Pretty Southern

Tag: Southern Girl

  • Dolly Parton, Queen of Country Music and Good Deeds

    Dolly Parton, Queen of Country Music and Good Deeds

    Two words. One fabulous lady. Dolly Parton!

    Young-Dolly-Parton

    To know her is to love her.

    Although I don’t know her personally, I wish I did, and I’ve been a lifelong fan ever since I was old enough to bee-bop along to “9-5” in the back of my grandparent’s silver Lincoln.

    A genuine rag to riches story, Dolly embodies strength, determination, and joy which she bestows on us all, as it’s her personal mission statement…

    “My dream was to make as many people happy as I could in this life.”

    Dolly is a superstar, yet she remains humble and grounded in the things that matter most: faith and family. The little country girl who made the world her stage is also a woman of great intention.

    The Early Life of Dolly Parton

    From the hills of Tennessee, singing barefoot on the front porch, to owning the stage in six-inch heels and jewels, Dolly Parton is a larger-than-life living legend with a heart that’s just as big as her dreams.

    Dolly grew up in Locust Ridge, a small mountain town nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains. She is the fourth of twelve children with a large extended family as well. Many of her loved ones played essential roles in her success, but she credits her Uncle Bill Owens for helping her launch her music career.

    Dolly’s talent launched her to super-stardom, as she wrote her first song at the age of five and played her first show at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry at 13! Dolly took the stage at “The Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour” in Knoxville, Tenn., and landed a spot on “The Porter Wagoner Show.”

    Young Dolly Parton iconic

    From Rags to Rhinestones

    Sometimes I think people look at Dolly and misjudge her because of her iconic image and style. The truth is, aside from her tremendous talent, many people vastly underestimate where Dolly came from and the amount of GOOD she does for people daily.

    Did you know that the Parton home didn’t have electricity or running water while Dolly grew up in the 1940s and ’50s? The winters, especially, were brutal. The country legend has shared what it was like living through the harsh mountainous winters as a little girl. Expressing that it was so cold that, most nights, the only bit of warmth she and her siblings would experience was when one of her younger siblings would wet the bed.

    Fast forward to 2021, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sends books to children all over the country. She has multiple scholarships in place encouraging students to graduate high school. She most recently donated 1 million dollars to Vanderbilt University for COVID-19 vaccine research. And, I’m only scratching the surface of the many incredible “Dolly deeds.”

    Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

    Full of grit, dreams, and plans, Dolly, like the rest of us, is primarily made up of where she came from. Many of her songs tell the stories of her childhood, such as “Coat of Many Colors.”

    Dolly thought about becoming a preacher, like her Father, in addition to being a singer. In my opinion, Dolly is already a preacher of wisdom and love through her music. Her song “Little Sparrow” brings me to tears every time I hear it and is an unofficial hymn in my book.

    Dolly + Carl

    Dolly is happily married to her husband, Carl Dean, and has been for 55 years! She married the love of her life at 20 years old. A marriage of this caliber is impressive no matter what, but with the pressures of Hollywood, I think this is amazing.

    Although Dolly and Carl never had children of their own, Dolly considers her songs to be like her children, and you know what? Her songs will live on for generations to come and continue to touch lives, just like posterity does.

    Dolly, and her husband, Carl Dean.

    The Secret Song

    2045 seems like a long time away, doesn’t it? Well, it just so happens that this is the year that a “secret song” of Dolly’s will be released. She will be 100 years old and claims she will be long gone by then, but I wouldn’t be so sure about that!

    Reportedly, Dolly wrote this song 30 years in advance, can you imagine?

    So I wrote this song, and I can’t say what it is. It’s just burning me up inside that I have to leave it in there,” she wrote. “I put a CD player in the box, too. Because the song is on a CD, and there’s no telling what music is going to be by then. Hopefully, it will play, and the whole thing ain’t rotted.” ~Dolly Parton

    The box containing the secret song won’t be in just any old box. It’s inside of a chestnut wood box made by her beloved Uncle Bill. If anyone can live to 100, Dolly can, and she’ll look fabulous doing it, I’m sure of that! I don’t know about you, but I hope I’m around to hear this secret song, and I hope Dolly is too!

    Dolly at the 2021 Super Bowl

    Be a Dolly!

    If you follow Dolly on Instagram, she shares a positive message with followers nearly every day. There has been a Dolly comeback lately, although I know many of us have always loved her. Younger generations are learning about Dolly now too, and some of her older music is touching new hearts and souls.

    My favorite t-shirt of all time is light pink, with an outline of Dolly’s face and her big blonde hair.  The shirt says “Tease it to Jesus” and I love it!  I have all sons, and when they get older, this might embarrass them, but I don’t care. We all know “the higher the hair, the closer you are to heaven,” right? Not really, but it’s just another Dolly-ism to love!

    Dolly Parton is a musician, an actress, a philanthropist, a businesswoman, a wife, a daughter, and a sister. She’s not unlike you and me. She loves her family and cares about the well-being of others; she just does it with a little more glitz and glam. And, honestly, what’s wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. If you are going to be starting a career in the music industry then having the best gear at your studios is a must, Click here to see reviews of some of the best gear on the market today.

