a lot, Dolly always wanted to look good. She got inspired by someone in her town.
But trying to look good didn’t go well with her grandfather. Dolly shared that he physically hurt her because of how she looked. Despite these challenges, Dolly stayed connected to music, which has always been a big part of her life.
She was born on January 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Growing up with 11 siblings, money was tight. However, her family loved music. Her mom sang and played guitar, and Dolly performed in church, learning more about music.
Music was a big deal for her family, and her uncles helped her take the next step. One of them gave her a guitar, and she started writing her own songs. By age 10, she performed on TV and radio in Knoxville, Tennessee. At 13, she made her debut on a national country radio station, Grand Ole Opry, making about $20 a week.
Dolly always loved fashion, and she often surprises her fans with her amazing looks and outfits. Despite facing challenges, she continues to do what she loves—making music.
When Dolly Parton was young, she really liked dressing up and making sure she looked good. She got the idea from a local woman who dressed in a flashy way. This woman wore tight skirts, high heels, and had fancy accessories. Dolly thought she was beautiful and would look for her whenever she went out, hoping to see something cool she was wearing.
But not everyone liked Dolly looking different and glamorous, especially her father, grandfather, and a preacher. Her father didn’t do anything about it, but sadly, her grandfather physically hurt her because of how she looked.
Dolly was sensitive and didn’t like being disciplined, but she was determined to be herself. Even though it cost her, she went for what she wanted. Years later, in 2011, she wrote a song called “The Sacrifice” about this experience. The song talks about how she was willing to pay a price for her dreams and believes it was worth it for her.
Dolly Parton always did things her own way. Even when her record label wanted to control parts of her private life, she stayed true to herself.
“I’ve always been true to myself,” Dolly said. That’s what her mom used to tell her: be true to yourself. She believes in doing things her way, in a way that aligns with her beliefs. It gives her strength because she can say, “I can stand by this, I can live by this.”
While she cared about what people thought, it never stopped her from being herself. Dolly finished high school, being the first in her family to do so. In 1964, at 18, she decided to focus completely on her music career. She left home and went to Nashville, the heart of country music.
“I had a dream and a talent, I thought. And I really believed it was going to happen.”
In Nashville, Dolly became a star quickly. She worked with Porter Wagoner on The Porter Wagoner Show, and people loved their performances. She signed a contract with RCA Records, and in 1971, she got her first No. 1 country hit with “Joshua.” More hits followed, including the famous “Jolene.”
The song “Jolene” may only have 200 words, but it became a huge hit in the 20th century. Dolly Parton reached the top spot, No. 1, on the music charts. The song even got nominated for two Grammy Awards in the Best Female Country Vocal Performance category, for both the studio and live versions.
What’s more, “Jolene” earned the 217th spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004.
Dolly Parton is a prolific songwriter, having written over 3,000 songs. Some of her other famous songs include “I Will Always Love You,” “The Seeker,” “Love Is Like a Butterfly,” and “All I Can Do.” She received numerous awards and became a worldwide superstar.
In 1977, she won her first Grammy with “Here You Come Again,” and more hits followed. In the 1980s, Dolly expanded into movies, starring in the hit comedy “9 to 5” alongside Jane Fonda. She even opened her own amusement park, Dollywood, in 1986.
Dolly has sold over 100 million albums, topped the country chart 25 times, and won eight Grammy Awards. Despite all her success, she keeps creating new music, saying, “Almost every day I come up with a few song titles or a sweet melody.” She feels young at heart, claiming to be 35 in spirit and mind, even though she’s achieved so much in her career.
Dolly Parton, the famous singer, found the love of her life more than 55 years ago. In 1964, when Dolly was 18, she met Carl Dean outside a laundromat in Nashville, Tennessee. Carl was 21, and right away, he felt there was something special about her.
“When I first saw her, I thought, ‘I’m gonna marry that girl,’” Carl said. “And my second thought was, ‘Lord, she’s good lookin.’ That was the day my life began. I wouldn’t trade the last 50 years for nothing on this earth.”
Dolly remembered that he hollered at her from his pickup truck, but when he asked her out, she said no. Instead, she invited him over while she was babysitting her nephew a few days later. That marked the beginning of a love story that has lasted.
In May 1966, Dolly and Carl got married in a private ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia. Even though her record label wanted them to wait because of her music career, they didn’t want to. They chose Georgia for the wedding to keep it private, with only Dolly, Carl, and her mother attending.
