Parton's family is a family of musical traditions. Her mother knew how to play the guitar and her grandfather, Reverend Jake Owens, was also a musician (with the song Singing His Praise recorded by Kitty Wells). She studied guitar at the age of 7 and has been singing in local television and radio shows in East Tennessee since childhood. At age 9, she appeared in The Cas Walker Show as well as WIVK Radio and WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee. At age 13, she first recorded for Goldband, a small record label, with the song Puppy Love. When she was 14, she signed with Mecury Records, but her first single with It's Sure Gonna Hurt failed and she was fired. Later, she appeared at the radio program Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. At Opry, she met Johnny Cash for the first time, and he encouraged her to follow the path her heart told and no matter what others thought. After she graduated high school in 1964, Parton moved to Nashville, and absorbed many traditional elements in popular and folk music in Eastern Tennessee.
Seen more at: Dolly Parton She got mad hustle and a dope soul poster
