In honor of country music icon Dolly Parton turning 80 in January 2026, Rolling Stone released a previously unpublished interview from early in her career. The interview centers on the making of Parton’s 1971 record, “Coat of Many Colors,” but it also offers fans a glimpse into something deeper: a lesson the singer learned from her mother. As the singer shared, her mother taught her that wealth isn’t just about having a lot of money.
“We didn’t have anything,” Parton explained. “Mama used to sew all of our quilts and curtains for the windows, remake our clothes, and make clothes out of feed sacks or scraps.” The singer then shared her reaction to being laughed at by classmates while wearing homemade clothes. “I was upset with my mom, and I was crying because I felt she had told me a fib,” Parton recalled. “Mama said, ‘I don’t want to ever hear you say that we’re poor. We are rich in kindness and love and understanding.'” Despite the poverty she grew up in, Parton still speaks fondly of her childhood to this day.
Parton Famously Grew Up in a Two-Room Cabin
GettyParton is well-known for being one of twelve children. Her family lived in a two-room cabin in Sevierville, Tennessee, and the singer has shared many stories over the years about the challenges they faced. However, she’s also repeatedly highlighted her parents’ efforts to make the best of their circumstances. In a 2016 interview with TODAY, Parton shared how much joy her family infused into the winter holiday season.
Getty“Momma was always big on making sure we knew what Christmas really was about,” the singer said. After sharing that her mother shared traditional stories with them every year, Parton shared what mattered most to her family during the holidays. “In the very early days, we didn’t have electricity,” she said. “So daddy would cut a tree, and we’d make our own ornaments and put them on… but it was more than anything about the fun.” Parton’s childhood home is such a special part of her memories and origin story that there is even a replica of the cabin on display at Dollywood.
The Singer Dedicated One of Her Charitable Pursuits to Her Father
GettyParton has built a net worth her parents could only have dreamed of when she was growing up. However, she doesn’t keep it to herself; the singer has a long history of philanthropy. One of her most well-known projects is The Imagination Library, an organization that mails free books to children in need. The organization celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025, and Parton revealed the special inspiration behind it. “I created The Imagination Library as a tribute to my daddy,” she said in a video message.
As Parton went on to share, her father’s literacy struggles made her want to help children have access to books. “He was one of the wisest men I’ve ever known, but I knew in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from seeing all his dreams come true,” she said. “So inspiring kids to love to read became my passion and my mission, because if you can read, you can teach yourself anything.”
According to the organization’s website, The Imagination Library has gifted over 300 million books and counting, with nearly 3.2 million children registered for the program across five countries.
Dolly Parton is an inspiration and demonstrates in her daily life the values she was taught by her parents. Love, kindness and understanding are the foundation of her faith and her music. Love her for being the awesome woman that she is!