Dolly Parton

One of the most enduringly popular performers in country music, Dolly Parton first made her mark as the duet partner of Porter Wagoner in the '60s, crossing over into mainstream pop in the '70s, and parlaying her success as a singer into an acting career in the '80s. Start your trip through her career with the household hits, including "Jolene", the movie tune "9 to 5", and her signature duet with Kenny Rogers, "Islands In the Stream". Dolly does Dylan, in Next Steps.

Thanks to her talent and ambition, Parton easily transitioned from country roots into more sophisticated trappings when she crossed over into pop. Still, she never lost her credibility as a musician, due to her unassailable sincerity and her willingness to take chances — cue up her impassioned version of the Elvis Presley hit "In the Ghetto" from 1969's My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy or her cover of Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" with Nickel Creek. Parton delivers a bunch of big-name duets, in Deep Cuts.

Although Parton can command a solo stage with a much grace and power as any woman (just check out the narrative introduction to "Smokey Mountain Memories"), she's always seen the value of a well-matched collaboration. Early in her career she was handpicked by country legend Porter Wagoner, who she joined for a run of TV shows and recordings ("Lost Forever in Your Kiss") during the late-'60s. Of late, she's hooked up with the likes of Cat Stevens ("Where Do the Children Play") and Kris Kristofferson ("Me and Bobby McGee").

Her pure trill and warm phrasing made Dolly Parton an icon, but she's as gifted a songsmith as she is a vocalist. The eye-catching Tennessee native has penned a slew of modern country standards that have been embraced outside of Nashville city limits, most notably "I Will Always Love You" (Whitney Houston) and "Jolene" (Patti Smith and, later, the White Stripes). More recently she's returned to her roots, releasing a series of critically acclaimed, bluegrass-tinged albums, and in February 2008 she put out her first mainstream country album in ten years, Backwoods Barbie. For more than four decades, Parton has enriched country and pop music like few of her peers. Here's why . . .