Dolly and Carl have been in love for a very long time. However, he doesn’t join her on the red carpet at award shows or charity events, except for one time when she received her first songwriting award at the age of 20.
After that event, as Dolly recalled, they got in their car and headed home. Carl turned to her and said, “Dolly, I want you to have everything you want, and I’m happy for you, but don’t you ever ask me to go to another one of them dang things again!”
In 2016, they celebrated their 50th anniversary, and to make it special, they renewed their vows. Dolly said it was a sweet and special moment for them. Despite being in the spotlight, they’ve kept their love strong and private.
“We didn’t feel any pressure at all. We had our own little ceremony in a small chapel on our property. After that, we went in our little RV down to Ringgold, Georgia, and spent the night where we got married 50 years ago. We took some beautiful pictures, got all dressed up, and had a lot of fun, really.”
“We’ve always been good buddies. We have a lot of fun and a lot of respect for each other. It was his first marriage and mine, and we never thought we’d ever want to do that again. Why bother?”
Dolly Parton has been in the entertainment business for her whole life, and it has been great to have the support of her one true love through it all. Nowadays, they can pretty much do whatever they want, and we truly think they deserve it all.
But there’s one thing that Carl and Dolly decided against – having children. Dolly had a simple reason for not wanting kids: her career.
Now, Dolly Parton is 77 years old, but we hope to see her perform and make albums for many more years.
Man Waits for Son He Has Not Seen in Years at the Airport, Does Not Find Boy among Passengers – Story of the Day
Arlene sent her seven-year-old, Justin, to visit his father, Pierce, in Orlando. Pierce waited for his son in anticipation of all the fun they would have, but his flight had allegedly arrived, and his son was nowhere to be found. That’s when both parents started worrying and realized their shocking mistake.
Arlene and her son, Justin, were at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia. The seven-year-old was about to board a flight to Orland, Florida, where his father, Pierce, awaited him. It was the first time he had traveled as an unaccompanied minor, but luckily, the airline attendant made her feel safe.
“It’s going to be alright. Many minors travel alone around the country, and we should reach your husband in time,” she stated. “He’ll have an escort, and this flight is best because there are no connections. Everything will be perfect.”
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Arlene nodded, her face filled with emotion. Justin might be growing, but he was still a child. It was hard to let him go, mainly because he hadn’t seen his father in years. After their bitter divorce, Pierce moved from Virginia to Orlando, Florida, and he was busy most of the time.
“How is that possible?” Arlene wailed, almost starting to cry from the worry and exasperation. But something occurred to her at that moment. “Give me a second.”
However, his company had just given him a two-week vacation, and he invited Justin to come to spend time with him. They were going to the theme parks, so that Arlene couldn’t say no. Her son was too excited because he loved everything relating to superheroes and dinosaurs. It was his dream.
But now, she was almost regretting it. “Ok, Justin. You’re going to with this lady and get on the plane. Listen to the adults around. Don’t run off from your escort, and you’ll reach your dad soon. When you land in Orlando, you call me immediately. And then, call me again when you meet your father. Understand?” she requested, kneeling in front of the kid and holding his arms tenderly.
“Yes, Mom!” he replied, smiling and doing a makeshift military salute. This kid had a great sense of humor. He was going to love that trip.
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“Ok. Love you. Go on!” she continued and watched as Justin grabbed the attendant’s hand and entered the gate.
She thought about leaving but sat down at an airport café. She was going to wait for the plane to take off. But once she saw that the flight had taken off, she decided to stay and wait for Justin’s call if anything happened. After all, the flight was less than two hours long. The time would pass quickly.
***
Meanwhile, Pierce was waiting for Justin at Orlando International Airport, and he couldn’t wait. He was just as excited as the kid to see all the attractions at the park. It was crazy that he had lived in the city for years but had yet to attend. His work kept him way too busy. This trip was going to be amazing.
He arrived an hour before Justin’s flight and went to the arrival area to wait for him. Finally, the flight landed, and Pierce got closer to the gate so his son could see him immediately. “I should have made a sign,” he muttered to himself as he saw other people waiting for their loved ones. It was too late now. He stayed in the front at all times.
