1

Her parents paid for her birth with cornmeal

Dolly Parton’s life has been filled with talent, music, art, and an adoring audience, but it wasn’t always easy for her or her family.

She was born on January 19, 1946, in a one-room log cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, during a snowstorm. The fourth of 12 children, Dolly was born to Robert Lee Parton Sr. and Avie Lee Owens Parton, who were far from wealthy. According to Dolly, her parents paid the doctor who delivered her, Dr. Robert F. Thomas, with a sack of cornmeal because they couldn't afford to pay him in cash. Dolly later honored him in the song "Dr. Robert F. Thomas," which appeared on her 1973 solo studio album, My Tennessee Mountain Home.

2

She made her first guitar from an old mandolin

From a young age, Dolly showed that hard times wouldn’t stop her.

Around 1951, when she was about five years old, she wrote her first song, titled "Little Tiny Tasseltop," about a doll with corn-silk hair that her mother made for her. A couple of years later, Dolly got her first guitar, or rather, she made one herself. Growing up poor, buying a new instrument was impossible for her family. So she decided to turn a broken old mandolin into a makeshift guitar by adding two bass guitar strings. Not long afterward, an uncle gave her a small, proper acoustic guitar, an instrument that helped a young Dolly take her first steps toward performing professionally on local radio and television.

3

She was married to the same man for nearly 60 years

Although they were rarely seen together in public, Dolly Parton married at 20 and spent nearly six decades with the same man.

Dolly was 18 when she arrived in Nashville in 1964, and the city had quite a surprise waiting for her. On her very first day, she went to do laundry at the Wishy Washy Laundromat, where she met Carl Dean, then 21. He spotted her outside, stopped his pickup truck, and struck up a conversation. According to Carl, his first thought was, "I’m gonna marry that girl." Dolly and Carl wed on May 30, 1966, in Ringgold, Georgia, in a small private ceremony. They remained together until Carl’s death on March 3, 2025, just shy of their 60th wedding anniversary.

4

She wrote "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You" to launch her solo career

During the 1970s, Dolly decided to leave the famous Porter Wagoner Show and strike out on her own as a solo artist. To do it, she turned to what she did best: writing songs.

But she didn’t write just any songs; she wrote two of the most famous hits of the 20th century: "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene." The first was an emotional farewell to her mentor and duet partner, Porter Wagoner. The other was inspired by a red-haired bank teller who caught Dolly’s attention by openly flirting with her husband at his local bank during the early years of their marriage. Some accounts say she wrote them during the same intense songwriting session in 1973, and there’s even a story that she wrote both on the same day, but Dolly herself has stated she wasn’t 100% sure about that. What is known is that the two songs appeared back-to-back on the same album, 1974’s Jolene .

5

She turned down Elvis

In 1973, Dolly Parton was at a turning point in her career, working hard to establish herself as a solo artist and prove she could make it on her own. That process resulted in one of the most famous and beautiful songs ever recorded: "I Will Always Love You." But she had no idea what would happen just about one year later.

Someone heard the song and immediately wanted to record a cover, and it wasn’t just anyone; it was Elvis Presley himself. Dolly was thrilled by the offer, but eventually had to say no after Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded that she give up 50% of the song’s publishing rights. Parton refused because she wanted to keep the publishing income for her family, but in later interviews, she openly admitted she cried all night after turning down the King.

6

She created "9 to 5" using her fingernails

Everything about Dolly was big: her talent, her creativity, her heart, and also her hair, makeup, and acrylic fingernails. As it turned out, those famous nails even played a part in creating the sound of one of her biggest hits.

Dolly used her nails as a percussion instrument while working on "9 to 5," the theme song for the 1980 movie of the same name. While on the set without a guitar handy, she clacked her long acrylic nails together to create the typical sound of a typewriter, giving the song its memorable rhythm. She even recreated that sound during the recording, earning an unusual credit on the album: "Nails by Dolly."