    In a world that often seems so negative, accentuate the positive. Be a Dolly!

  • Our Southern Girl in South America

    Chi-chi-chi-le-le-le- Universidad de Chile! It was my first South American fútbol match, nay my first professional soccer match ever, and I was trying my best to keep up with the chanting. I read up on the top Premier League goalscorers of all time. For an authentic experience like a true fan I studied football news at https://footballaustralia.info to keep up with the game. At first I was a little homesick as I thought about my constantly cleat-clad stepbrothers the whole time.

    But this game was one of the wildest, cultural experiences I’ve had so far in Chile. The fans of each team sing different songs throughout the entirety of the game. Although I tried so hard to learn the words of the jumbled Chilean screaming and singing, I could only join in for the more simple songs. To be completely honest, I was nervous about entering the stadium. I had heard a few horror stories of gringos getting harassed by rowdy fans, and my blonde hair isn’t exactly inconspicuous. Although it was a bit of a hectic, crowded squeeze, it was nothing compared to my daily 8 a.m. metro commute.

    Once we found some seats in the galeria (a.k.a. the cheap seats) the fans sitting around us were very warm and jovial. There were several children seated on their parents’ laps and shoulders, wearing a flag as a cape or singing the chants along with their siblings.

    Even Universidad de Chile’s younger fans know the words to the several different songs and chants during the game.

    This sounds really campy, but this is really the only reason I like sporting events: there exists this familial camaraderie between strangers that doesn’t exist in the streets and in the subways. I’ve experienced this multiple times at my 90,000-seat SEC alma mater football (not fútbol) stadium, but there was something about the singing that made this experience… meaningful. Here was a five-year-old bundled up in a Cinderella overcoat, a 13-year-old with braces, a 35-year-old man with long hair and back tattoos, and an elderly man with tan, leather skin and white hair, all singing the same song and whistling. It was as if that old man was once the five-year-old, and they have grown up in this culture that worships this sport all their lives.

    The sun sets over the Universidad de Chile vs. Bernard O’Higgins fútbol match at Estadio Naciona.

    Lying below the surface of this camaraderie, it’s important to mention Estadio Nacional’s tragic past. In 1973, the arena was used as a torture center for the military dictatorship under the infamous Augusto Pinochet. The transformation of the structure into a fútbol arena is a tangible testament to how Chile has been able to recover from this horrible chapter in her life.

    1973 was not that long ago, so many people in this city still speak about family members who were murdered or went missing. Many still don’t know what happened to them. Evidence and inscriptions by these family members are carved and written on parts of the stadium: a reminder that although victory after victory has been celebrated in this space, loss hasn’t been completely healed and forgotten. That Saturday may live to be one of my favorite days of our journey. I am actively accomplishing my primary goals and purposes of this trip: I am seeing new things, speaking a new language and even learning a few new songs to sing.

    [author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://prettysouthern.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/ChelseaCook.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Chelsea Cook is a journalist from Atlanta teaching English in Santiago, Chile. Check back each week to PrettySouthern for more of Chelsea’s adventures South of the Equator.[/author_info] [/author]

  • Our Southern Girl in South America

    This Fourth of July weekend, I had a lot of cheese. OK, not real cheese, because if you’ve ever been to South America, you’d know they haven’t mastered the art of cheese yet. I’m talking about sentimental cheese; standing in the middle of a crowded house party discussing how great America is kind-of-cheese.

    As an English teacher, it’s been pretty easy to make other American, English-teacher friends. Isn’t it funny? I came here to submerge myself in a foreign culture, yet I yearn to speak my own language with other natives. This was one of those occasions. A friend of mine from Houston decided that since Chile wouldn’t be recognizing July 4, and we would all surely be homesick this weekend, he would throw a party at his tiny 15th floor apartment. Our job was to bring a “very American” dish to share.

    As you can imagine, there was a lot of meat: homemade corn dogs, chicken wings, ribs and Carolina barbecue. I brought a cake in the shape of an American flag, with blueberries as the stars and strawberries as the stripes. When it was time for the cake, everyone hushed their chatter and wiped their meaty mouths. My Texan host made quite a scene of this cake. I was blushing.

    Hundreds of thousands of Chileans and tourists flocked to Santiago for Lollapalooza Chile to see such American acts as Kanye West, The Flaming Lips and The Killers. Also note the Coca-Cola sign in Spanish at the concert.

    Next thing I know, I was standing in the middle of an apartment in Santiago, Chile, belting out the lyrics and high notes to the star-spangled banner with 40 other English teachers. It was loud, it was off-pitch, it was probably a little obnoxious for his neighbors, but it was the most American I’ve felt in awhile.

    In all seriousness, one of the most important things I’ve gathered from this journey is a greater appreciation of home. Not just because it’s what I’m used to.

    Yes, I miss the convenience of Target and Jewish bagel delis, but more than anything, I am so grateful that I get to call myself a citizen of a country that most other countries are striving to be. Although Chile stays true to its Latin American roots, the fashion, music, pop culture, and even architecture are all trying to be chameleons of American style.

