On this day (August 19) in 2016, Dolly Parton released Pure & Simple, her forty-fifth solo album. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, giving Parton her first No. 1 in 25 years. Additionally, the release marked the beginning of an era of renewed commercial success for the country music legend.
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Parton’s success peaked in the second half of the 1970s. While she had seen moderate success on the country albums chart in the past, she found consistent success after releasing her classic full-length, Jolene, in 1974. Three years later, she landed her first No. 1 album with New Harvest…First Gathering, in 1977. Fourteen of her next 15 albums were top-10 hits. She scored her final No. 1 of the era with Eagle When She Flies in 1991. Her chart success began to wane in 1996 with the release of Still Hungry. However, many of her subsequent albums landed in the top 20.
[RELATED: How Judas Priest’s Rob Halford Helped Dolly Parton Land First Rock No. 1]
Twenty-five years after landing her last No. 1 album, she released Pure & Simple. It debuted at the top of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart on September 10, 2016.
Dolly Parton Is on a Hot Streak
While Dolly Parton hasn’t found the same level of chart success that she found in the 1970s, her career is seeing another peak. After landing at No. 1 with Pure & Simple, she released three solo studio albums and a Christmas album.
Two of those: A Holly Dolly Christmas (2020) and Rockstar (2023) reached the top of the chart. Run, Rose, Run (2022), the companion album to the novel Parton co-wrote with James Patterson, peaked at No. 4.
While there is no way of knowing where Dolly Parton’s career will take her next, one thing is for sure. She’s one of the most widely-loved artists in country music and will continue to be a figurehead of all that is right, decent, and caring in the world.
Featured Image by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images
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