Dolly Parton’s Net Worth Is Fit for a Country Queen
Dolly Parton's net worth shows just how prolific her career has been and how many fans she has amassed. Parton is not just famous for her classic country hits. The singer is also known for her philanthropic nature when it comes to her immense fortune.
The creative mind behind such hits as “9 to 5,” “Jolene” and even “I Will Always Love You” has managed to achieve crossover success on a level that is rare for a country artist. She’s been able to parlay her singing success into a successful acting career, appearing in such classics as 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias. In November, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer is releasing her first-ever rock album, Rockstar. Really, what can’t Dolly do?
Here is everything you need to know about Dolly Parton’s net worth, including how she made it!
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How did Dolly Parton become famous?
Dolly Parton is one celebrity who started off with very humble beginnings. She was one of an astounding 12 siblings, growing up in a one-bedroom home on a substance farm in Tennessee. She began performing as a child, appearing on local television programs and radio shows in East Tennessee. By the time she was 10, she appeared on The Cas Walker Show, both on TV in Knoxville and on the radio.
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By age 13, Parton was recording the single “Puppy Love” for Goldband Records and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry. It was at the Opry that she met Johnny Cash, whose encouragement to follow her instincts helped to shape her career. The future country superstar moved to Nashville the day after her high school graduation in 1964, where she began her successful career as a songwriter, singing with Combine Publishing not long after arriving.
In 1965, when she was 19, the buxom blonde signed with Monument Records but was initially shaped as a bubblegum pop singer, limiting her success. She was met with resistance from her label when she tried to pitch herself as a country singer due to her soprano voice. It took one of her compositions, “Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” recorded by Bill Phillips and featuring an uncredited Parton on harmony, reaching number six on the country chart the following year to convince the label to give her a shot. The following year, two of her songs, “Dumb Blonde” and “Something Fishy” reached the country charts, with both appearing on her first full-length album Hello, I’m Dolly.
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It was Parton’s next venture that really pushed her into the limelight. In 1967, the singer took over the regular spot previously held by singer Norma Jean on The Porter Wagoner Show. With the support of Wagoner, Parton was signed by RCA Victor and released her first single with the label—a duet with Wagoner, a remake of “The Last Thing on My Mind” which reached the top 10 on the country chart, kicking off a six-year streak of top 10 singles for the duo. However, Parton was still struggling as a solo artist.
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It would take until 1970 for Parton to break the top 10 on her own, which she did with a recording of Jimmie Rodgers' "Mule Skinner Blues," followed by her first No. 1 single, “Joshua,” in 1971. The same year, her signature song "Coat of Many Colors" reached No. 4, finally establishing her as the country queen she is. When “Jolene” was released in 1973, it not only topped the country chart, it even achieved mild success on the Hot 100, bringing Parton her first taste of crossover success. She was able to leave The Porter Wagoner Show in 1974 as a result. That year would bring her three No. 1 country hits, "Jolene," "I Will Always Love You" and "Love Is Like a Butterfly,” and further cement her fame in the music world.
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What is Dolly Parton's net worth in 2023?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Dolly Parton’s net worth is an astounding $650 million. She has earned these hundreds of millions due to her music, acting, songwriting, film productions and her business and branding ventures. Considering she has penned some of the most famous songs in the world, like “I Will Always Love You—which topped the charts both for her own recording and for Whitney Houston’s immortal cover—it’s not surprising Parton has amassed this large fortune.
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How much is Dolly Parton worth financially?
Financially, Dolly Parton has a reported net worth of $650 million as of 2023. However, there are many people that would consider Parton’s contributions to the world as priceless!
Is Dolly Parton a billionaire?
Due to the fact that Dolly Parton has a net worth of a reported $650 million, she is not a billionaire. However, it has been speculated that the singer could have achieved billionaire status if she were not so generous with her money, constantly investing in many philanthropic endeavors. Good for you, Dolly—be the change you want to see!
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Why is Dolly Parton's net worth so high?
Dolly Parton’s net worth is so high for a number of reasons. The first is because she has been working as a country artist since the 1960s and has had a whopping 41 top-10 country albums as well as 25 No. 1 singles. As a solo artist, she has sold over 100 million albums, and this is not counting her success with duets, nor the success that songs she has written for other artists have achieved. For instance, Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” is said to have earned Parton $20 million alone. It is the bestselling single by a female artist of all time.
Parton has also seen success with her movie career, appearing in such classics as 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias, just to name a few. She also has had quite a prolific career as a film producer, launching her production company with business partner Sandy Gallin in 1986, Sandollar Productions. Sandollar Productions produced Father of the Bride, Fly Away Home and the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While the Buffy movie was not a success (though it later became a cult favorite), the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series, which ran from 1997 until 2003, would go on to become a classic, earning new fans to this day. Parton is said to have played a "fundamental if often forgotten role" in getting the show made. Nowadays, she has an Emmy-winning production deal with Netflix.
Parton has also launched several other business ventures, including entering the beauty world with her fragrance, "Scent From Above." She also has the East Tennessee amusement park, Dollywood, to her name. Basically, the woman never stops innovating!