7

She entered a Dolly Parton lookalike contest... and lost

Dolly Parton always knew how to have a good time, and this story is a perfect example.

As she recalled in her 2012 memoir, Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You , Dolly was in Los Angeles during Halloween when she heard about a look-alike contest at a gay bar on Santa Monica Boulevard, featuring drag queens dressed as her. She couldn’t resist, so she went all out with her hair and makeup, arrived with friends, and entered the contest without revealing who she was. The funniest part? Nobody recognized her; the judges reportedly thought she was a "cheap imitation" of the real thing. As she has said in several interviews, she didn’t win, but she definitely had a good laugh.

8

She had her own theme park

Music wasn’t the only thing that came out of Dolly’s imagination; she also dreamed up another ambitious project: a theme park that would bear her name.

In September 1985, Dolly announced plans to build a "fantasy mountain park" in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, hoping to bring jobs and economic growth to her native region. Rather than competing with others or starting from scratch, her team partnered with the Herschend family, owners of Silver Dollar City park in Pigeon Forge. After a $5 million expansion, the park reopened as Dollywood on May 3, 1986. Attendance more than doubled in its first season, and the park became a major Smoky Mountains attraction. After Dolly’s passing, park officials said keeping Dollywood open had been her wish, reflecting her belief that "the show must go on."

9

The Imagination Library

In addition to thousands of songs and a successful amusement park, Dolly created something else filled with love: a program that put books into children’s hands.

Dolly Parton established the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 and launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 . The program sends free books each month to children from birth until age five. It eventually expanded beyond the United States to Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland, reaching millions of children, but the idea was deeply personal. Dolly often called her father, Robert Lee Parton, who she said was the smartest man she had ever known, while noting that his limited literacy had kept him from pursuing some of his dreams. She created the Imagination Library in large part to honor her father and provide children with the opportunities he never had.

10

She was a Guinness World Record holder

We all know how talented and prolific Dolly Parton was, so it’s no surprise that she has earned an impressive number of awards. But Dolly has done more than fill trophy cases; she’s also filled the record books.

Besides her 10 competitive GRAMMY Awards from 55 nominations, along with the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award that she received in 2011, Dolly also holds 11 Guinness World Records titles, many of them recognizing the extraordinary longevity and success of her career on the country charts. Among them are the record for the longest span of No. 1 hits on the U.S. Top Country Albums chart by a female artist (46 years and 197 days) and the record for the most No. 1 hits on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist, with 25.

1

Elvis Presley

Born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, with early dreams of music stardom, Elvis lived a short life that was nothing short of a miracle for music . His first career breakthrough came in 1954 when he recorded the single "That's All Right," fusing country, blues, and gospel to create a revolutionary new sound . Elvis’s unique music and tremendous popularity led him to achieve his first No. 1 hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," in 1956.

Elvis’ catalog is packed with absolute classics known and loved worldwide, such as "Can't Help Falling in Love," "Burning Love," and "Jailhouse Rock," among many others. Elvis’ image remains one of the most recognizable symbols of Rock and Roll, and his music inspired countless artists.

2

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is one of those artists whose cultural influence is quite difficult to explain because of how much he has achieved. He’s been frequently credited as the creator of folk-rock and is a member of three different Halls of Fame: the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

His music is a defining element of American culture, with memorable classics such as "Blowin' in the Wind," "Like a Rolling Stone," "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," and "The Times They Are a-Changin'." And in 2016, he became the first songwriter to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

3

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra is the quintessential male vocalist. Who hasn’t sung at the top of their lungs some of his legendary songs like "My Way," "Fly Me to the Moon" or "Strangers in the Night." Born in 1915, Sinatra rose to fame in the 1940s as the lead singer for Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. But he would reach stratospheric heights of fame when he launched his solo career.

Sinatra sold more than 150 million records worldwide, won 11 Grammy Awards, starred in over 50 films, and even nabbed an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity (1953) . But his greatest achievement goes beyond numbers and metrics; he shaped generations of singers through his unmistakable voice.

4

Chuck Berry

It’s impossible to talk about Rock and Roll without naming its father, Chuck Berry. With his music, he created the blueprint for the genre , delivering a number of all-time classic songs like "Johnny B. Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Sweet Little Sixteen."

Chuck Berry’s guitar riffs and his one-of-a-kind live performances went on to define some of the main elements of rock, and his signature "duck walk" became iconic and endlessly referenced in pop culture over the years. A fascinating detail about his music is that "Johnny B. Goode" was selected for the Voyager Golden Record music collection that was sent into space on NASA's Voyager spacecraft in 1977 to represent Earth's culture.

5

Dolly Parton

3,000 songs written, more than 100 million records sold, and 11 Grammy Awards are just some of the achievements Dolly Parton has racked up throughout her impressive career. Born in Sevierville, Tennessee, Parton went on to become one of country music’s greatest ambassadors .

Her music catalog is filled with gems like "Jolene," "9 to 5," "Coat of Many Colors" and "I Will Always Love You," which gained international recognition when Whitney Houston recorded it for The Bodyguard (1992). Parton famously wrote both "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You" in one day. She also had a successful Hollywood career and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

6

Bruce Springsteen

Famously hailing from New Jersey, "The Boss" rose to international fame with Born to Run in 1975 and became the voice of working-class America . Songs like "Born to Run," "Born in the U.S.A.," and "Dancing in the Dark" spoke to everyday people, their hopes, struggles, and the coveted American dream.

Springsteen has sold more than 140 million records worldwide and has won 20 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award. He was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2016, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. To this day, Springsteen remains one of the most respected American songwriters.

7

Madonna

It’s impossible to make a list of the greatest artists in history without including the Queen of Pop . Madonna was (and is) a sensation. She took the world by storm with Like a Virgin (1984) and transformed pop music by constantly reinventing her image, her music, and her provocative performances.

We all remember her from the MTV era and how she redefined the role of music videos and used them as a platform for artistic expression and cultural commentary. Throughout her successful career, she has reinvented her musical style, transitioning between pop, dance, electronic, Latin, and R&B without losing relevance, selling over 400 million records worldwide.

8

Prince

Few artists in history could ever embody versatility quite like Prince did. An incredibly talented person, he not only revolutionized popular music but also created a whole new style that was his own .

He would write, produce, arrange, and perform much of his music himself, and though he’s best known for his guitar, piano, and vocals, Prince could play more than 20 instruments . An absolute music genius! His album Purple Rain (1984) is one of his greatest and best-selling creations, and it earned him several Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.

9

Michael Jackson

A single white glove, a black fedora, military-inspired jackets, and the moonwalk: Michael Jackson’s visual identity is one of the most recognizable images in music history . From his beginnings as a child in The Jackson 5 to conquering the world as the "King of Pop," Michael’s career is marked by an unparalleled string of hits.

It’s no surprise that his most massive album was Thriller (1982), which still holds the record as the best-selling album of all time , with more than 70 million copies sold worldwide. And his total record sales are over 500 million worldwide.

10

Aretha Franklin

Often hailed as the greatest singer of all time, "The Queen of Soul" started singing gospel music in her father’s church before achieving international fame in 1967 with the release of "Respect," her signature song. Aretha’s powerful voice is unmistakable, and her energy on stage will forever be remembered .

Some of her most famous songs are "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Chain of Fools," "Think," and "Freeway of Love." On top of her Grammy Awards and millions of records sold, Aretha became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.

1

Grand Canyon

Image: Tim Hart

The Grand Canyon: Every angle seems worthy of a picture! This Arizona landmark is truly awe-inspiring, and very few would be able to visit without wanting to take home endless photos of it.

