Country music legend Dolly Parton has died aged 80, leaving behind a career spanning music, film, business and philanthropy, as well as some very special memories for Adelaide fans.
The larger-than-life superstar brought her unmistakable voice, rhinestones and catalogue of country classics to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre a couple of times, with thousands of South Australians turning out to see her perform.
Her death marks the end of one of the most extraordinary careers in modern entertainment, with Dolly becoming one of the world’s most recognisable performers and songwriters.
Dolly was known for her philanthropy across education, healthcare and disaster relief, including a $1 million donation towards COVID-19 research at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre.
And for Adelaide, her legacy goes much further. Dolly’s Imagination Library, founded in 1995 in honour of her father, provides free books to children from birth until the age of five and has become one of her most significant charitable legacies.
The program made its way to South Australia, with an estimated more than 70,000 books having been delivered to South Australian children, and 2,000,000 across Australia, through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a free literacy program providing age-appropriate books to children from birth to five.
Dolly also came to Australia in 2011 for her Better Day World Tour, marking her first Australian tour in almost three decades. Adelaide was one of her stops, with the country icon performing at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on November 12th, 2011.
The venue was reportedly bursting at the seams, with a crowd spanning generations coming together to hear some of Dolly’s biggest hits.
She opened with an a cappella section of Light of a Clear Blue Day before launching into Walking on Sunshine, followed by favourites including Jolene, Coat of Many Colors, Here You Come Again, and I Will Always Love You.
The crowd was dancing in the aisles during Islands in the Stream, before Parton followed it with 9 to 5. She later performed Coat of Many Colors alone under a spotlight, accompanying herself on autoharp, before finishing the night with I Will Always Love You.
And getting Dolly to Adelaide was no small feat.
Her enormous American tour bus reportedly ran into Australian road regulations because it was too wide and too long, with then-federal transport minister Anthony Albanese ultimately intervening so the bus could be used during her Australian tour.
Adelaide fans didn’t have to wait too long for another Dolly fix. In 2014, Parton returned to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre as part of her Blue Smoke World Tour, performing on February 13th.
The set once again featured some of Parton’s biggest songs, including Jolene, Coat of Many Colors, Here You Come Again, Islands in the Stream, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You, alongside songs from her Blue Smoke album.
Dolly’s influence stretched far beyond the stage. Born in Tennessee in 1946, she grew up as one of 12 children before moving to Nashville and launching her professional career. She went on to write thousands of songs, sell more than 100 million records and become one of country music’s most influential figures.
She also found huge success on screen, starring in films including 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, while her Dollywood theme park became a major Tennessee attraction.
For generations of Adelaide fans, Dolly Parton will be remembered as the larger-than-life superstar who filled the Entertainment Centre and had crowds singing along to Jolene and 9 to 5.
But for thousands of South Australian children, her legacy looks a little different. It arrives at the front door in the form of a new book.
For more information on Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, click here.
