Happy birthday, Dolly Parton! 8 podcasts and episodes celebrating the iconic songstress

Songstress, cultural icon, and generous philanthropist Dolly Parton celebrated her birthday on January 19, and we’re honoring the music legend with podcasts and episodes. In addition to singing, songwriting, charitable donations, and authorship, she might even be the world’s unofficial patron saint of pop music.

On our podcast list, we’ve included interviews, episodes chatting about her novel, favorite foods, her perfume line, wigs, wardrobe choices, and giving back. We’ve also included one of Podsauce’s favorites, “Dolly Parton’s America” hosted by Jad Abumrad.

Dolly Parton’s America

Host Jad Abumrad explores the pop culture powerhouse’s legacy and chats with the legend herself on “Dolly Parton’s America.” Start this 9-part series from episode one to hear all about why Parton is beloved as a singer, cultural icon, and has drawn an inclusive crowd since her career’s start. This podcast is a WNYC Studios and OSM Audio presentation.

ReThinking

In this episode of “ReThinking,” Adam Grant chatted with Parton about ambition, her creative process, and balancing the completion of tasks with getting things right. Parton discussed the novel she co-authored with James Patterson, Run, Rose, Run, and its full-length companion album.

Watch What Happens Live

Parton stopped by “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” in this 25-minute episode to talk about her perfume release, positivity, giving back, hobbies, and more. Parton was happy to share wardrobe choices, wig secrets, and why she wears heels to casual errands, among Cohen’s other fun convo prompts. Since this episode was mostly about perfume and scents, Cohen was curious what different people smell like, including her goddaughter Miley Cyrus.

Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist

In 2020, Parton joined “Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist” for a 32-minute episode and shared an overview of her career – from starting out as kid in Tennessee to living in a cabin without electricity or water, and rising as a cultural icon. Parton revealed what it was like filming her Netflix series, writing her book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, recording her holiday album, and more.

Strong Songs

This episode of “Strong Songs” unpacks Parton’s theatrical ballad, “I Will Always Love You,” a three-time chart-topper in three separate decades. Two times include Parton’s recordings, and the third was re-recorded by Whitney Houston. Hear more about the song’s history, robust vocal lines, and key changes that changed with each new iteration.

My Year with Dolly

“My Year with Dolly” is a music history series hosted by Justin Kirkland, delving into Parton’s album catalogue. Yes, every album of hers is covered in a grand total of 50 episodes and categorized into year-based episodes! Episodes are 30 minutes on average, and it’s super bingeable! This series is brought to you by Bramble Jam Podcast Network.

Love Someone with Delilah

Parton joined iHeartRadio’s “Love Someone with Delilah” for a heartfelt conversation. Delilah and her entire family have admired Parton for as long as they can remember. In this 26-minute episode, Parton talks about life, staying busy over quarantine, managing stress, and more.

Table Manners with Jessie & Lennie Ware

Parton joined hosts Jessie and Lennie for a food-based chat, starting with some childhood favorites and what her eleven siblings liked to eat while growing up in the Tennessee mountains. Parton absolutely loves chicken and dumplings, talked about Whitney Houston covering “I Will Always Love You,” and more on this 44-minute episode.