Martha Ackmann

1. Dolly Parton often says she grew up “dirt poor.” What does your book say about the Parton’s family’s life in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains?

2. “A Coat of Many Colors” is one of the Dolly’s most famous songs – a song about a rag-coat her mother made for her and the bullying Dolly received from classmates who made fun of her.  What did you uncover about the real-life incident that inspired the song?

3. Dolly says she modeled her look (high hair, heavy make-up, tight clothes) after the “town tramp.” Her maternal grandfather (Revered Jake Owens – a Pentecostal preacher) tried to talk Dolly out of it.  There was more than her grandfather’s religious concerns behind his response. What can you tell us about the White Caps that terrorized so-called flashy women in East Tennessee?

4. Dolly’s first “boyfriend” was a teenager she met when she recorded her first single “Puppy Love” in Louisiana. You found him.  What does he remember about Dolly?

5. Depression runs through Dolly’s family and especially affected her mother. Did Dolly suffer from bouts of depression?

6. Dolly is known for her curvaceous figure. Even in high school, students talked about it.  One cousin humorously takes “credit” for giving Dolly her small waist. What did her cousin do?

7. The first person to put Dolly Parton on television and radio was an East Tennessee grocery store owner who was well-known locally for his outrageous personality. Who was Cas Walker? What did he see in ten-year old Dolly and what did she learn from him?

8. Dolly Parton did not like high school. Why not?

9. Dolly moved to Nashville the day after high school graduation. She met her future husband soon afterwards.  What new details did you uncover about Dolly and Carl Dean’s first meeting?

10. Dolly initially wasn’t well-received by music executives in Nashville. One even said her voice sounded like a “screech owl.” What turned the tide for her?

11. When Dolly signed her first contract, she was not signed to sing country. Why not? What did she sing? And what happened to move her into country music?

12. Dolly and Carl kept their marriage secret from record executives. Why?

13. Country star Porter Wagoner hired Dolly for his top-rated television program. At first their collaboration was successful but then it went off-the rails. What happened?

14. When Dolly stepped away from The Porter Wagoner Show and began performing solo, was she well-received?

15. Bob Eubanks, host of television’s “Newlywed Game” in the 1970s, became Dolly Parton’s booking manager and organized her debut in New York City. All did not go well at first. What happened?

16. Dolly’s crossover to pop was successful in terms of broadening her audience, but Dolly did not believe record executives were behind her. She took them on. What did she say and what did she want?

17. The book tells readers much more about Dolly’s husband, Carl Dean, than they have known before. What about Carl Dean don’t we know?

18. Jane Fonda and Carl Dean had a close relationship. What can you tell us?

19. Dolly always has pushed herself, but there was at least one time when her work ethic nearly caused her collapse. Tell us the harrowing story of Dolly’s near collapse on stage in Indianapolis.

20. Not much is known about Judy Ogle, Dolly’s longtime best friend, who never speaks to the press. What did you learn about her?

21. Dolly’s album Trio with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris received stellar reviews. How did that album come about and was the collaboration a happy one?

22. Dolly Parton once said she doesn’t think about money the way Donald Trump does. What did she say and how did she think they were different?

23. The book takes the reader inside the first day of recording Dolly’s acclaimed bluegrass album, The Grass is Blue. What was that recording session like?

24. You write on diverse topics - books about women would-be astronauts, a Negro League baseball player, the poet Emily Dickinson, and now Dolly Parton. Do they have something in common?