On this day (February 6) in 1971, Dolly Parton topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with “Joshua.” It was Parton’s first song to reach the top of the country chart. The song also earned her a Grammy nomination.
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By 1971, Parton had been on The Porter Wagoner Show for five years and had quickly become a favorite among the show’s viewers. However, it was taking some time for that popularity to translate to chart success.
Parton released 16 singles between 1959 and 1969. Half of those reached the country chart, with two breaking into the top 20. However, she wouldn’t land her first top 10 hit until she released her cover of Jimmie Rodgers’ “Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)” in 1970. It peaked at No. 3. Later that year, she released “Joshua” as the first and only single from the album of the same name.
It would only be two more years before Parton found her way back to the top of the country chart with “Jolene.” Her first two No. 1 singles have a few things in common. First and most obviously, their titles are names. They were also both inspired by true stories with a little embellishment.
Dolly Parton Based Her First No. 1 on Men She Knew as a Child
Unlike the narrator in “Joshua,” Dolly Parton was far from an orphan. She had both parents and 11 brothers and sisters. However, she did grow up in the mountains, and her family dealt with poverty. She also knew some rugged men who lived isolated lives in the Great Smoky Mountains.
“I love the story of this song,” Parton wrote. “But I also love the little musical arrangement. The record sounded really good. I based the character on two or three mountain men I knew as a kid, reclusive people who lived alone way back in the mountains. I just kind of built the story around them.”
Featured Image by David Redfern/Redferns
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