The Atlas Obscura Podcast · Thursday, August 27, 2026
During her "crossover period," Dolly Parton expanded her career beyond country music, taking on acting roles, such as in the movie '9 to 5,' and singing more pop-oriented music, sometimes by other artists. She also became a part-owner of an amusement park, which she transformed into Dollywood, fulfilling a promise to bring jobs to her home region.
“This is when Dolly entered her crossover period. This involved acting gigs, like the movie 9 to 5, where she becomes part of a group of secretaries that take revenge on their crappy boss.”
“She started singing a lot more pop music, a lot of the times stuff that wasn't always written by her. Maybe you know her duet with Kenny Rogers, "Islands in the Stream."”
“Dolly has said that she promised herself that if she ever struck it rich, she would quote, come back to my part of the country and do something great. Something that would bring a lot of jobs into this area.”