28 Oct THE PASSING OF DOLLY PARTON. Sales of the biographical book published in 2020 are soaring. ‘Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics’, published by Chronicle Books, printed by Tecnostampa, Loreto (Italy)
Dolly Parton’s passing has once again brought the life of one of the most popular and recognisable artists in American culture to the forefront of international attention. For Tecnostampa, this story extends beyond music: between 2019 and 2020, her journey intersected with that of our company through a major international publishing project.
It is precisely this extraordinary personal and artistic story that is recounted in “Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics”, the book written by Dolly Parton in collaboration with Robert K. Oermann and published in the United States by Chronicle Books.
Born into poverty in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Dolly Parton rose to the very top of the worlds of music, entertainment and business, turning her personal journey into one of the most extraordinary stories of the American dream.
Songs such as ‘Jolene’, ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘Coat of Many Colours’ and ‘9 to 5’ have brought her immense popularity, both in the United States and around the world. But her legacy extends far beyond the charts. Parton has devoted a significant part of her career to education, culture and supporting the most disadvantaged; she has been a figure capable of speaking to diverse audiences and championing inclusion, individual freedom and the dignity of all human beings. Through her Imagination Library, a programme that distributes children’s books free of charge, she has introduced millions of children in various countries to the joy of reading.
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU: THE SONG WRITTEN BY DOLLY PARTON
Today, ‘I Will Always Love You’ is primarily associated with Whitney Houston’s voice. But the song belongs to Dolly Parton, who wrote it in 1973 to reflect on the end of her professional relationship with Porter Wagoner, her mentor and musical partner.
Dolly recorded it and took it to number one in the country charts. Shortly afterwards, a major offer came in: Elvis Presley wanted to record it. However, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, asked Dolly to hand over half the rights to the song. She refused and retained ownership of the track.
Almost twenty years later, in 1992, Whitney Houston recorded a new version for the soundtrack of “The Bodyguard”. The result was one of the greatest hits in pop music: 14 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, two GRAMMY Awards in 1994 and over 10 million certified units – including physical sales and downloads – in the United States. In 2018, the recording was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.
With “9 to 5”, Dolly becomes a film star.
In 1980, Dolly Parton made her film debut in “9 to 5: Women in the Workplace”, a comedy that takes an ironic look at sexism and discrimination in the workplace, which was later adapted into a TV series.
Alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Parton plays one of three office workers who, fed up with their boss’s bullying, decide to rebel and take control of the office, introducing new rules such as flexible working hours and a company crèche.
For the film, Dolly Parton also wrote and performed ‘9 to 5’, the hugely popular song that features in the film and became its theme tune, going on to become one of her most famous and recognisable tracks. A hit which, with its catchy rhythm, captures the daily lives of millions of working women.
IMAGINATION LIBRARY
Dolly Parton’s legacy cannot be measured solely by her chart success. The American artist has used her fame to support education, culture and empowerment, with a particular focus on children and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a renowned book donation programme that sends one high-quality, age-appropriate book a month, free of charge, to the homes of children from birth to the age of five. Founded in 1995 by the legendary singer-songwriter, the initiative was set up to honour Dolly’s father, who had never had the opportunity to learn to read and write. Over the course of thirty years, the programme has grown into a global phenomenon that has distributed over 300 million books worldwide, continuing to operate in full and carry out its mission even following the artist’s death in August 2026.
Between 2019 and 2020, Chronicle Books commissioned Tecnostampa to produce the book *Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics*: over 250,000 copies, 380 pages, colour photographs and a wide selection of material from Dolly Parton’s personal and professional archives.
A highly prestigious publishing project, which brought a slice of the history of one of America’s most beloved artists to Tecnostampa’s facilities. But there is one detail that makes this project even more special.
Dolly Parton was keen to follow the book’s production process closely and asked to see images of the work in progress. Our staff complied with her request and sent her footage taken at the facility. A small but significant episode. Behind the big star, accustomed to the stage and large-scale productions, was a person who paid close attention to the practical work that transformed her words, her photographs and her memories into a book for readers.
“Songteller” would go on to become a “New York Times” bestseller, confirming the success of a project that Chronicle Books had identified as one of its flagship titles for 2020.
Today, following Dolly Parton’s passing, her music has once again taken centre stage on the international stage: tributes to the artist are pouring in, whilst her legacy continues to resonate with different generations. With this renewed focus on her story, “Songteller” is also being brought back to life.
In response to the sharp rise in international demand, Chronicle Books has commissioned Tecnostampa to produce a new reprint of the book; thus, six years on from the first edition, the book’s fate once again intersects with that of Tecnostampa.
A new print run will accompany the rediscovery of the story of a woman who spanned more than sixty years of American culture. And within that story, amongst the pages of “Songteller”, there is also a small but significant chapter in our own work.
Because this, too, is part of the craft of those who print books: helping to transform stories into objects destined to stand the test of time.
“Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics”
by
Dolly Parton
Robert K. Oermann
Pages: 380
Size: 22.90 x 30.50 cm
Binding: sewn paperback
with hardback cover
Publisher:
Chronicle Books
Printed by:
Tecnostampa
Loreto (AN) Trevi (PG) Italia
