Shopping the other day in an indoor mall, I heard "Jolene" piping through speakers, as the melodic and soothing voice of Dolly Parton enveloped me. I immediately felt better. There's something about Dolly's vocals that get me, along with millions of other worldwide fans, every time. Musicians of all genres embrace and cover her songs. 

It's hard to accurately access how many fans an artist has, but in Dolly's case, she is listed with over 7 million Facebook followers, which is exceptional by any count. Fans love the singer/songwriter/philanthropist, first off, because she is a truly talented writer and artist. Her library of contributions to ASCAP includes hits like “Here You Come Again,” “Baby, I’m Burning," ”Islands in the Steam” “Coat of Many Colors,” “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” and "I will always Love You, the iconic background tune for "The Body Guard." voiced by the great Whitney Houston.

As popular as she is, Dolly Parton has met her share of criticism for appearing too sexual. The singer is famous for being well-endowed and glamorous. Dressing in revealing outfits might offend some people but I am convinced that Dolly is a feminist. 

She continually advocates for women's rights. The movie "9 to 5" highlighted the exploitation of females in the workplace. In her 2020 book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics," Dolly goes into the delicate subject of sexual abuse and reveals how she was a victim herself. Back in the day, she posed for a "Playboy" cover. Some might argue she was taken advantage of--but isn't feminism having the right to do what you wish to do on your terms? And that is who Dolly Parton is. She has a lifelong commitment to philanthropy which was recognized last week by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. 

The new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (long overdue) was given 100 million dollars to donate to charities of her choosing. On Veteran's Day, the second richest man in the world, with his partner Laura Sanchez at his side, gave Parton the money to disburse at her discretion. 

In her modest way, Dolly told attendees at the Courage and Civility awards, "When people are in a position to help, you should help. I know that I've always said I try to put my money where my heart is and I think you do the same thing. I will do my best to do good things with this money."

Dolly received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy last month for her charity contributions. She created The Imagination Library to boost children's literacy in 1995. Kids have received 193 million free books to date. Dolly's "My People Fund" disbursed $9 million to fire victims in 2016. In 2020, she gave Moderna a million dollars to help develop a Covid-19 vaccine.

Dolly has been performing for 50 years and has written 5,000 songs. If this isn't enough, catch Dolly's Christmas movie premiering December 1 on NBC with a star-studded lineup.