Dolly Parton Q&A: The Country Legend on 50 Years in Nashville and Why She Supports Her Gay Fans

http://www.billboard.com ^ | October 24, 2014 | Deborah Evans Price

[NKP_Vet]

This year marks the 50th Anniversary since 68-year-old international icon Dolly Parton came to Nashville. The fourth of 12 siblings who shared a one-room cabin, the East Tennessee native was so poor growing up that her father paid the doctor who delivered her with a bag of cornmeal. The day after her high school graduation, Parton left the Smoky Mountains for Music City, where she shepherded her career from singing on The Porter Wagoner Show, a syndicated music-variety series that aired from 1960 to 1981, to winning seven Grammys and scoring 25 No. 1 songs on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart -- a record for a female artist.

Dolly Parton: The Billboard Photo Shoot

On a recent fall afternoon at Nashville's NorthStar Studios, Parton is an animated conversationalist, throwing her head back and laughing often. In person, the legendary entertainer possesses a down-home, self-effacing charm -- disarming for someone who helms an empire that includes the Pigeon Forge, Tenn.-based Dollywood theme park, which annually hosts nearly 2.5 million visitors, and a valuable publishing catalog of such songs as "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You," which she took to No. 1 long before Whitney Houston. In 2014 alone, Parton's 42nd studio album, Blue Smoke, debuted at No. 2 on Top Country Albums and No. 6 on the Billboard 200 -- marking her highest-charting solo album on the latter list -- and wrapped a successful world tour that included performing for 170,000 at the United Kingdom's Glastonbury Festival.

[NKP_Vet]

Latest liberal over-the-hill has-been is Dolly Parton, spouting her views on her sodomite fans.

"Dollywood attracts lots of church groups, but it has also become a draw for the LGBT community. What does that say about you?

It's a place for entertainment, a place for all families, period. It's for all that. But as far as the Christians, if people want to pass judgment, they're already sinning. The sin of judging is just as bad as any other sin they might say somebody else is committing. I try to love everybody"

Ms. Clown-face shows her ignorance of scriptures.

We are to "judge" sin, but always with the goal of presenting the solution for sin and its consequences—the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Say what you want about Parton, but she is a legend.

[doc1019]

I love her music, can’t understand her acceptance of queers. I will always love her wonderful voice. As for Christians passing judgment, Christians don’t, they just let G_d’s word do that for them.

[Cry if I Wanna]

Say what you want about Parton, but she is a legend.

I agree. My grandpa was a businessman and a good one. He was a conservative Christian but he wasn't preachy. He told me everyone was welcome in his store if they spent money.

[henkster]

All entertainers are being presented with this choice: Either endorse the gay agenda or have your career ruined.

Very few entertainers will sacrifice their careers.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Exactly. That's the problem with conservatives and why they'll never make inroads in pop culture or Hollywood. Too much browbeating and complaining and not enough just worrying about yourself and putting your ideas out there. I though conservatives believed in the free market?

I'm not here to judge Parton, don't care about her politics....but obviously she's popular for a reason. Just see her as an individual. Plus she kicked ass in "9-5."

[Liberty Valance]

bttt Dolly Parton - Shine

[Fledermaus]

They only draw for the LGBTXYXQRSTU community are female impersonators.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Her comments make no logical sense. It is impossible for all judging to be bad because judging judging is judging.

The capacity for reason and judgment and sound discernment is what makes for greatness in people. To throw it all away is not love. It is not smart. She might as well go lock herself in a room and take drugs. Why bother thinking at all.

Out here in the real world there are differences between right and wrong, truth and error, fact and fiction, etc.

[Secret Agent Man]

There is no sin of judging.

There is a sin of judging hypocritically.

Like if you slam gay people and you’re a closet homosexual, for just one example. Or slamming someone on their weight and you’re obese.

[re_nortex]

I though conservatives believed in the free market?

The true free market was lost with some of the baggage attached to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Among the reasons why Goldwater opposed it was the government meddling with private business. Being coerced by the central government to serve everyone ended the days when a business owner had true liberty and could not fear hanging this sign on the door:

The so-called "Fair" (I'm always wary of that term) Housing Act ultimately led to the destruction of once fine neighborhoods. And it forces an individual to cater to the homosexual agenda when selling or renting a dwelling. Had the CRA stopped with prohibiting government sanctioned discrimination, it would have been okay. But expanding its scope to the private sector was, IMHO, unconstitutional.

[doc1019]

Good point.

[BeadCounter]

Whatever. Who was a great artist was Porter Waggoner and she was on the show with him. Porter Waggoner was real classic country music, I’d have mixed feelings about saying that about a lot of country music artists. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8jJq4rBsZc

[Cowboy Bob]

Dolly loves queers because Dolly loves their money. Period.

[NKP_Vet]

Parton has been a liberal democrat for years. She has not a hit record in 20 years. Never liked her squeaky voice and really have no use for any person that tries to stay young looking through plastic surgery. And her politics make me want to puke. The female version of Willie Nelson.

[RIghtwardHo]

Agree. Love Dolly. Jolene one of my all time favorites.

[NKP_Vet]

She broke a contract with Porter. Without him she would still be scrubbing floors for a living. He wouldn’t talk to her for years.

[BeadCounter]

Thanks for the note, I see youtube even has some video on the feud. I will read up on this some time.

[tumblindice]

Isn’t Dolly some kind of trannie icon ?

[boycott]

I love her music, can’t understand her acceptance of queers. I will always love her wonderful voice. As for Christians passing judgment, Christians don’t, they just let G_d’s word do that for them.

---

I’ve got friends that are gay. They’re very conservative. They watch Fox News all day. They despise Obama. They’re against the gay agenda and think gay marriage is a load of BS.

Hate the sin love the sinner. Besides, I’ve got my own sins to overcome.

And I still think Dolly is wonderful.