On This Day in 1967, Dolly Parton Released the Album That Marked Her Transition to Country Music and Produced Her First Hits

On this day (September 17) in 1967, Dolly Parton released her debut album Hello, I’m Dolly. It was the only album she released on Monument Records. Porter Wagoner helped her land a deal with RCA before she released her sophomore LP. This release also contained her first charting singles. Additionally, it contains her final bubblegum pop single.

Parton moved to Nashville the day after she finished high school in 1964. Fred Foster, who owned Combine Music and Monument Records, gave her a publishing deal and recording contract. While she wrote songs for country artists at Combine, Foster didn’t think her voice fit the genre. As a result, he pushed her to record bubblegum pop. She released five pop singles and the most successful–“Happy, Happy Birthday Baby”–peaked at No. 108 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1974, Dolly Parton Released the No. 1 Hit and TV Show Theme Song That Proved She Could Succeed Without Porter Wagoner]

Finally, when Bill Phillips had a hit with the Parton-penned “Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” on which she also sang harmony, Foster relented and let her record country material. However, she still had one unreleased pop song. That song, “The Little Things,” was also the album’s lead single. It failed to chart.

Dolly Parton’s Career Takes Off

Dolly Parton’s next two singles, her first country releases on Monument, became her first his. She released the Curly Putman-penned “Dumb Blonde” as the next single. It reached No. 24 on the country chart. Then, she followed that with “Something Fishy,” which peaked at No. 17.

Less than two weeks after she released her debut album, Parton made her debut appearance on The Porter Wagoner Show, replacing Norma Jean. They also began touring together. A few months later, in January 1968, they released their first collaborative album. The exposure she gained from the TV show and her connection to Wagoner helped give her the momentum she needed to launch her iconic solo career.

Less than a decade after releasing her debut, Dolly Parton was one of country music’s biggest stars.

Featured Image by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns