The Life of Country Music Icon Dolly Parton

As a young child, she began writing songs while growing up in the Smoky Mountains. One of her earliest compositions was “Little Tiny Tassle Top,” a sign that music was already becoming more than just a family pastime.

Without money for expensive instruments, she used homemade ones and learned by listening to relatives sing around the house. Writing songs helped her develop a sense of identity long before she became famous, and it would not stay hidden inside the family home for long.