However, many passengers came out, and there was no Justin. According to the unaccompanied minor service, Arlene said that he would have top priority. So, someone should have brought him out already. He didn’t want to call her yet to avoid worrying her. Maybe, Justin had to go to the bathroom, which could explain the delay. He would wait for a while.
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But at one point, no other passengers were coming out of the arrival area. It had been an hour since the plane landed. It shouldn’t take that long. He approached someone from the airline and started asking questions. An attendant came to assist him.
“I’m sorry, sir. There was no one by the name of Justin on that flight. We have no record of an unaccompanied minor serviced hired for it either,” the attendant, shocking Pierce.
“That’s impossible. Please, check again,” he demanded, trying to stay calm, but the sweat on his forehead gave away his fears.
The assistant typed away on her computer, and Pierce’s phone rang. It was Arlene. Hopefully, she knew what was going on. “Hello?”
“Hey, Pierce. Why didn’t you guys call me when Justin arrived? I told him to call me when the plane landed and when you met with him,” Arlene wondered, and he could tell that she was agitated for some reason.
“Arlene, listen. I’m sorry to say this, but Justin has not arrived. An attendant here said that he was not on the flight. I don’t understand what’s going on,” he was forced to reveal, and Arlene yelled in his ear.
“No! That’s crazy! NO! Tell the attendant to check again!” she started yelling. “I’m going to talk to someone on my end too. I’m still at the airport.”
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“Ok. Listen, calm down. Everything will be alright. There must be a mix-up or something,” he said, trying to calm his ex-wife because he knew she was prone to hysterics.
“I’m not calming down! This is our child, Pierce! Talk to you later!” she screamed and hung up.
“Sir, like I said. There was no Justin on the flight. There’s nothing I can do. Are you sure this is the airline?” the attendant asked.
“Yes! It’s the only flight that arrived at this time from Virginia! My son was on that flight. My ex-wife just confirmed. Please, help me, miss. He’s only seven. Can you call anyone? Should I call the police?” Pierce started asking questions rapidly. The attendant sighed and grabbed her phone.
***
“Justin, where are you? Why didn’t you call me sooner? What’s happening?” Arlene asked desperately on her phone.
“Mom, we have been trying to find Dad for hours, and he’s nowhere. Did you talk to him?” the little boy said through the phone.
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“Your father is right at the arrival area. He’s just as worried as I am. Please, give the phone to your escort,” Arlene requested and demanded an explanation from the woman, who only reiterated what Justin said earlier. There was no Pierce anywhere in the airport.
She told them to wait until she called again and dialed her ex’s number. “Pierce, Justin called me and said they’ve been looking for you for a long time. What’s going on?” she said, one hand running through her hair in frustration. She knew Justin was safe, but there was no reason why they couldn’t find each other.
“There’s no way, Arlene. That’s impossible. People here are saying he was not on the flight!” Pierce stated.
“How is that possible?” Arlene wailed, almost starting to cry from the worry and exasperation. But something occurred to her at that moment. “Give me a second.”
She went to her emails where she had sent Pierce the flight details. However, she had written them instead of sending a screenshot, and she suddenly realized her big mistake. “Pierce,” she started, again putting the phone in her ear. “Where are you?”
“What do you mean? I’m at Orlando International Airport. Why?” Pierce questioned, confused by her words. But something clicked in his brain at that moment.
“Justin arrived at Orlando Sanford International Airport!” Arlene yelled, and Pierce took off in a run.
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“Jesus! Arlene, why didn’t you say that in your email! Most flights got to MCO!” he scolded her breathlessly as he ran to his car. “I’ll be there in 30 minutes!”
While Pierce was on his way, Arlene called Justin and explained to his escort what had happened. She was relieved too, and they waited for Pierce to arrive.
Less than an hour later, Justin called her. “I’m with Dad, Mom! Thank you for helping me! I’ll send you pics of Disney soon!”
Arlene hung up the phone with her son and breathed deeply as if she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs. Finally, she walked to her car.
What can we learn from this story?
- You must send all the details of a flight and check several times. These poor parents worried so much because they had not communicated well enough. Luckily, nothing happened, and they resolved the issue.
- It’s always best to fly with your kids. While an unaccompanied minor service is perfect for busy parents and other situations, Arlene should have traveled with her son if she was going to worry so much. She would have avoided worrying so much.
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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who adopted a boy she found on the side of the road, and his father showed up years later.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
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