Dolly Parton Reveals Crush on Johnny Cash: ‘He Had All Those Weird Emotions’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Plus learn if the two ever interacted again throughout Parton's career
Dolly Parton might be married to her husband Carl, but before he came along, the “Jolene” singer had another man on her mind: Johnny Cash. That’s right! Way back in the day, the sparkly singer had a crush on everyone’s favorite blues singer, a fact which she exclusively related to Woman’s World. To learn what she had to say, and if the two ever even knew each other, keep scrolling!
Dolly Parton: a country music legend with a big heart
Parton is a 78-year-old country music singer from Pittman Center, Tennessee. She is best known for her songs “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” Coat of Many Colors,” “Here You Come Again” and “Islands in The Stream”—which she recorded with Kenny Rogers.
She has also released several cookbooks throughout her career and even opened her theme park, Dollywood.
Personally, Parton has been married to her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, since 1966. Dean does prefer to stay out of the spotlight, but that hasn’t stopped Parton from singing his praises for the last 59 years.
The couple does not have any children but do have several nieces and nephews. Parton is also famously known as an actress and singer Miley Cyrus’ godmother.
The legacy of Johnny Cash: a country music pioneer
Born in 1932, Cash quickly rose to fame thanks to his deep singing voice and his ability to tell a story while performing. His most well-known songs include “I Walk the Line.” “Ring of Fire.” “Folsom Prison Blues,’ “Hurt” and “A Boy Named Sue.”
Singing wasn’t the only thing Cash was known for, though. He famously made headlines over and over again for his affair with fellow singer June Carter Cash, who he met in 1956 while still married to Vivian Liberato.
Cash and Carter Cash then went on to perform several sold-out shows together before eventually marrying in 1968. They then went on to have one child together. Before that, Cash had already welcomed four kids with his ex-wife, and Carter Cash had already had two with her ex-husband. All of the children are still alive.
Cash died in 2003 at age 71 from diabetes, just five months after Carter Cash.
Dolly Parton on Johnny Cash: her first crush and their Grand Ole Opry moment
Despite the rather large age gap between them, Parton and Cash did know of each other thanks to their shared love of country music. In fact, according to Parton, Cash was actually her first-ever crush!
“He introduced me on one of the Friday Night Frolics with Grand Ole Opry years ago,” Parton told Woman’s World. “He just had that [it factor.]”
According to Parton’s website, when Cash brought her out on the Grand Ole Opry stage in 1959, he said, “We’ve got a little girl here from up in East Tennessee. Her daddy’s listening to the radio at home, and she’s gonna be in real trouble if she doesn’t sing tonight, so let’s bring her out here.”
She then went on to sing “You Gotta Be My Baby” by George Jones, which she has since recorded and released.
“As I heard the band play my introduction, I lifted my head and looked up toward the lights,” Parton writes. “I smiled at the people in the balcony and then let ‘er rip.”
Sadly, though, despite that magical night, Parton’s crush was short-lived because she “realized later it was because he was on drugs.”
“He had all those weird emotions,” she added.
Because of that, Parton and Cash never got together despite their shared love of country music.
Following their rendezvous at the Friday Night Frolics with Grand Ole Opry, Parton and Cash were never linked together again
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