Dolly Parton proves she's a 'Rockstar,' scoring her biggest success at 77 years old

Dolly Parton can now add certified rock star to her long list of career achievements.

The 77-year-old made history with the biggest album debut sales week of her career with her rock-infused effort "Rockstar."

"Rockstar" also landed on the charts at No. 1 in six categories, including top rock albums; top rock and alternative albums; top country albums; top album sales; top current album sales; and independent albums.

The release marks the first time in her career she’s been on the rock, rock and alternative and top album sales charts.

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"Wow, this is a big thrill!" Parton said in a statement. "I owe a thank you to the fans who have always been there for me. Their support made this achievement possible. I’d also like to thank my producer Kent Wells, all the wonderful artists, musicians and engineers who brought their talents to this project."

Parton joins Drake’s "For All The Dogs – Scary Hours Edition" and Taylor Swift’s "1989 (Taylor’s Version)" in the overall top 3, marking Parton’s career-best rank on the all-genre list. 

"Rockstar" also marks Parton’s biggest debut week and biggest sales week in 30 years, since her platinum-selling 1993 album "Slow Dancing with The Moon."

The album is the 49th of her career and features 30 tracks of covers and originals and collaborations with stars including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Pink, Brandi Carlile, Melissa Ethridge, Sting and others.

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Parton has been working in music for seven decades, since her early performances as a child, including an appearance at The Grand Ole Opry in 1959 at age 13, when she was introduced by Johnny Cash.

Her big break came in 1966 when she successfully sold the demo for her song "Put it Off Until Tomorrow" to country singer Bill Philips. Her debut album, "Hello, I’m Dolly," was released the following year. 

Always a shrewd businessperson, Parton and her uncle Bill Owens launched Owe-Par Publishing Company in 1966, allowing them to copyright their songs for themselves. 

From there, she became a regular on "The Porter Wagoner Show," before achieving solo success away from the series.

In 1971, she achieved her first No. 1 single for the song "Joshua," followed by her biggest hit at the time, "Jolene," released in late 1973.

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"Jolene" topped the country chart in 1974, and that year she made the decision to break away from Wagoner. 

Her song, "I Will Always Love You," written about their professional split, went to No. 1 on the country chart. Elvis Presley was interested in the song, but his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, wanted half the publishing rights.

Parton told BBC Radio 1, "This is the most important copyright in my whole publishing company, and I can't do that," and the deal fell through.

Whitney Houston later covered the song for her film "The Bodyguard," and, according to Forbes, Parton earned $10 million in royalties from the song as of 2020.

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Throughout the '70s, Parton worked to reinvent herself and aim her music at a more mainstream pop audience, achieving that goal with her 1977 album "Here You Come Again."

It was her second No. 1 album, and its title song was her sixth No. 1 single on the country charts. The song peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. pop singles chart. She also earned her first Grammy for best female country vocal performance.

In 1980, Parton starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the film "9 to 5" and wrote the theme song of the same title. 

The tune gave Parton her first No. 1 pop single and hit the top spot on the country chart. She earned an Oscar nomination for best original song and won two Grammys, in the best female country vocal performance and best country song categories.

Parton continued acting, appearing in such films as "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "Steel Magnolias."

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In 1987, she had a major hit with the album "Trio," for which she partnered with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. It reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country albums chart and the top 10 on the albums chart. 

Parton continued recording and reached back to her roots to focus on bluegrass music, earning more Grammys along the way.

During this time, Parton also began racking up honors and achievements, including an induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999, the Grammy Hall of Fame (three times over for "I Will Always Love You," "Jolene" and "Coat of Many Colors") and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

"I never thought of myself as a rock star," Parton said of the honor, which she had initially declined.

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"I found out later that they give it to you if you’ve influenced other people. I found out more about it. But I had said at the start I didn’t want to accept it because I didn’t think I’d earned it. And still ain’t sure."

Ultimately, she accepted the honor, explaining during an appearance on "Today," "I thought, ‘Well, if they wanna give it to me anyhow, I’m going to accept it gracefully. And then I’m gonna go ahead and do a rock album and just make the most of it.’"

Parton has 11 Grammys to her name, the second most for any female artist behind Beyoncé. Parton is one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association’s highest honor, entertainer of the year, and she has two Oscar nominations for best original song ("9 to 5" and "Travelin' Thru") and Emmy and Tony nominations, making her one of the most decorated entertainers of all time. 

And Parton has no intention of slowing down.

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In an interview with the "Greatest Hits Radio" show, Parton explained that she feels a responsibility to continue her career.

"I always believe that if you've wanted your dreams to come true and you are lucky enough to have that happen, then you’ve got to be responsible because you gotta keep the dream alive," Parton said. "And every dream kind of spawns another dream. You can branch off of almost anything that happens and make a business of that as well. So, it’s kind of like a tree with good roots. It’s got a lot of limbs, and it’s also got a lot of leaves. So, why not make the most of it? And I’m not one to sit around and do nothing.

"I would never retire. I’ll just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song onstage someday.

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"That’s how I hope to go," Parton added. "Of course, we don’t have much of a choice in that. But as long as I’m able to work, as long as my health is good and my husband is good. I mean, the only way that I would ever slow down or stop would be for that reason. But in the meantime, I'm gonna make hay while the sun shines."

Parton has established charities like the Dollywood Foundation and the Imagination Library and has helped those affected by natural disasters in her native Tennessee, like the recent wildfires and floods.

Of her many ventures in entertainment and beyond, the Imagination Library is the one closest to her heart.

"I have to say I'm proud of all of it," she previously told FOX Business. "I'm really proud. There's certain charity things and certain things like that that I'm proud of. One of the things I'm really, really proud of is the Imagination Library.

"And, to date, we've given over 200 million books, and that's a lot of books, that's worldwide. So, that's a lot of kids and that's a lot of books. And it's a great program that I'm very, very proud of, but I'm proud of everything good that happens."

There's also her signature theme park, Dollywood.

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"We cater to families and kids. It's fun, great food," she explained. "We've got resorts now there where people can come out from all over the world and have a wonderful, safe place to stay. But that whole area up in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg — all of Sevier County there in Sevierville … is wonderful."

In an interview with Vulture, Parton said the most ambitious thing she has yet to do is create a musical about her life.

"I’m doing my life story as a musical on Broadway. I’ve written all the songs, and we have the script. We’re hoping to be on Broadway in 2025," she told the outlet in November. 

"I’ve been working really hard on it — about ten years’ worth of work. I’ve really buckled down over the past two years, and we’ve got it pegged down. We’ve just been in the studio recording the music. Once we get it on its feet, we’ll have to cut and change some things and whatnot. I’m so ready for it."