Dolly Parton

Released: April 2, 1973

Songwriter: Dolly Parton

Producer: Bob Ferguson

[Spoken:]
This is the first letter that I wrote back home to Momma and Daddy a few days after I'd moved to Nashville:

June 2, 1964
Nashville, Tennessee

Dear Momma and Daddy

I hope this letter finds everybody well and happy. As for me, I'm fine I guess. I'm just a little lonesome and a whole lot homesick. I got to Nashville okay and I thought I'd better write and let you know cause I knew you'd be worried about me and I don't want you to be worried about me cause I'm gonna be alright once I get settled and used to being away from home. I didn't realize how much I loved you and all them noisy kids until I left and I didn't realize how hard it was to leave home either til I started to leave and everybody started crying, including me. I cried almost all the way to Nashville and I wanted to turn around a few times and come back but you know how bad I've always wanted to go to Nashville and be a singer and songwriter and I believe that if I try long enough and hard enough that someday I'll make it. Don't worry about trying to sending me any money or anything cause I've got a job singing on the early morning television show here called the Eddie Hill Show. A couple of folks already told me that they might record a couple of my songs so I'll be making enough money to get by and I don't want you worrying about me being hungry or anything. Nashville is not exactly what I thought it was gonna be, but I believe I'm gonna like it here once I get used to it. And I don't want you worrying about me getting in trouble either cause I'll be good just like I promised you I would when I left. Well, can't think of anything else to say. I guess I'd better close for now. You write me real soon. Tell everybody I said hello and I'm gonna be real anxious to hear from you cause I sure miss you and I love you an awful lot

With love as always

-Dolly

Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actress, author, and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music

Beginning her career as a child performer, Parton issued a few modestly successful singles from 1959 through the mid-1960s, showcasing her distinctive soprano voice. She came to greater prominence in 1967 as a featured performer on singer Porter Wagoner’s weekly television program; their first duet single, a cover of Tom Paxton’s “The Last Thing on My Mind”, was a top-ten hit on the country singles charts, and led to several successful albums before they ended their partnership in 1974. Moving towards mainstream pop music, Parton’s 1977 single “Here You Come Again” was a success on both the country and pop charts. A string of pop-country hits followed into the mid-1980s, the most successful being her 1981 hit 9 to 5" (from the film of the same name), and her 1983 duet with Kenny Rogers “Islands in the Stream”, both of which topped the U.S. pop and country singles charts. A pair of albums recorded with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris were among her later successes. In the late 1990s, Parton returned to classic country/bluegrass with a series of acclaimed recordings

more tracks from the album

My Tennessee Mountain Home

From the album

My Tennessee Mountain Home (1973)

Dolly Parton popular songs

The LetterDolly Parton

Dolly Parton

My Tennessee Mountain Home