Notable People
Dolly Parton fired her family band in the early stages of her career. She felt terribly about hurting them.
Dolly Parton’s incredibly successful music career began when she was a child. She knew from a young age that she wanted to make it as an artist, and she was willing to do all that she could to achieve this. This included making difficult, sometimes painful decisions. Parton admitted that she hurt people as she tried to make the best choices for her career.
Dolly Parton admitted she had to make difficult decisions in her career
Early in Parton’s career, she toured with a band made up of her family members. As she achieved more success, she decided that she needed a more professional group to back her. She felt that this was the best move for her career.
“I want people to know there is a lot more to me — good or bad — than they’ve seen so far,” she told People in 1977. “All I’m asking is a chance to prove it. I needed to reorganize to try to make those dreams come true.”
While she knew this was the right move, she admitted that it was not an easy one. She felt terribly about hurting her family members.
“These are awfully hurtful decisions I’ve had to make,” she said. “I’ve suffered a lot, and I’ll suffer some more because of the great love I have for the people involved. I may be an eagle when I fly, but I’m a sparrow when it comes to feelings.”
She acknowledged that some people doubted her decision, but she didn’t think it represented a jump away from her roots.
“Many of my friends are afraid I might be screwing up,” she said. “And some are afraid I will do good. But I’ll never turn my back on the people who made me want to sing and write. I’m not leaving Nashville. Roots are important to me, and my roots are here.”
