Dolly Rebecca Parton born January 19, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album debut in with Hello, I'm Dolly , which led to success during the remainder of the s both as a solo artist and with a series of duet albums with Porter Wagoner , before her sales and chart peak came during the s and continued into the s. Parton's albums in the s did not sell as well, but she achieved commercial success again in the new millennium and has released albums on various independent labels since , including her own label, Dolly Records. She has sold more than million records worldwide. She has had 25 songs reach no.