On This Day in History: February 19

Dolly Parton leaves the Porter Wagoner Show

AUDIO VERSION HERE

When I was 14, we had Super Channel and I got to watch The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and I was excited because it had bare breasts and as I mentioned I was 14 and the internet was not yet a thing. It also had Dolly Parton singing “I Will Always Love You,” and despite being raised with rock and roll, I could dig it. Dolly frequently extols the need to believe in yourself, and in 1974 she epitomized that when she walked away from a popular TV show to go it alone.

--On This Day in History Shit Went Down: February 19, 1974--

Porter Wagoner sounds like quite the country and western name, doesn’t it? Known as “Mr. Grand Ole Opry,” he was C&W royalty with a syndicated TV program called The Porter Wagoner Show that began in 1960 and ran for over two decades. Beginning in 1961 his female star was a popular singer named Norma Jean, but she left in 1967 and the then-unknown Dolly replaced her. People were not happy.

The audience liked Norma Jean, and then there was this new woman and they automatically didn’t like her because change is bad. Some would chant “Norma Jean!” from the audience, which is a shitty way to treat anyone, but especially Dolly, dammit. However, because she’s amazing, she won the crowd over and became beloved. She’d promised to be with the show for five years, and stayed for seven. It was during that time the world came to love Dolly Parton as she produced hit after hit, including several duets with Porter.

But the pair fought because “we were both stubborn,” Dolly said. Porter thought he knew what was best for Dolly, and Dolly said she knew what was best for Dolly. “I Will Always Love You” was written for Porter about her professional breakup with him, which was announced on February 19, 1974. The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, and when she re-recorded it in 1982 for “Whorehouse” it hit #1 a second time.

Dolly was right to believe in herself, and through hard work and talent her career reached all-new levels of superstardom, including a successful acting career. In addition to entertaining people for decades, Dolly is a generous philanthropist, especially in the area of literacy. In 2020 she donated $1 million to fund development of Moderna’s Covid vaccine.

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