A Photographer Said It Was a ‘Shame’ the Way Dolly Parton Changed With Fame

People who knew Dolly Parton said she became less accessible because of fame. They shared the way they felt she changed.

In the 1970s, Dolly Parton’s growing career brought her an increased amount of fame. With the help of a new management team, Parton pursued a spot on the pop charts. While many of her peers celebrated her success, other people she knew bristled at her fame. They believed she had changed too much.

A photographer said Dolly Parton changed with fame

As Parton found more mainstream success, she became aware of the fact that people in Nashville were concerned. Though many were excited for her, others believed she was turning her back on country music. She hired a new Los Angeles-based management team and spent increasing amounts of time out of Tennessee.

“People are afraid I don’t know what I am doing. But I do,” Parton said in the book Dolly by Alanna Nash. “I think they’re thinking I’m headed toward that land of the lost. When in all truth, I have been found all the time.”

Others were upset that Parton was no longer as accessible as she once was. Nashville residents could once see her at grocery stores and local events. She was easily accessible to anyone looking to contact her. Understandably, this changed as she became more famous.

“Yeah, it’s a shame the way Dolly’s gotten away,” photographer Michael G. Borum said. “She used to be real accessible, but she’s not any longer. To get to her at all, you have to go through three agents. You just can’t talk to her at all.”

Borum said he used to be able to contact Parton whenever he needed to.

“I used to practically call her — just call her aunt [Colleen Owens] who does her hair and say I needed to see her, and I’d get a reply,” he said. “When she’d be shooting her TV show out at Opryland, RCA would call and say, ‘We want to do some shots of Dolly. You want to come on out?’ That kind of thing is long gone.”

Dolly Parton’s old friends also felt fame had changed her

Some of Parton’s old friends and family members felt similarly. They used to be able to see her after concerts or at local festivals. This became harder after she hired her new management team.

“I’m sure they have to follow their ordinary routine, but on the other hand, no one is going to hurt Dolly around here,” Parton’s former principal said. “I don’t know whether the new management puts more pressure on scheduling and things like that, or whether that’s just their basic setup. And I realize Dolly has to have her rest. But I could tell a lot more of an enclosed setup around Dolly this time. Actually, they just kept her closed in.”

Parton’s friend, Ruth Green, saw it as a problem that Parton’s management was putting distance between her and her family.

“Dolly’s grandfather was in here the other day,” Green said. “He asked how I liked Dolly’s last show, and I said I liked it fine, except I didn’t get a chance to reminisce like we used to. He said he didn’t either, The minute she left the stage, she was gone. They had the bus parked where nobody could get at her. Mrs. Parton said nobody got to see Dolly, not even her.”

She denied that she had changed

Parton found any insinuations that she was purposely distancing herself from family and friends insulting. She had big dreams and was pursuing them regardless of what people said about her.

“I have a song to sing and I have a heart that is full of love and compassion,” she said. “And I have dreams and desires to do things. And I will not sit and grow stale. I will not do it!”