Mariah Carey has for years been bringing the start of Christmas forward to November 1, the day after Halloween, with her now signature video titled “It’s time” (“The time has come”), so that his multimillion-selling song All I want for Christmas is yourepeat like the most listened to Christmas carol. The American composed and published her song in 1994, ready to become the “Queen of Christmas” and, although she deserves the honor of being considered by many, the reality is that she had – and continues to have – a predecessor in capital letters: Dolly Parton.
In 1984, he released his first Christmas album, Once Upon a Christmaswith Kenny Rogers, to whom songs like I believe in Santa Claus And An unforgettable Christmas. In addition to movies, specials and books, the woman who is also considered the “Queen of Country” even has her own theme park, Dollywood. So we’re sorry, Mariah, but we have to leave you as the “Christmas Princess.”
Parton waits a little longer than Carey to show off her Christmas decorations each year, until November 28, after she celebrates Thanksgiving. The singer fills her house with lights and likes to take walks to discover her neighbors’ lights. As she revealed to Woman’s World, she’s keeping her house – and continuing to party – until after her birthday on January 19.
Before releasing her first album of Christmas carols, Parton already had a long career on stage, having started singing as a child in church and at just ten years old she was already appearing on local radio and television programs. She was born in 1946 in a small cabin in Sevierville (Tennessee, United States), into a family that she always described as “extremely poor”, being the fourth of twelve siblings. Some time later, he obtained his first recording contract, with Goldband Records, and in 1959 he released his first single, puppy love.
That year, he appeared for the first time on the Grand Ole Opry, a renowned country show, where he met Johnny Cash, who saw his potential and encouraged him to take advantage of it. A year after finishing high school, he moved to Nashville, where little by little he built his career until he became a world star. And he succeeded, both for his voice and for his songs. We owe him hymns like I will Always Love You And Jolene.
Her first foray into Christmas came after she had already catapulted her fame, also thanks to her acting role. In 1980 he played How to eliminate your boss (Colin Higgins) with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. For her performance, she was nominated for a Golden Globe and also for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.which he composed for the film.
Late 1984 – the same year he directed the romantic comedy with Sylvester Stallone Rhinestones– made his foray into musical Christmas with Once Upon a Christmaswith Kenny Rogers. And from then on, there was no going back. The duo promoted the album on a CBS special, Kenny & Dolly: An Unforgettable Christmaswhich 30 million viewers watched.
Two years later, he released his first holiday-themed TV film, A smoky Christmas in the mountainsdirected by Henry Winkler. In this film, she plays a country superstar, Lorna Davis, who, to end her frustration and disillusionment with her career and loneliness, decides to go to a friend’s cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, where she ends up caring for seven orphans.
Parton continued to cultivate her Christmas legend with her album Home for Christmasin which he performed classic Christmas carols such as First Christmas, Santa Claus is coming to town and the jewel Go say it on the mountain. In 1994, he returned to television format with Angel for everythingdirected by Michael Switzer. She plays Ruby Diamond, a country singer who, upon dying, discovers that to enter heaven she must earn, so she decides to become an angel and return to Earth to help a family.
Christmas with attractions, at ‘Dollywood’
Beyond her music career, Parton is also a successful businesswoman, writer, patron of the arts, philanthropist, and activist. The singer has built an entire empire that includes everything from television and film production companies to the Imagination Library Foundation, with which she spent three decades distributing more than 300,000 books for free to more than three million children under the age of five.
Dolly herself explains in a letter that growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, she knew her dreams would “come true.” “I know there are children in your community with their own dreams of becoming a doctor, inventors or ministers. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books, and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow all over the world,” he explains of the project’s origin and mission.
One of her biggest sources of income is the Rabel Railroad theme park, which opened in 1961, and which the singer co-acquired in 1986, when she renamed it Dollywood. The resort has a water park, hotels and golf courses. In the park itself there is even a church, Dolly Chapel, where fanatical visitors can get married.
There’s a replica of the cabin he grew up in, his own museum that includes costumes from many of the films he was in, his awards and the style of his concerts. There are attractions like one of the fastest wooden roller coasters in the world, shows, shows and festivals. Among them, in addition to the National Gospel and Harvest Celebration and the Festival of Nations, which features artists from around the world; There’s Smoky Mountain Christmas, a holiday celebration of special concerts, food and other attractions, all decorated to the finest detail.
Coming back big in 2020
After a period of equally hard work, but with Christmas less present, Parton returns with a vengeance after thirty years in 2020 with the album Holly Dolly Christmaswhich included collaborations with Michael Bublé – another who also has his own chapter in the history of Christmas music, and why not recognize it, also in his native country, David Bisbal –, Jimmy Fallon and Miley Cyrus, of whom she is the godmother.
The album includes the song Christmas on the squarewhich appeared in the film’s soundtrack Dolly Parton: Christmas on the Squaredirected by Debbie Allen in 2020. A musical comedy in which he once again puts himself in the shoes of an angel who comes to fight against a ruthless woman (Christine Baranski) who intends to put an end to the Christmas spirit by selling the land in the town in which she was born.
In 2022, he returns to the big screen with Dolly Parton: the magic of Christmas Mountainin Dollytown. In it, she travels into her past guided by the mysterious appearance of her personal Three Wise Men and demonstrates that the true magic of Christmas lies in the hearts of the children that we were. The truth is that this year, when Lindsay Lohan left us “orphaned” by a Christmas movie, it’s the perfect time to revisit – or discover – one of these Parton features.
In 2022, she starred in another of her musical highlights, performing at Miley Cyrus’ New Year’s Eve concert, to perform together. I will always love you, I love rock and roll And Wrecking ball. One of the beautiful examples of their complicity between godmother and goddaughter, this time on stage. Much earlier, they also did it on the small screen, through episodes of Hannah Montana in which Parton played Cyrus’ character’s aunt, Miley Stewart.
The singer also contributed to the festivities in the form of a book, Billy the Kid comes home for Christmasin which he brought back his character, French bulldog Billy, who loves to bark to the beat of country music. Once again co-written with Erica S. Perl and illustrated by MacKenzie Haley, and now with a group assembled and touring across the country; The dog must decide whether to perform at the Barkafeller Center on Christmas Day or stay with his family.
Dolly Parton has been handing out her own “bag” of Christmas gifts for decades in the form of songs, movies, books and theme parks. All support his deserving throne in the kingdom of Christmas. With them he defends his faith in these holidays as a time of celebration par excellence, to be with those close to him and let himself be intoxicated by a spirit that, especially if supported by his hypnotic voice, is almost impossible not to be infected.
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