Whether you capture shots from the rim, hike to the bottom, or take a mule ride, the views are simply unforgettable. Hoover Dam is the second most photographed spot in Nevada—a worthy opponent!

2

Central Park

Image: Jermaine Ee

Not only is New York’s gem the most filmed park, but it’s also the most photographed in the state!

A stroll through the oasis that is Central Park always merits a picture or two. Scenic green spaces, bike and boat rides, flower gardens, and even a zoo—there’s no shortage of photo-worthy spots. That’s enough to surpass the number of pictures taken from the Empire State Building and even Niagara Falls upstate.

3

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort

Image: Nico Smit

Picture this: you, a Mai Tai, and the sparkling Pacific Ocean. That’s the vibe at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, the most photographed spot in the Aloha State.

A paradise on Oahu’s famous Waikiki Beach, this resort—featuring its iconic Rainbow Tower, lush gardens, and multiple pools—certainly has no shortage of social-media-worthy corners.

4

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Image: Connor Gan

This one wasn’t hard to guess. South Dakota’s most photographed spot is Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a truly awe-inspiring sight: the 60-foot faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln carved into the granite mountainside.

Did you know it took 14 years to complete and involved over 400 workers? Arguably, it deserves all the attention it still gets.

5

Disney's Magic Kingdom

Image: Brian McGowan

Another easy guess: the most magical place on Earth! Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida is undoubtedly one of the most popular spots for tourists—and that’s in a state known for its paradisiacal beaches, like those in Miami and Key West!

It seems that castles, parades, fireworks, and timeless characters are enough to win the hearts of most Florida visitors.

6

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1701919747996-1e9531dde0a9?

A one-of-a-kind outdoor venue, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado undoubtedly takes home the prize. Nestled among stunning red rock formations, this dramatic landscape looks even more breathtaking at sunrise.

Imagine an epic rock concert there—or simply the joy of standing at its center and hearing your voice naturally amplified.

7

Wrigley Field

Image: Blake Guidry

Whether you're a Chicago fan or not, the unwritten rule for tourists is simple: if you walk by Wrigley Field, you snap a picture. It’s a baseball lover’s dream and a must-see for any visitor to the Windy City.

Home to the Chicago Cubs, this historic ballpark has witnessed its share of legendary moments, from Babe Ruth’s called shot to the Cubs’ unforgettable 2016 World Series win. It even appears in more pictures than The Bean or Navy Pier!

8

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Image: Chang Ye

Is the movie Rocky to blame? Maybe. The Philadelphia Museum of Art houses an impressive collection of masterpieces from around the world. But let's be honest—most people just want to photograph or film themselves conquering the "Rocky Steps."

In the famous movie, the protagonist climbs those stairs daily as part of his training before his big triumph. His fists-up gesture is so famous that they even added a statue of him nearby! After your triumphant run and snapshots, take some time to explore the museum’s galleries and admire its stunning architecture.

9

Virginia Beach Oceanfront

Image: Daniel Halseth

Sun, sand, and surf! Virginia Beach Oceanfront is the perfect destination for a classic beach getaway.

A scenic boardwalk, fresh seafood, and a towering 12-foot bronze statue of King Neptune are all frequent subjects of photos taken in this area. Even the occasional seagull makes for a popular portrait choice!

10

Brown University

Image: Keming Tan

Several universities rank among the most photographed spots in their states, and Brown University is no exception! This Rhode Island Ivy League school boasts a beautiful historic campus, complete with Gothic architecture and an intellectual atmosphere that captivates visitors.

Brown’s campus is so popular and charming that online tours are available for people to explore from the comfort of their own computers!

11

Disneyland

Image: Brandi Alexandra

Did you see it coming? Another Disney win! The original theme park, located in Anaheim, California, appears in more photos than the Santa Monica Pier, Golden Gate Park, or Hollywood’s Universal Studios. Walt Disney, who personally oversaw the park’s construction, would surely be proud!