Dolly Parton is just about the best thing since sliced bread. There isn’t much she hasn’t done. Dolly has made hit records, starred in some classic films, and regularly donates big chunks of money to charity. What other country music star do you know of that has a whole theme park named after them? People all around the world love Dolly. You don’t even have to be a country music fan to understand the draw. As a matter of fact, you don’t need to like her music to be a Dolly fan. Her warm spirit, easy smile, and great big heart draw just about everyone in. This is especially true for residents of her home state of Tennessee.
Dolly Parton is such a massive star that people have taken to calling her the Queen of Country Music. It seems like a fitting title. After all, she is a great ambassador for the genre. At the same time, she has written some of the biggest country songs of all time. “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You,” all came from her pen. Dolly doesn’t like that title though. In fact, she gets a little offended when people call her the Queen.
Dolly Parton sat down with David Wright for Nightline back in 2018. During that interview, Dolly told David why being called the Queen of Country Music offends her.
Dolly Parton Says She’s Not the Queen
To get into the topic of royalty, Wright said that he and his wife had been watching The Crown and asked Dolly Parton if she had watched it. Dolly said that she had. David then says that he and his wife started talking and decided that Dolly was “our version of the Queen.”
Dolly Parton throws back her head and laughs at this. David Wright goes on to talk about how long Dolly has been in the business. Mrs. Parton seems flattered but she is quick to politely correct the interviewer.
“Well, I’m not the queen, though. The Queen of Country Music is Kitty Wells,” Dolly Parton states plainly. She goes on, giving respect to some of the other ladies of country music, “Then there are the others like Loretta [Lynn] and Tammy [Wynette].”
Dolly goes on to say that she’ll take whatever title people want to give her. However, she says, “Sometimes that call me the Queen of Country Music and I take offense to that. Because, that’s not fair to the ones that had that title before.”
Dolly Parton says she’s not the Queen of Country Music. She is, however, grateful to still be making music. She’s also grateful that her music resonates with new generations of fans as well as artists.
Personally, we prefer the title Patron Saint of Appalachia. Dolly Parton has done so much for the region that the title fits her like a glove.
