Phenomenal songs require phenomenal songwriters, and phenomenal melodies and recording them requires phenomenal performers. Dolly Parton was all, in abundance.

She was born in Tennessee's Smoky Mountains. She began performing at age six in church, made her Grand Ole Opry debut at 13, and moved to Nashville the day after high school.

She spent years on The Porter Wagoner Show before launching her solo career with self-penned classics like "Coat of Many Colors."

Beyond the stage, she rewrote the playbook for navigating power imbalances and gender inequality. In a male-dominated country music industry, she maintained total control over her creative assets.

When she famously refused to give half her publishing rights to Elvis Presley’s management for "I Will Always Love You," she established a standard for artist ownership that inspired generations.

That shrewd business mind fueled a distinctly compassionate model of philanthropy. Through her Imagination Library, she distributed hundreds of millions of free books to young children worldwide to combat illiteracy, a mission inspired by her father’s inability to read. From building economic stability in her home region with Dollywood to funding global medical research, she proved that corporate success could be channeled directly into community uplift.

Selecting a single track for the 1000 Songs is always difficult. I would have been happy to pick another 10, but "Jolene" stands out for me personally.

Jolene by Dolly Parton

It's built on a brilliant, driving guitar riff that mimics a racing pulse. Lyrically it's great—on the surface, it's a desperate plea to another woman for her own happiness. But it's smarter than that, as I am sure it's addressing multiple audiences.

She was country, but more than country. She took that expertly global and merged it with various other cultural movements. She wrote brilliant songs apparently effortlessly, but it was always clear how hard she worked. A talented, unique artist.