'Coat Of Many Colors'

One of the very few opportunities I'll have writing about Dolly Parton, who singularly rewrote the book as to how we perceived breasts along with Elvira.

Clearly, she was much more than a sex symbol. Coat of Many Colors makes this clear. This is an overly beautiful, sentimental and pastoral album stripped to its bare bone with minimal instrumentation clogging up the air thwarting Parton's beautiful, pristine voice. One of my favorites that I've listened to for this project.

Coat of Many Colors is actually Parton's eighth studio album doing all eight between 1967-71. She got her start on the Porter Waggoner Show (she apparently replaced a popular "Norma Jean" and was heckled after the replacement) and it was the host that urged her to cover "Mule Skinner Blues," which became her first real hit. She was 21 when she joined the show and recorded her first album.

Coat of Many Colors turned out to be her most popular album until Jolene a few years later and the super stardom was not far away.

I've got to admit, I'm sort of smitten with Parton. No one that is tremendously popular as Parton's been the last 40 years seems more genuine and nice as she does and I'm typically very critical of celebrities. I always think the worst.

Parton's had a very well-rounded and respected career. From movies, TV, a cultural icon and, of course, the music, she's rarely done anything half-assed or even poorly. I had zero idea that she was A) married or B) married for that long.

We equate celebrities with fly-by-night relationships, but Parton's been married to Carl Dean Thomas for nearly 46 years (they married in 1966 when she was probably penniless ... 20 years old). He has allegedly seen Parton perform once and is never seen in public or any of her events. They have no kids, but she is the godmother for Miley Cyrus.