Tragic Details About Dolly Parton's Childhood In Tennessee

As with most things in her life, Dolly Parton took an optimistic outlook on her rough childhood in Tennessee. Speaking to USA Today in 2020, the "Jolene" hitmaker shared that her parents, Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton, tied the knot when they were teenagers and went on to have 12 children. The Parton family lived in a 2-room cabin in the Great Smoky Mountain area and both of Dolly's parents worked incredibly hard for their kids. 

While Robert occasionally picked up construction work in addition to his full-time job as a sharecropper, Avie held the fort down with 12 kids at home. During Dolly's chat with The Guardian in 2024, she shared that although she grew up in poverty, she didn't understand she was poor because everyone she knew led similar lives. Even after she came to the realization, she remained happy about her childhood with one exception. "The only thing I regret is that my parents had a hard time, but they never complained, so why should I?" she shared.

Likewise, Dolly told USA Today that her upbringing shaped her into the icon she became, saying, "The whole magic about me is that I look artificial but I'm totally real. People can see that. They forgive me for being gaudy. They forgive me for not being stylish. They forgive me for not being as smart as some educated people might be." And she was grateful people always saw her for who she was.

During Dolly Parton's chat with USA Today, she shared that her mother ran into some trouble while she tried to bring her into this world. However, it wasn't easy to get medical help because there were no hospitals in their vicinity. In fact, it was difficult for a doctor to visit them since they didn't have concrete roads. Their neighborhood only had access to a missionary doctor, who traveled on a horse and helped people in exchange for any goods they could afford to give him. 

After the doctor helped deliver Parton, her family paid him with cornmeal created from the corn from their farm. During an appearance on the "Dr. Oz Show" in 2017, the "9 to 5" hitmaker shared that she found herself in dire need of a doctor when she had nearly severed her toes after landing on a mason jar while trying to go across a fence. However, her parents couldn't afford proper medical care, so they were left with no choice but to mend 7-year-old Parton to the best of their abilities. 

So, the men in her family pinned her down and tried to reduce the bleeding with cornmeal. "They put kerosene on it for antiseptic and momma took her sewing needles — she used to make our quilts and stuff, and she literally had to sew my toes back on," Parton recalled, per People. However, she was pleased to share that her family's treatment "worked and they healed and I'm still walking on them."

Dolly Parton had a tough childhood growing up with 11 siblings. Speaking to Playboy in 1978, the country legend shared that she had to share a bed with at least three of her siblings every night. Some of her younger siblings had poor bladder control and relieved themselves on the bed, and she often got caught in the mess. However, when winter came rolling around, Parton almost welcomed the pee because it was one of the few ways she could feel warmth. During an appearance on "Blank on Blank," the "Islands in the Stream" singer shared that her family only had a "pan of water" to wash themselves up in the winter. 

When Parton spoke to Entertainment Tonight in 2016, she revealed that her family nearly "froze to death" during one biting cold winter. "We had boarded up our windows to keep the snow and wind out, and had no idea it was going to snow like that. We got trapped in there," the icon recalled. "We thought we were going to die and our little tears were frozen on our little faces. We were frozen, no fire, no food, no nothing." 

In an interview with NPR in 2023, Parton remembered how her mother put together a coat out of rags to keep her warm in the winter. While little Dolly couldn't be more chuffed about her newest wardrobe piece, her classmates didn't share the same sentiment and bullied her until she broke down. She labeled the scarring incident her "first deep hurt."

When Dolly Parton spoke to the The New York Times in 1992, she shared that her family's meals primarily consisted of animals they could hunt in the area. As a result, they ended up eating a lot of "bear, rabbit, squirrel, and groundhog." During an appearance on Food & Wine's "Tinfoil Swans" podcast, she acknowledged that while their food choices may seem bizarre to some, they were incredibly normal for people around her. Further, she stated her family could easily whip up some delicious meals with whatever they could find because they knew their way around the kitchen. 

While Parton shared a similar sentiment during her 2003 appearance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," she noted that eating the animals they could find easily beat going hungry. She also compared the taste of a squirrel to a chicken and stated that it tasted "sweet." The "Powerful Women" songstress further asserted that most people avoided eating possums unless they were in dire situations, and her family was no different because her father believed it was "nothing but a damn rat."

Given all this, it's unsurprising that Parton told "Tinfoil Swans" host Kat Kinsman that she felt out of her element when she had to go to restaurants for meetings early on in her career. "I was always so nervous, 'cause I didn't know how to use the right fork, or the right spoon, or the right glass. Even to this day, I'm not sure I know how to do all that," she confessed.

Speaking on PBS' "Blank on Blank," Dolly Parton shared that she wanted a stunning transformation as she grew older, and she needed makeup to accomplish it. Unfortunately, makeup was a no-no in their household, and they didn't have the means for it either. So, Dolly improvised and used a red medicine called mercurochrome as her lipstick. In addition to looking the part, mercurochrome was incredibly hard to wipe off, so her father had no control over whether she could wear it. 

In fact, when Robert Lee Parton mistook the medicine for lipstick, Parton tried to convince him it was her natural color, and he immediately called her out for lying. Likewise, in a 2017 Facebook post, Dolly revealed that she got dolled up using poisonous pokeberries for lipstick and a burnt matchstick in place of an eyeliner. While the country singer was proud of her transformation, her traditionalist grandfather wanted her to change her ways. 

During a 2023 chat with The Guardian, Dolly shared that her grandfather even resorted to physical abuse to get her to dress how he wanted. "I'm very sensitive, I didn't like being disciplined – it hurt my feelings so bad to be scolded or whipped or whatever," she confessed. However, Dolly ended up sticking to her guns, noting, "But sometimes there's just that part of you that's willing, if you want something bad enough, to go for it." Ultimately, though, Dolly still developed a complicated relationship with her grandfather.

Speaking to Fox News in 2015, Dolly Parton shared that her mother, Avie Lee Parton, entrusted the help of her older kids to look after the younger ones as if they were their own. The elder Parton children were supposed to help their so-called babies sleep through the night and generally go the extra mile for their well-being. And when Dolly turned nine in 1955, it was her turn to look after her newest sibling, Larry Parton. Unfortunately, the baby boy passed away just four days after his arrival. 

While admitting that his passing brought "a lot of heartache," she said, "All things are hard, but that is what makes your memories. That is what makes you who and what you are." In addition to helping out with the newest arrivals of their family, the Parton children also had to take on major responsibilities around the house. In her documentary, "Dolly Parton: In Her Own Words," she shared that she used to wake up around 4 a.m. to prepare her father's lunch to help her mother get some much-needed rest. 

Meanwhile, in her 2024 chat with People, she revealed that she and most of her siblings started helping out with meal prep at an age where they couldn't even reach the table without standing on a chair. Once again, the country star remained optimistic about her childhood as she fondly recalled how everyone would always sit down to have dinner together and have hearty conversations.