Dolly Parton Turned Questions About Her Rural Childhood into a Fairy Tale During a 1977 Interview with Barbara Walters
By Website Content Manager
The country music icon had a clever and graceful response to the late journalist’s direct line of questioning.
Dolly Parton has long been known for keeping her composure, even when faced with challenging interviews.
Early in her career, the country music legend sat down with acclaimed journalist Barbara Walters for a 1977 television interview, where she was met with Walters’ trademark direct questioning.
At one point, Walters asked Parton, “Dolly, where I come from, would I have called you a hillbilly?”
Parton answered with her signature wit, replying, “If you had have, it would have been something very natural, but I would have probably kicked your shins or something.”
Walters continued the conversation by asking about Parton’s upbringing. The singer explained that many people associated her community with stereotypes similar to the fictional characters Li’l Abner and Daisy May, but she emphasized that those assumptions overlooked the dignity of the people she grew up around.
Parton said her family and neighbors took pride in who they were, describing them as people with strong values and character. Although many lacked formal education, she noted they possessed intelligence, practical knowledge, and what she affectionately called “horse sense.”
Later in the interview, Walters observed that Parton seemed to live in a world of imagination. Rather than rejecting the idea, the singer embraced it by recounting her own life as though it were a fairy tale.
Beginning with the familiar phrase, “Once upon a time,” Parton described a young girl growing up in a small mountain town surrounded by love and security. She explained that the child dreamed of a larger world inspired by classic fairy tales such as Mother Goose and Cinderella, believing that with enough determination those dreams could become reality.
Parton concluded the story by saying the little girl eventually became a fairy princess and lived happily ever after.
Years later, the country icon reflected on that memorable interview in her 1994 memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business.