The first time I really paid attention to Dolly Parton was when she appeared on the Johnny Carson Show. She just reached behind the couch and pulled out a guitar and sang. No tricks, no boost, just her voice and the guitar. That’s talent.
I like when she talks and jokes about her family. She said her mom came from a family of ten and her dad came from a family of 15. She explained, “There’s not much to do in the Smokey Mountains.”
I like this Youtube clip of Dolly singing and playing the banjo. Be sure to look closely as she picks and strums the banjo with her long fingernails. Again, that’s talent . . . a remarkable talent.
Dolly Parton is more than a big front and a giant wig. Much more. People right now are talking about her donation of a million dollars to Moderna for the creation of a COVID:19 vaccine, which is fantastic, but she has been a long time donor to help others.
“The diminutive diva’s $1 million donation to Covid-19 research was partly used to fund Moderna’s promising Covid-19 vaccine — something she didn’t even know until her name appeared among other sponsors in a preliminary report on the vaccine.” – cnn.com/2020/11/18/entertainment/dolly-parton-moderna-covid-vaccine-reaction-trnd/index.html
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth until they begin school, no matter their family’s income. After launching in 1995, the program grew quickly. First books were only distributed to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee where Dolly grew up. It became such a success that in 2000 a national replication effort was underway. By 2003, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library had mailed one million books. It would prove to be the first of many millions of books sent to children around the world. From the county, to the state, to the United States and global expansion. “After the United States, the program launched in Canada in 2006 followed by the United Kingdom in 2007, Australia in 2013 and the Republic of Ireland in 2019.” In 2018 the 100th Million book was dedicated to the U.S. Library of Congress.
Dolly is just one year younger than I am . . . no wonder she looks so good. She’s been entertaining since she was ten. She’s written over three thousand songs and appeared in five films. My favorite, from 1980, was 9 to 5, where she held her own with actresses Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. The song Nine To Five was Written and Performed by Dolly Parton. For more information about 9 to 5, visit – imdb.com/title/tt0080319/
For more information about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library visit – imaginationlibrary.com/
Every two seconds they give a book to a child . . . now, that’s something to sing about.
Don,
Thanks for the wonderful Dolly Parton write-up.
I had to laugh though. Not at you. Just laugh because you reminded me of one of my old jokes written because I travelled to the Smokey Mountains located along the North Carolina / Tennessee border.
Actually, if you go to the Smokey Mountains, prounounced Smokey Mountains you will discover either the hill people are poor spellers or someone stole the letter “e” in Smokey. They spell it Smoky which I pronounce as it should be, Smok-y rhyming with smock.
I wondered where the letter “e” went. After doing some linguistic detective work, I solved the mystery. It was a matter of alphabet theft or so my joke goes.
You, to this day can find the letter “e” that belongs in the Smoky Mountains in the nearby town of Asheville, North Carolina, which I pronounce Asheville with a long e sound in the middle or Ash-?e-ville the town’s name.
So, when ever I get down that way, I always visit the Smock-y Mountains and then make a trip to Ash-??-ville.
Since you are a guy who likes to know stuff, I thought you would want to know.
Joseph Boyle
Joseph,
Thanks for commenting. I would love to visit Tennessee. I have quite a few followers among the Muslim contingent that have moved there. I got a good laugh out of your explanations that took me back decades . . . us older people have lots of decades to take in and back . I think Steve Allen used to use “smock, smock” as some sort of rallying cry. I’ve forgotten why, however.
Thanks for sharing . . . I sometimes get the feeling that we are the only ones reading our articles and then we get lovely messages . . . and sometimes not so love messages.
Don
p.s. I posted a number of notices for your PC sheriff candidate all over the country on FB. I’m sorry she didn’t win.
D
Joe, I’d like to see you fill the city council vacancy.
Marty,
What a good idea!
Don
Don,
Thanks for backing Marty’s play.
One of my biggest obstacles to becoming a member of The Lakewood City Council is I make it a practice to never be a part of any organization that would have me as a member.
Joseph Boyle
Gracious Marty. Thank you for giving me such a high compliment.
The circumstances of my future make my effort to follow up on your suggestion impossible.
Joseph Boyle
P.S. Councilman Joseph Boyle does have a nice ring to it; at least to my ears.
Joeseph,
With your background of service and outlook on life. You would be perfect . . . well perhaps not perfect . . . but respected . . . well perhaps not respected . . . but at least recognized . . . well perhaps no recognized . . . who are you, again?
Don
Don,
To make my comment make more sense, know that he computer in Ben’s office did not like my accent marks over the letter e. The question marks should be ee with accent marks or long e.
Technology. Hurumph!
Joseph Boyle