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Software<br />
I wish I had my old fishin’ pole<br />
And was sitting on <strong>the</strong> banks<br />
of <strong>the</strong> fishing hole<br />
Eating green apples and<br />
waiting for <strong>the</strong> fish to bite<br />
Life ain’t as simple as it used to be<br />
Since <strong>the</strong> Big Apple took a bite out of me<br />
And Lord, I’m so Tennessee homesick<br />
that I could die<br />
And Dolly gets good notices right in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Big Apple, at <strong>the</strong> New York Times<br />
in fact, both for her acting and for her<br />
singing and songwriting.<br />
In 1989 we see her alongside Julia<br />
Roberts, Sally Field and Shirley McLaine<br />
in <strong>the</strong> immensely popular film Steel Magnolias.<br />
She plays with panache a role in a<br />
made-for-TV thriller, Wild Texas Wind,<br />
with Ray Benson. In 1992 she stars in<br />
Straight Talk (recently released on DVD)<br />
and <strong>the</strong> following year Hillbillies.<br />
When she was <strong>the</strong> Playboy Interview<br />
subject (and also <strong>the</strong> cover feature) in<br />
October 1978, she said she had <strong>the</strong>n<br />
never seen a Broadway show, nor any<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r live stage play. She is a natural<br />
actress, moving across a sound stage<br />
as though she had always been <strong>the</strong>re.<br />
No awkwardness. Everything she gives<br />
comes from inside, without outside influences,<br />
and without copying.<br />
She told Playboy something else of<br />
great significance. If she had to choose<br />
between singing and writing, she would<br />
opt for writing. She believes that setting<br />
words on paper lets one put things into<br />
perspective, and can help heal <strong>the</strong> author<br />
first of all. She also believes that those<br />
who read her words, if <strong>the</strong>y are suffering<br />
morally or physically, can be touched,<br />
and can find <strong>the</strong>re some comfort.<br />
Behind <strong>the</strong> image<br />
The statistics are overwhelming.<br />
Dolly Parton has written more than<br />
5000 songs. There hasn’t been a year<br />
since 1968 when her songs haven’t picked<br />
up at least one nomination or award. She<br />
has been named numerous times Best<br />
Female Vocalist or Best Country Singer,<br />
or been nominated for <strong>the</strong> Best Country<br />
Performance. Grammies and Oscars are<br />
no stranger to her ei<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
At one point she made an ill-advised<br />
leap into <strong>the</strong> world of mainstream popular<br />
music. It was a mistake that nearly<br />
cost her <strong>the</strong> devotion of her fans, and it<br />
didn’t last long. She returned to country<br />
with an album titled Hungry Again:<br />
Bring back <strong>the</strong> passion we had back <strong>the</strong>n<br />
The time has gone by,<br />
now we’ve grown too content<br />
Lets love like we’re hungry again,<br />
now and <strong>the</strong>n<br />
Lets love like we’re hungry again<br />
Her writing includes an autobiography,<br />
My Life and O<strong>the</strong>r Unfinished<br />
Business, and a children’s book bearing<br />
<strong>the</strong> title of her first song, Coat of Many<br />
Colors.<br />
This curvy woman with <strong>the</strong> extraordinary<br />
charisma, already a songwriter,<br />
singer, musician and actress, had more<br />
tricks up her sleeve, including a strong<br />
business sense. It is she who runs <strong>the</strong><br />
Dolly Parton Enterprises empire. In<br />
1986 she founded <strong>the</strong> Dollywood <strong>the</strong>me<br />
park, to celebrate her Smoky Mountain<br />
upbringing in Tennessee. Two years<br />
later she set up <strong>the</strong> non-profit Dollywood<br />
Foundation, to develop and<br />
run education programs for Tennessee<br />
children. Since <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> Foundation has<br />
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY <strong>Magazine</strong> 61