Credit: (Photo by Luke Hayes/Virginia Tech)
Dolly Parton “offered the world a vision and version of Appalachia rarely seen — one that is vibrant, full of love and acceptance, built on the strength of family and community, and endless in possibility,” said adolescent literacy and rural education professor Amy Price Azano.
Newswise — The world mourns the passing of country singer and pop culture icon Dolly Parton, whose appeal transcended genres and whose music, entrepreneurial savvy, and philanthropy has inspired multiple generations.
Virginia Tech experts shared insights into the enormously consequential legacy she leaves behind.
Christopher Campo-Bowen, musicologist
“Dolly Parton was inarguably one of the definitional figures of modern country music, if not modern popular music generally, in the last 50 years. She was a trailblazer especially when it came to the place of women in the music industry. She was uncompromisingly driven and independent, and she projected a particular kind of feminine persona that managed to balance strength and softness. Generations of women country music singers have taken inspiration from and benefited from her legacy,” Campo-Bowen said.
“Dolly managed to pull off a balancing act that has remained perhaps totally unequalled in modern music. I think a lot of the admiration for her comes from her ability to project a sense of a genuine, nonjudgmental persona in her many appearances. She was a woman from a working-class background with complete creative and financial autonomy, whose music and persona were beloved by millions across all manner of political and social divides, despite that fact that she routinely talked about her body, appearance, and how she literally and figuratively constructed her idea of womanhood,” he said.
“She also donated to many important causes, like her Imagination Library project that distributes books to young children, and to the development of COVID vaccines during the height of the pandemic.”
Ariana Wyatt, opera singer, professor of voice
“She was successful in part because of how she made people feel and not only through her music. She brought joy and light into each room. She valued the uniqueness of the individual. She worked to make the world a better place,” Wyatt said.
“Dolly’s voice was clear, bright, and joyful. She connected with her audience through her sound and her storytelling. Iconic artists have a unique sound; it is what makes them special,” she said,
Zachary Milford, literacy education
“Dolly Parton’s contribution to Appalachian literature and art can’t be overvalued. She brought Appalachian literature to an international stage without reduction. Her specificity about her place, life, and culture is what gave her work universal reach. There’s a reason people all over the world sing ‘My Tennessee Mountain Home’ despite never having been there,” Milford said.
“Her Imagination Library addresses the most basic, but crucial, aspect of literacy education: access. She understood that literacy begins at home and she empowered parents and children to create their own family literacy practices. We have long known that the number of books in a home is associated with school performance. Interventions like providing students with print books in the home are associated with increased reading achievement. It’s a simple but powerful way to support students in their literacy journeys,” he said.
“This semester Dolly will be with us ‘each step of the way’ as we explore place-based education within an Appalachian context in English Language Arts. We’ll be reviewing her work from ‘Coat of Many Colors’ to ‘Appalachian Memories’ as we discuss poetry, music, and Appalachian diaspora.”
Amy Price Azano, adolescent literacy and rural education
“Beyond her literacy initiatives, she offered the world a vision and version of Appalachia rarely seen — one that is vibrant, full of love and acceptance, built on the strength of family and community, and endless in possibility. She was an icon not simply for moving the world with her music but for staying rooted in the mountains that made her,” Azano said.
“Like so many rural Appalachians, I felt a kinship with her because she made us feel seen. She taught us how to be big without being too big for our britches, to never forget our roots nor clip our wings, and to pull others up as we reach for the stars,” she said.
About Campo-Bowen
Campo-Bowen, associate professor of musicology in the School of Performing Arts in the College of Architecture, Arts and Design at Virginia Tech, has done research exploring inclusion and access in tabletop role-playing games, music and politics in Central America, and the relationships between music, ethnicity, gender, and empire in the Habsburg Monarchy.
About Wyatt
Wyatt is the associate dean for outreach and engagement at Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, and a professor of voice for the college’s School of Performing Arts. A graduate of Juilliard Opera Center, she has performed in operas and concert halls throughout the country.
About Milford
An assistant professor in the School of Education in the Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Milford’s research includes how discussions surrounding literacy education are constructed and circulated across digital platforms; the role of Large Language Models (AI) in English language arts classrooms; and how preservice teachers in Appalachia negotiate their own practices and identities.
About Azano
Azano is a professor of adolescent literacy and rural education in the School of Education and the founding director of the Center for Rural Education at Virginia Tech. Her scholarship and outreach focus on issues of rural talent development and educational equity in rural schools and communities.
Courtesy: Newswise