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How much did Dolly Parton make from Whitney Houston?
Whitney Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s song “I Will Always Love You” is the bestselling single by a female artist of all time. As a result, Parton has earned an estimated $20 million from Houston’s cover alone. Bet Parton will always love Houston for that!
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How many kids does Dolly Parton have?
Dolly Parton does not have any children of her own. She has explained the reasoning behind her decision, saying, “I didn't have children because I believed that God didn't mean for me to have kids so everybody's kids could be mine, so I could do things like Imagination Library because if I hadn't had the freedom to work, I wouldn't have done all the things I've done.”
Imagination Library is just one of the many philanthropic endeavors Parton has invested her time and money into. It is a book gifting program that mails free books to children in participating areas from birth until they begin school.
Who is the wealthiest country singer?
When it comes to rankings of the wealthiest country singers, Dolly Parton consistently comes out on top with her net worth of $650 million. Considering the fact that Parton uses her immense wealth to fund a number of philanthropic interests, we can’t begrudge her enormous success!
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How much does Dolly Parton make a year?
Dolly Parton is said to have an annual income of over $85 million a year. This is partially due to the money she has coming in from her song royalties, but she also has many streams of income that add to her fortune each year.
What does Dolly Parton do with her money?
Dolly Parton does a number of things with her money, beyond funding her own Hollywood lifestyle. She invests in film and television productions through deals like the one she has with Netflix. In addition, she invests in a number of worthy philanthropic causes, like Imagination Library, which has gifted over 182 million free books to children as of this year. In 2020, Parton famously donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, helping to fund the development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Education is a cause close to Parton’s heart, leading to her creation of the Dollywood Foundation in 1988, to inspire children in her home state of Tennessee to “achieve educational success.” The foundation awards scholarships to help students further their education. She launched The Buddy Program in 1991 when she was dismayed to see the high dropout rate for high schoolers in her home community, which was over 30% at the time. In 1991, at a school assembly in her hometown for seventh and eighth graders, Parton offered to personally give $500 to each and every student in the seventh and eighth grades if they graduated from high school—however, each student’s “buddy” needed to also graduate as well. As a result of her offer, the dropout rate fell to 6% for those classes.
Parton used some of the royalties earned from Whitney Houston’s recording of “I Will Always Love You” to invest in a Black community in Nashville to honor Houston. Basically, Dolly Parton uses her money in a way that helps to make the world a better place!
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How much does Dolly Parton make in royalties?
Dolly Parton has a library of over 3,000 song credits to her name. As a result, it is estimated she makes between $6 million and $8 million in royalty payments each year. As you can see, it pays to be smart!
Does Dolly Parton own the rights to her songs?
Dolly Parton does indeed own her entire song catalog. It is estimated that the catalog is worth $150 million. From the time she launched her own music publishing company back in 1966, it has been Parton’s practice to hold onto the publishing rights of her songs—a decision that has clearly paid off. She even refused to sign over half of the rights to “I Will Always Love You” to Elvis Presley in 1974 when the King of Rock sought to record his own cover of the song. Considering she would make around $20 million from Whitney Houston’s cover almost two decades later, Parton most likely is fine with that tough call.
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How much does Dolly Parton make from “Jolene?”
It is not known exactly how much money Dolly Parton continues to make from her hit song “Jolene” each year. She reportedly earns an estimated $6 million to $8 million in total from all of her song royalties annually. In addition, she is said to earn $2 per album sold and $0.08 every time a track she authored is played on the radio.
How much did Dolly Parton make from “9 to 5?”
It is not known how much Dolly Parton has made from her Oscar-nominated song “9 to 5.” We know it is reported that she earns between $6 million and $8 million each year from all of her song royalties as well as $2 per album sold and $0.08 per radio play for a song she has written. It is also not known how much she was paid for her role in the film 9 to 5 for which the song was recorded.
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How much did Dolly Parton get paid for Glastonbury?
To perform as a headliner at Glastonbury, Dolly Parton reportedly most likely earned over ￡1 million ($1.19 million) per set. However, it has been said that performers earn “less than 10%” of what they would be paid at other festivals. The number has also been said to be closer to ￡200,000 ($237,000) for a headline slot. Only Parton herself knows the amount she was paid for the 2014 performance.
Does Dolly Parton make money from Dollywood?
Dolly Parton does indeed make money from Dollywood, her namesake theme park in East Tennessee. She reportedly owns a 50% stake in the park, which Forbes estimates is worth $165 million for the singer.
How much did Dolly Parton pay for Silver Dollar City?
In 1986, Dolly Parton decided she wanted to invest some of her country music fortune in her hometown. As a result, she partnered with Herschend Family Entertainment to transform their East Tennessee amusement park, Silver Dollar City, into Dollywood. It is not known how much she initially invested in Silver Dollar City to transform it into Dollywood, however her 50% stake in Dollywood is estimated to be worth $165 million. So, we can imagine she paid in the millions for her share of the amusement park at the time.