Additional Coverage:
- 1966 Country Song, Written by the Man Behind ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today,’ Became Dolly Parton’s First Hit (parade.com)
Sixty years ago today, a young Dolly Parton, just 20 years old, stepped into a Nashville studio and recorded a song she didn’t write-marking her first entry on the country charts.
On September 23, 1966, Parton recorded “Dumb Blonde” at Fred Foster Sound Studio. The song was penned by Curly Putman, who also wrote the classic “Green, Green Grass of Home” and co-wrote George Jones’s iconic “He Stopped Loving Her Today” with Bobby Braddock.
At the time, Parton had recently moved to Nashville right after graduating high school. Fred Foster, founder of Monument Records and producer of Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” signed her to his publishing company and label. However, Foster initially envisioned Parton as a pop star in the mold of Brenda Lee, rather than a country singer, and pushed her to record pop songs instead.
Her first five singles under Monument failed to chart. The turning point came when Bill Phillips took “Put It Off Until Tomorrow”-a song co-written by Parton and her uncle Bill Owens-to No. 6 on the country charts in 1966, featuring Dolly’s uncredited harmony vocals. This success convinced Foster to let her record country music.
Parton later revealed that Foster chose “Dumb Blonde” because it was upbeat, and he thought its lively tempo would distract listeners from focusing on her vocal abilities-a rather backhanded compliment. The single peaked at No. 24, followed by “Something Fishy,” which climbed to No.
- Both tracks were included on her 1967 debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly.
Interestingly, “Dumb Blonde” was one of only two songs on that album not written by Parton herself.
Throughout her career, Parton faced and defied the “dumb blonde” stereotype that the song’s title implied. Despite the jokes, she often said they didn’t offend her because she knew her own intelligence and talent, as she expressed in various interviews collected by Parade magazine.
Dolly Parton passed away on August 25 at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer. The song that introduced her to the country music world was a cheeky nod to being underestimated-a notion she spent six decades proving wrong with her extraordinary career and enduring legacy.