Dolly Parton has been named one of USA Today‘s Women of the Century. It’s just another accolade for the 74-year-old, whose early dreams of being a country music success story were laughed at by almost everyone, except by Dolly.
“When we were graduating, [high school classmates] were making little speeches and saying, ‘Well, I’m going to nursing school, I’m going to join the service, I’m going to get married,'” Dolly recalled to USA Today. “When I got up, I said, ‘I’m going to Nashville to be a star.’ There was a lot of laughter, and it kind of embarrassed me, because to me, that was what I was going to do. It was only years later that I realized that that was just a big dream for a little kid. It was not so much of making fun as just a reaction to a big dreamer like that.
“But you can’t dream at someone else’s expense,” she continued. “You’ve got to get out there, make those dreams come true. You’ve got to be the one to sacrifice what you need, to lean on who all will help you. You’ve got to get out there and put legs on them, wings on them, feet on them, hands on them, fingers. You’ve got to get out there and work it.”
In hindsight, Dolly admits that, considering her childhood, her dreams of stardom were more than a little audacious. By the time her parents were 35 and 37, they had 12 children, including Dolly, whose delivery was paid for with cornmeal, since her parents didn’t have any money, or access to much medical care.
“We lived way back in the mountains,” Dolly recounted. “We didn’t have roads where people could come in and out, and no hospitals nearby. We had a missionary doctor that had been sent to the Smoky Mountains to take care of the poor mountain people. He used to have to ride in on horseback, and the mountain people didn’t have any way to pay him with money, so you paid them with whatever you had, your canned goods or some ham or some whatever.
“We grew corn, and Daddy would take our corn to the mill to be ground,” she continued. “Mama was having problems with me, so Daddy had to run out and get [the doctor]. They came back on horseback and Daddy paid him with a sack of cornmeal, and I’ve always joked and said that I’ve been raking in the dough ever since.”
Dolly was too naive too realize how hard her dreams would be, or how far they would take her. If she could go back, she knows exactly what she would say to the wide-eyed 18-year-old, who left for Nashville one day after graduating high school.
“I would just say buckle up, you little barefooted hick, and know that you’re in for the ride of your life,” Dolly said. “This is what you want and you’re going to get it, but you’re going to have to work for it and try to love it. Just try to be strong, try to be tough and use all that redneck strength and knowledge you have and connect that with all the good things you can learn from it, but just know that you’re a tough little cookie. You’re going to have a wild ride, but you’re going to love it.”
Other women on USA Today‘s Women of the Century list include Gloria Estefan, Madeleine Albright, Ruby Bridges, Aretha Franklin and more. See the list.