Book Review: Unlikely Angel

 

Unlikely Angel

The Songs of Dolly Parton

by Lydia R. Hamessley

University of Illinois Press 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Entertainment 

Pub Date 16 Sep 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Unlikely Angel through University of Illinois Press and Netgalley:

I’n 1964 Dolly Parton went to New York with her senior class to see the hit musical Hello, Dolly!  Just three years later Dolly’s first solo album was released. It was titled Hello, I’m Dolly.

Dolly was born on January 19, 1946, in Sevier County, Tennessee.  When Dolly was thirteen, Uncle Bill arranged for her to cut a demo record, “Puppy Love,” a rockabilly style, bubblegum pop tune Dolly had cowritten with him two years earlier.  

Dolly Parton's success as a performer and pop culture phenomenon has overshadowed her achievements as a songwriter. But she sees herself as a songwriter first, and with good reason. Parton's compositions like "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" have become American standards with an impact far beyond country music.

From an early age Dolly Parton saw herself as a songwriter more than a performer.  She writes her songs from experience, leaving for deep and meaningful lyrics, which is why many of her songs top the charts.

When Dolly left the mountains in 1964, she knew she was making an unusual move for an 18-year-old girl at that time:  Dolly returns to hymns and scripture in her songs when events shake her faith, as she did in “Raven Dove” and “Hello God.” In these responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Dolly makes no direct references to the events of 9/11, unlike most popular and country songs about that day. With spiritual rather than patriotic lyrics, these songs are not on lists of 9/11 songs found online. Dolly’s songs encompass feelings of fear, frustration, and hope greater than just a response to a specific event.

In this book Lydia R. Hamessley’s expert of analysis of how Dolly Parton’s characteristically straightforward input inform this comprehensive look at the process, influences, and themes that have shaped the superstar's songwriting artistry.  She talks about how Parton’s loving, hardscrabble childhood in the Smoky Mountains provided the musical language, rhythms, and memories of old-time music that resonate in so many of her songs.  

I found that Unlikely Angel was a powerful story of how Dolly Parton’s music has touched many.

I give Unlikely Angel five out of five stars !

Happy Reading!