Dolly Parton was more than just a country music superstar. She was a songwriter for others, a philanthropist, a businesswoman, an actress and more. As a pop icon across seven decades, Parton sat down with a number of NPR hosts to tell the stories of her life and art. In this episode, NPR Music’s Ann Powers takes listeners through a number of those interviews to hear Parton tell her story, in her own words. Want more Dolly? Head to the NPR app’s music tab for a Dolly Parton playlist from our archives. Download the app at <a href="http://npr.org/gettheapp"target="_blank" >npr.org/gettheapp</a>. And read Ann Powers’ <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/08/26/nx-s1-5944468/dolly-parton-legacy-songwriting"target="_blank" >remembrance of Dolly Parton here</a>. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. This episode was produced by Otis Hart, Suraya Mohamed and Noah Caldwell. It was edited by Hazel Cills. Sonali Mehta is the executive director of NPR Music. Image courtesy of the Michael Ochs Archives. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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