In defence of a living legend: Our Dolly Parton top ten

After Sky News anchor Kay Burley publicly and unabashedly accused Dolly Parton of miming through her universally-acclaimed live set at Glastonbury last weekend (Burley tweeted: 'Oh, Dolly is miming. How disappointing'), fans including Stephen Fry and Boy George have been rallying in the country singing legend's defence. And joining her cohorts of supporters, we would like to take this opportunity to celebrate her as she magnificently rises above carping from critics, with a list of the top ten things we love most about Dolly ...

Her secret tattoos

Ever the renegade, the 68-year old singer revealed last month that she has several rather intimate tattoos ‘not where you can see them’ and ‘mostly for my husband’. Addressing speculation that she always wears long sleeves because her arms are covered in a plethora of ink markings, Parton opened up to American journalist Savannah Guthrie in an interview on the Today show, but was keen to emphasise that the rumoured extent of those tattoos has been somewhat exaggerated.

Support of her god-daughter Miley Cyrus

When defending or justifying Miley Cyrus’ behaviour at that MTV Music Awards performance (wherein Cyrus indulged in some pretty explicit ‘twerking’ and gyrating up against pop star Robin Thicke) seemed nigh impossible, her loyal god-mother Dolly stepped in to stick up for her, telling the Evening Standard: ‘I don’t think people really realize yet what a great singer and writer she really is. She’s just trying to find her own place and wings and learn to fly’. And just when she couldn’t seem any more understanding or forgiving, Parton carried on ‘But I would never dream of calling her and saying, well why are you doing this? Or you shouldn’t do this or that. It’s not easy being young, it’s hard to know what to do. You’ve almost got to sacrifice your damn soul just to get anything done.’

So, if for nothing else, we certainly envy Miley a godmother like that.

She wrote ‘Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You’ in the same day

Two of the biggest, best-selling ballads of all time. Reportedly cracked out in the same day. Dolly we salute you.

She authentically encapsulates the American Dream

Dolly grew up in an extremely poor family (not of the exaggerated, publicity-friendly ‘never had much money growing up’ Hollywood sob story kind) of 11 siblings, herself the fourth, and has gone onto world domination. Of her humble beginnings in the backwoods of Tennessee’s Great Smokey Mountains, Dolly has said ‘you know they always talk about two rooms and a bath? We had two rooms and a path. We’d have running water when we’d run to get it. We didn’t have any electricity… if fireflies were out, we’d catch them in a mason jar and put them in our bedroom’.

She supports gay marriage

In that characteristically light-hearted Dolly way, she has come out in support of gay marriage with the quote: ‘Sure – why can’t they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do!’ 

She's a true feminist icon

Sure, some may say she capitalises on her sex appeal with her outrageous outfits and ample breasts, but Parton’s refreshingly empowering attitude towards women in the workplace and the status of marriage make her a role model to women everywhere. Publicly batting off questions about her upbringing on good old-fashioned Southern American values, Parton retorts with: ‘People ask if we were Roman Catholic but I say ‘No, we were just hillbillies’ . And having been happily married for 42 years now, it would be fair to say that Dolly knows a thing or two about balanced and equal relationships. Although, ‘When I lie there listening to him snoring I think: Where’s Jolene?’

She’s just a lovely person

In every interview, in every live show, and evidently even when headlining Glastonbury festival, Dolly’s friendly warmth and charm is plain to see. We defy anyone who isn't already, not to be won over when watching her live.

She can laugh at herself

Her cheeky sense of humour and self-deprecating wit are of a kind rather rare in the showbiz industry. Case in point: she once entered a Dolly Parton lookalike contest – and lost. ‘I just over-exaggerated my look and went in and just walked up on stage. I didn’t win. I didn’t even come in close, I don’t think’.

She refused to sell Elvis the rights to ‘I Will Always Love You’

When 'The King' was desperate to cover her hit ‘I Will Always Love You’ and demanded the publishing rights, Dolly politely declined. There’s something wonderful about this charismatic little hillbilly go-getter from Tennessee telling one of the biggest stars of all time to take a running jump. Years later she allowed Whitney Houston to cover the song for The Bodyguard. And as a result it became one of the best selling singles of all time.

She’s a living legend

For someone so dainty and small, Parton packs a hefty punch. A song-writing, singing and performing powerhouse, she clearly still has what it takes even at the ripe old age of 68.

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