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
Old Black Kettle
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well I remember when I was just little
Mama used to cook on an old black kettle
On an old wood stove she'd had since she was wed
Well the oven door was sprung a little bit
So we propped it up with a forked stick
But that didn't matter cause Mama kept us fed
Cause I had eleven sisters and brothers
And the girls worked just as hard as the boys did
There was corn to hoe then we'd go hoe it
We might have been poor but we didn't know it
We'd heard that word but we didn't know what it meant
Oh we used to have such a good life
And the days that I knew then are the happiest I've known
And oh didn't we have such a good time
It's sad to think the old black kettle's gone
Well there was nothing that pleased us any better
Than when we got an occasional letter
From kin folks livin' up north in some big town
We'd think of all the games we'd play
And we just couldn't hardly wait
When our city cousins said they'ze a comin' down
Now Mama's done away with the old black kettle
She used to cook in when I was just little
And the door ain't sprung on her electric range
That little farm and home we had
It ain't there no more and that's too bad
Folks are doin' away with the simple things
And oh we used to have such a good life
And the days that I knew then are the happiest I've known
And oh didn't we have such a good time
It's sad to think the old black kettle's gone
Now, I just mean to say the simple things are gone
The old black kettle's gone
The song Old Black Kettle by Dolly Parton speaks to the nostalgia for the simplicity of the past that the singer feels. It speaks of her upbringing in a large family, with a mother who cooked food on an old black kettle on an open stove. Despite the fact that they were poor and had to work hard, the family was happy and content. The singer reminisces about the good times they had, and the strong bond between her parents, who had 11 children together. The family had a simple life, with no luxuries or comforts, but they didn't know any other way, and the singer looks back on those days as the happiest she's ever known.
The second half of the song speaks to the changes that have taken place. The singer says that the family home and farm are no longer there, and her mother now cooks on an electric range. She laments the fact that people are "doin' away with the simple things", and that the old black kettle is gone. The song is a poignant reminder of the way things used to be, before technology and progress changed everything. It evokes a sense of longing for a simpler time, and a recognition of the value of the small pleasures in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I remember when I was just little
I recall my childhood days
Mama used to cook on an old black kettle
My mother used to cook on an old black kettle
On an old wood stove she'd had since she was wed
The wood stove belonged to her since her marriage
Well the oven door was sprung a little bit
The oven door was slightly damaged
So we propped it up with a forked stick
To prevent further damage, we used a forked stick to hold it up
But that didn't matter cause Mama kept us fed
Despite the damage, Mama still managed to feed us
My mama and daddy must have loved each other
My parents must have had a strong love for each other
Cause I had eleven sisters and brothers
Their love resulted in a large family with eleven siblings
And the girls worked just as hard as the boys did
The girls worked equally as hard as the boys
There was corn to hoe then we'd go hoe it
We had to work on the farm, including hoeing the corn
We might have been poor but we didn't know it
We were not aware of our poverty at the time
We'd heard that word but we didn't know what it meant
We heard the word 'poor' before, but we were too young to understand it
Oh we used to have such a good life
We had a happy life back then
And the days that I knew then are the happiest I've known
Those were the happiest days of my life
And oh didn't we have such a good time
We had a lot of fun back then
It's sad to think the old black kettle's gone
It's unfortunate that the old black kettle is no longer around
Well there was nothing that pleased us any better
Nothing made us happier than receiving letters
Than when we got an occasional letter
We were thrilled when we received a letter
From kin folks livin' up north in some big town
We received letters from relatives living in a big town up North
We'd think of all the games we'd play
We would plan the games we would play with our visiting cousins
And we just couldn't hardly wait
We were so eager to start playing with them
When our city cousins said they'ze a comin' down
We were excited when our city cousins said they were coming to visit
Now Mama's done away with the old black kettle
My mother doesn't use the old black kettle anymore
She used to cook in when I was just little
She used to cook with the old black kettle when I was young
And the door ain't sprung on her electric range
She now cooks on an electric range with no damage to the door
That little farm and home we had
The small farm and house we grew up in
It ain't there no more and that's too bad
The farm and house do not exist anymore, which is unfortunate
Folks are doin' away with the simple things
People are getting rid of the simple things in life
Now, I just mean to say the simple things are gone
I just want to emphasize that simple things are disappearing
The old black kettle's gone
The old black kettle is no longer around
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.