Country superstar Dolly Parton’s death has been felt worldwide, from the small Tennessee township of her birth to the deep South of New Zealand where the gold guitars chime. Parton, who died this week, aged 80, after a short period of cancer, had a career that spanned nearly seven decades. She recorded over 3000 songs, wrote dozens of hit singles and albums, and acted in several films. She also wrote material that became famous for other artists, most notably Whitney Houston’s cover of I Will Always Love You. New Zealand Songwriters Trust chairperson and Gold Guitars event manager Vanessa Harvey, of Gore, was shocked by the news. “Nobody wanted to wake up today and see she’s passed away. She’s not just huge for the country music community, but I think everyone in general. “She has always been such an advocate for striving for what you want and taking the leap, and that’s cool not just for musicians but everyone,” she said. RedfernsAmerican singer Dolly Parton, August 1978. Photo: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns Dolly Parton made some of the greatest songs ever and influenced a generation into country music, which she saw now in the country music community, Ms Harvey said. “Anyone can hear 9 to 5 and just feel amazing. Suddenly they’re like ‘oh, okay, I like country music’. I think she brought them in: they hear her and her storytelling, and they just love it,” she said. Invercargill-based New Zealand country musician Suzanne Prentice said she was lucky enough to perform with Parton in Auckland and in the United States. “She was certainly iconic in what she did and everything she was, and I think it’s the memories that I’ve got which I’m so lucky to have. “She was very much her own person. When I worked with her in Auckland, we spent the whole afternoon actually in her dressing room, just chatting. “She said, ‘come and have a cup of coffee’. I went in and had a cup of coffee. Look, we talked about her dogs, we talked about everything. She didn’t have the makeup on or the wigs on or the sequins on, and she was just Dolly and she was just a lovely person.” [Missing Credit]Dolly Parton performing at Auckland's Vector Arena in 2014. Photo: Getty Images Parton’s songs were universal, Ms Prentice said. “She wrote from the heart, obviously, and I think everything that she wrote about is something that most people go through at some point in their life. “What struck me about Dolly is how real she was. There was absolutely no fuss, there was no star ego, there was nothing like that at all. “There will never be anybody like her. Not in our lifetime, I don’t think.” Dunedin fans and musicians Graeme Partridge and his daughter, Melissa, said they loved how she was so “down to earth”. “Dolly had the flamboyant side, but she also had that other loving the Lord, gospel side,’’ Mr Partridge said. “And that’s how her family was brought up and hung together. Her songs touched a lot of people in a gospel feel. I’m sure that was a big part of her life.” Mr Partridge, who describes himself as a country music enthusiast, said there was something “genuine” about Parton’s songwriting and her philanthropy, especially the work she did promoting literature and her Dollywood theme park, located near her birthplace in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. “Visiting that was quite an experience. I could see the good she was doing.” Her life story also appealed to him, and he believed it informed her approach to music. “She was one of 12 children. “It was scraping a life out of nothing really, and the songs she sung about people’s lives went back to the way she was brought up. What she had done was just amazing.” ©Allied MediaDunedin musician Melissa Partridge says Dolly Parton was inspirational. Photo: Peter McIntosh Miss Partridge, a 2021 Gold Guitar winner, said Parton’s music touched almost everyone. “I think everyone is a fan of Dolly, whether they’re a fan of country music or not. “People could hear the sincerity of her coming through her songs 100%.” Her variety of songwriting styles, from blues to country to pop, meant Parton continued to have broad appeal, Miss Partridge said. “She had a song for everyone.” Stories of her philanthropy and her great relationship with her fans were inspiring, Miss Partridge said. “She was just so iconic and just showed so much kindness through everything that she’d done. “She was just an amazing all-round human being. “She was just one-of-a-kind. There will never be another Dolly.”
