Mid-Week Music

 

Who else but National treasure and world-class mensch Dolly Parton, today and always.

QOTD -- The Greatest Gift Of All

 

"Wow!  Did you say $100 million? ... When people are in a position to help you should help. And I know I've always said, I try to put my money where my heart is... I will do my best to do good things with this money..." --  Dolly Parton, upon receiving the very well- deserved $100 million Courage and Civility Award from Jeff Bezos on Saturday.  Previous winners were Van Jones and Chef José Andrés.  

Here's a fairly recent accounting of Dolly's good deeds so far in her life.

We know she'll do great things with the money. 

 

Weekend Music

 

Singer/ songwriter/ philanthropist, and Tennessee's gift to mankind Dolly Parton was just in the news again after making a $1 million donation to aid pediatric infectious disease research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center;  in 2020 she donated another $1 million for coronavirus research to the same facility, and has supported many, many more charitable efforts through her Dollywood Foundation.  Though it became a worldwide hit for Whitney Houston, and was written about Dolly's professional parting with Porter Wagoner, "I Will Always Love You" showcases Dolly's fluid, honey- smooth voice and whose title reflects what we and countless millions of people everywhere feel about her.  Hope you enjoy. 

Mid-Week Song

 

Today's a popular day for birthdays in the world of music. One half of the legendary Everly Brothers, the late Phil Everly was born in 1939, and blues / rock icon Janis Joplin in 1943. It's also the birthday of the singer, composer and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who rose from a country music star crossing over to pop charts and becoming a beloved cultural icon in her 50 plus years in the business. Her signature songs, from "I Will Always Love You," "9 To 5," "Here You Come Again," "Coat of Many Colors," and our song today, "Jolene" are classics. Beyond her music, she's given back through her charitable work, establishing scholarships for high school students, distributing 100 million books to children through her Imagination Library, her donation of $1 million for research for a COVID vaccine, and opening a center for women's services in her hometown of Sevierville, TN. All this while poking fun at herself and her over-the-top image. Happy 76th.

Weekend Twofer

Two beautiful songs in the Anglo-Scottish folk tradition. Enjoy.