Parton began performing as a child, singing on local radio and television in East Tennessee. At age 12 she was appearing on Knoxville TV, and at 13, she was recording on a small label and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. When she graduated from high school in 1964 she moved to Nashville, taking many traditional elements of folklore and popular music from East Tennessee with her.
Parton's initial success came as a songwriter, with her songs being covered by Kitty Wells, Hank Williams, Jr., Skeeter Davis, and a number of others. She signed with Monument Records in late 1965, where she was initially pitched as a bubblegum pop singer, earning only one national chart single, "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby," which did not crack the Billboard Top 100. Additional pop singles also failed to chart.
The label agreed to have Parton sing country music after her composition "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" as recorded by Bill Phillips (and with Parton, uncredited, on harmony) went to No. 6 on the country charts in 1966. Her first country single, "Dumb Blonde" (one of the few songs during this era that she recorded but didn't write), reached No. 24 country 1967, followed later the same year with "Something Fishy," which went to No. 17. The two songs anchored her first full-length album, Hello I'm Dolly, that same year.
In 1967, Parton was asked to join the weekly syndicated country music TV program hosted by Porter Wagoner, replacing Norma Jean. She also signed with RCA Records, Wagoner's label, during this period, where she would remain for the next two decades. Wagoner and Parton immediately began a hugely successful career as a vocal duet in addition to their solo work and their first single together, a cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind," reached the top ten on the U.S. country charts in late 1967, and was the first of over a dozen duet singles to chart for them during the next several years.
Parton is a hugely successful songwriter, having begun by writing country songs with strong elements of folk music in them based upon her upbringing in humble mountain surroundings. Her songs "Coat of Many Colors" and "Jolene" have become classics in the field, as have a number of others. As a composer, she is also regarded as one of country music's most gifted storytellers, with many of her narrative songs based on persons and events from her childhood.
In 1982 Dolly Parton sang her song "I Will Always Love You", for the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas", starring Parton and Burt Reynolds. The song - originally composed around 1974 - made few ripples, but it wasn't until Whitney Houston re-recorded it for "The Bodyguard" a decade later, that the song made yet another international hit for Dolly Parton. She later put out her own version on the 1996 album of the same name.
In 1987, Parton left her longtime label, RCA, and signed with Columbia Records, where her recording career continued to prosper, but by the mid 1990s, Parton, along with many other performers of her generation, found that her new music was not welcome on country radio playlists. She recorded a series of critically acclaimed bluegrass albums, beginning with "The Grass is Blue" (1999) and "Little Sparrow" (2001), both of which won Grammy Awards. Her 2002 album "Halos and Horns" included a bluegrass version of the Led Zeppelin classic Stairway to Heaven. In 2005, Parton released Those Were The Days, her interpretation of hits from the folk-rock era of the late 1960s through early 1970s. The CD featured such classics as John Lennon's "Imagine," Cat Stevens' "Where Do The Children Play," Tommy James' "Crimson & Clover," and the folk classic "Where Have All The Flowers Gone", as well as the title track.
In 2007, Dolly paved new musical ground by forming her own record label, Dolly Records. The label's first release - Backwoods Barbie - debuted at #2 on the Billboard country albums charts and marks Parton's first mainstream country album in 17 years. Parton is touring North America and Europe throughout 2008 in support of her latest release.
1955
A Gamble Either Way
Dolly Parton Lyrics
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First mistake I ever made
The doctor didn't spank me
He just slapped me in the face
And the cup of love was
Always quenching someone else's thirst
Leaving me to swallow the
Bitter taste of hurt
Never wanted as a kid
Until the year I turned 13
Then everybody did
Strangers pass me back and forth
Men just took me as they pleased
And others had a Cinderella slave to
Cook and clean and weave
Though the deck is stacked against you
Win or lose, you have to play
The hand that life has dealt you
And it's a gamble either way
On a dusty road at 15
In a yellow cotton dress
With the desert sun like an angry
Dragon breathing down my neck
And the dry cracked plains would make
Me think of a prehistoric time
Should I fear what lay before me
Less than what I'd left behind?
A 15-year old girl don't have
No trouble hitching rides
But sometimes when you're riding free
You'll pay the highest price
On back roads and in back seats
And in cheap highway motels
But what's a few more strangers in
A life of nothing else?
Though the deck is stacked against you
Win or lose, you have to play
The hand that life has dealt you
And it's a gamble either way
Sixteen, caught me crying
Underneath the scarlet lights
On the doorsteps of a stranger on
A cold and rainy night
When I walked into the parlor here
All the pieces seemed to fit
I was good at pleasing strangers
So I made the most of it
Either way it's all a gamble
So view the stakes and know the odds
And lay your cards upon the table
Do all the dealing from the top
Though the deck is stacked against you
Win or lose, you have to play
The hand that life has dealt you
And it's a gamble either way
In Dolly Parton's song "A Gamble Either Way," the lyrics explore the hardships and struggles the singer has faced throughout her life, presenting a bleak and challenging narrative. The song begins with the singer reflecting on her birth, describing it as her worst and first mistake, as she was not welcomed into the world with warmth and love. The doctor's action of slapping her instead of comforting her sets the tone for a life filled with pain and neglect.
The lyrics further delve into the singer's experiences of being raised as an orphan and feeling unwanted. However, when she reaches the age of thirteen, suddenly everyone wants her, but not for genuine reasons. She becomes a commodity to be passed around and used by strangers, both physically and as a servant. The lyrics touch upon the dehumanizing nature of these experiences, highlighting the singer's vulnerability and lack of agency.
The second verse expands on the singer's life at the age of fifteen, feeling trapped in a desolate and arid environment. The dry cracked plains serve as a metaphor for the barrenness of her experiences and the uncertainty she faces. Despite the risks and dangers, she finds solace in hitchhiking, even though it often comes with a high price.
At sixteen, the singer finds herself crying under scarlet lights, suggesting she has turned to some form of sex work as a means of survival. She feels a sense of belonging and acceptance within this world, believing that she is good at pleasing strangers and making the most of her circumstances. The lyrics convey a sense of resignation, acknowledging that life is a gamble regardless of the choices made.
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Romy K.
on Gypsy Joe And Me
As a matter of fact she's contemplating suicide standing on the bridge, that's how they'll be together again.