Nashville, TN (February 03, 2014) - Internationally renowned superstar, Dolly Parton, has signed with APA for touring and personal appearances. Parton will kick off her Blue Smoke World Tour later this month with dates across the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and Europe. Her eponymous “Blue Smoke” CD is slated for release this May from Sony Masterworks.
During an incredible, one-of-a-kind career, the iconic Parton has contributed countless treasures to the worlds of music and entertainment – from penning such classic songs as "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors," “Here You Come Again” and her mega-hit "I Will Always Love You," to starring in such hit films as “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias.” Other credits include starring in the films “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” “Rhinestone” and “Straight Talk,” two television series, movies for television, as well as network and HBO specials, among others. She received her first Oscar nomination in 1980 for the title track of “9 to 5.”
Parton’s mega-hit, "I Will Always Love You" has topped the charts in three consecutive decades – first upon its initial recording in 1974, then again in 1982 when it was revived for “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (making her the first artist to earn a #1 record twice with the same song), and again in 1992 when it was recorded by Whitney Houston for “The Bodyguard,” where it topped the charts again, selling over 4 million copies. The following year, "I Will Always Love You" was named BMI's Most Performed Song of the Year.
In 1986, Parton opened Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where it continues to be the state's #1 tourist attraction. In 2006, the theme park industry named it one of the Top 3 theme parks in the world. Parton’s Dollywood Splash Country, launched in 2001, is Tennessee's largest water park. To-date, Parton's entertainment businesses employ over 3,000 people and attract over 4.5 million visitors a year.
Long respected for her business savvy, Parton established Velvet Apple Music (BMI) early in her career. She owns the copyrights and the publishing for her vast songwriting empire, as well as her own successful record label, Blue Eye Records. She also transitioned her flair for making hit music into producing hit movies and television shows. Sandollar Productions, the production company she launched with former manager, Sandy Gallin, produced “Father of the Bride I and II,” “Straight Talk,” “Sabrina,” “Shining Through,” “IQ,” the Academy Award-winning documentary “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt,” and the FOX series “Babes” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
he most honored female country performer of all time, Parton’s accolades are numerous and unparalleled. She has achieved 25 RIAA certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards, with 25 songs reaching #1 on the Billboard Country charts, a record for any female artist. She has 41 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has 110 career charted singles over the past 40 years. All-inclusive sales of singles, albums, hits collections, paid digital downloads and compilation usage during her Hall of Fame career have reportedly topped a staggering 100 million records world-wide.
During the course of her unprecedented career, Parton has garnered 7 Grammy Awards, 10 CMA Awards, 5 ACM Awards, 3 AMA Awards, and is one of only five female artists to win the CMA's Entertainer of the Year Award. In 1999, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and became a member of the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001. Broadcast Music, Inc. honored Dolly with their Icon Award in 2003; and in 2004, the U.S. Library of Congress presented her with their Living Legend Award for her contribution to the cultural heritage of the United States, and a year later, was awarded their National Medal of Arts, the highest honor given by the U.S. government for excellence in the arts. The following year, Parton was honored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for her lifetime of contributions to the arts. In 2007, she was awarded the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, exclusively reserved for a songwriter already inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame whose body of work is of such high quality and impact, that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer. In 2011, Parton also received the coveted GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Recording Academy to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. In 2006, Parton earned her second Oscar nomination for the song, "Travelin' Thru," which she wrote for the film “Transamerica.”
Parton’s Dollywood Foundation continues to inspire children in her home community to dream more, learn more, do more and care more. The foundation also funds the Dolly Parton Imagination Library across the U.S. and Canada, by giving every preschool child a book each month from the time they are born until the child reaches kindergarten.
Parton is also repped by Danny Nozell of Nashville-based CTK Management.
### Media Contacts: For APA Nashville Martha E. Moore / 615-746-3994 / martha@somuchmoore.com Kirt Webster / 615-777-6995 x230 / kirt@websterpr.com APA |
