Two books, one by Sarah Smarsh and a ‘life in lyrics’ by Parton, offer a reminder that the singer is a social unifier, a musical trailblazer and a business genius
In 1977, Dolly Parton was interviewed by Barbara Walters in a TV special. The singer was 31 and, having not long extricated herself from a professional partnership with the country singer Porter Wagoner, had conquered the pop charts with the album Here You Come Again. Walters asked if puberty came early for Parton and, gesturing to her breasts, inquired: “Is it all you?” She then invited Parton to stand up so viewers could inspect her figure, and asked why she bothered with the makeup, the wigs and the clothes. “You don’t have to look like this,” Walters said, wagging a finger at her.
Walters isn’t the only one to have treated Parton like a prize cow. Oprah Winfrey once ushered her on to her feet and invited everyone to take a closer look, as did the talk show host Phil Donahue, who added: “I know guys that wouldn’t let you out of the house.” Johnny Carson looked at her chest on national TV and said: “I would give about a year’s pay to peek under there.”
