Since the beginning of her long and storied career, Dolly Parton has used her memorable voice, talent and platform to stand for women and other marginalized groups. On her second solo studio album, 1968's Just Because I'm A Woman, she brings the women's liberation movement to country music. On its title track, she calls out the double standards women face, eloquently pointing to the hypocrisy of men expecting their wives to be virgins even though they aren't themselves.
She's since released over 50 albums and penned over 3,000 songs, including timeless hits "Jolene," "9 to 5," "I Will Always Love You," and many others. She's won 10 GRAMMY Awards for her music, and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
As part of GRAMMY.com's ongoing celebration of Women's History Month, let's take a moment to honor the groundbreaking country icon, the star of the second episode of the video series Run The World.
In addition to everything Parton brings to the recording studio and stage (and even the silver screen!), she's always had a philanthropic heart. In 1988, she founded the Dollywood Foundation, which supports literacy and other causes, through efforts like the Imagination Library, which has sent hundreds of millions of books to children around the world. Acknowledging her tireless efforts to give back, she was honored as the MusiCares Person Of The Year in 2019.
Recently, in 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support their COVID-19 research, which helped fund research of the Moderna vaccine. It was not her first time donating to the medical center; she also gave a large gift to their Pediatric Cancer Program in 2017.
Revisit the beloved country star's ongoing legacy in the video above. We will always love you, Dolly!