    A stark contrast between old Italian and new American-style architecture in historical Plaza de Armas.

    Amidst the incredible amount of change Chile has experienced in the last 40 years, there are still many aspects of Chilean society that remind me how lucky I am to be a “gringo”. One of the issues that students are protesting now is their right to free education. Upward mobility is nearly impossible in Chile, because students who go to public schools and universities typically don’t get hired into high-paying positions. It’s a relentless cycle that, in the United States, would never be tolerated.

    I saw no fireworks this weekend. They are illegal here. I wasn’t on a boat in a lake in North Georgia, and I didn’t get to eat a slice of watermelon. This is my first Fourth of July that I’ve spent away from home. But to my surprise, it was also my most meaningful.

    [author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://prettysouthern.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/ChelseaCook.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Chelsea Cook is a journalist from Atlanta teaching English in Santiago, Chile. Check back each week to PrettySouthern for more of Chelsea’s adventures South of the Equator.[/author_info] [/author]

  • Top 10 Southern Girl Songs

    Southern Girls are the finest ladies in all the world. Here are PrettySouthern’s Top 10 Songs about Southern Girls! We created this list based on reader feedback (plus used the most popular searches in Google). Do you agree with our list? If not, tell us why in the comments section below.

    We have to give an honorable mention to Miss Kellie Pickler for her song “Southern Girls Night Out”, plus pay our due respects to Patsy Cline, Lucinda Williams, and Dolly Parton for singing from the heart of true Southern women everywhere.

    PrettySouthern’s Top 10 Southern Girl Songs

    #10: Collective Soul, “Georgia Girl”
    #9: Lucero, “Banks of Arkansas”
    #8: Corey Smith, “From A Distance”
    #7: Conway Twitty, “Southern Comfort”
    #6: Better Than Ezra, “Southern Thing”
    #5: Incubus, “Southern Girl”
    #4: Allman Brothers, “Melissa”
    #3: General Johnson and the Chairman of the Board, “Carolina Girls”
     #2: Amos Lee, “Southern Girl”
    #1: Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Georgia Peaches”

  • Southern Girl Song #1

    The number one, absolute best song of all time about Southern girls goes to Lynyrd Skynyrd for “Georgia Peaches”. This band is about as Southern as they get. Formed in Jacksonville, Fla., in the 1960s, Lynyrd Skynyrd rose to fame touring throughout the South.

    “Georgia Peaches” is the title track on their album Legend (released in 1987 containing all demos and EPs from the band). Legend contains songs from the bands glory years (1973 – 1977) before the tragic plane crash outside Greenville, S.C. In 2001, the album Street Survivors was reissued featuring “Georgia Peaches” as a bonus track.

    Well you can see her walkin’ down on Peachtree Street
    She got high-heeled shoes and a dot on her cheek
    Well she’s lookin’ good, she’s headed downtown
    A’int got no money, honey, she knows her way around

    I think she’s cute, think she’s cute as she can be
    Talkin’ about a funny talkin’, hony tonking Georgia Peach

    Well these Georgia Peaches, son, they know their way around
    Take your money, son, before you gets outta town
    Well they talk a little funny, but they look so fine
    Yes, nine out of ten of them gonna sell you a dime

    I think they’re cute, think they’re cute as they can be (ooh yeah!)
    I’m talkin’ about a funny talkin’, hony tonking Georgia Peach

    Well peaches, peaches
    Love them Georgia Peaches
    Peaches, peaches
    Love them Georgia Peaches!

    Well them Georgia Peaches, they sure do got style
    They gonna steal your heart, with a Southern smile
    Well they talk a little funny, but they look so fine
    Older they get, Lord, I swear it’s like good wine

    I think they’re cute, think they’re cute as they can be
    Talkin’ about a funny talkin’, hony tonking Georgia Peach

    Thank you, Lynyrd Skynyrd! Was this your favorite Southern Girl song? Tell us with a comment below!

    —Editor’s note: photo contributed by our favorite Florida girl, Heather McCole Williams. To view more of her art or book her for photographic work, check out Heather’s blog or their Facebook page.

  • Southern Girl Song #2

    Defining a Southern Girl is as easy or tricky as y’all want it to be. Technically, a Southerner is any denizen below the Mason Dixon line. Where it gets complicated is attributing all the lovely qualities that make a Southern girl the best in the world.

    Amos Lee does a fantastic job in his song “Southern Girl”. He doesn’t go into specifics, but when he sings the chorus we all feel his emotions — love, adoration, and humility — in the presence of his lady.

    If you try to search “southern girl definition” in Google, you’ll get results from Urban Dictionary which appear to have been written by a Carolinian. There’s references to qualities inherent in Carolina girls, but these few sentences are ubiquitous for all ladies in waiting:

    “Southern hospitality runs in the family. Southern households are the most generous of them all, which makes Southern girls, the sweetest.” Amos Lee, would you agree?

    “Somethin’ about a Southern Girl, makes me feel right. In a Mississippi morning she’s an angel in flight.” At PrettySouthern, we believe all states below the Mason Dixon line are created equal. What state are you from, dear reader, and what do you love most about Southern girls?

    —Editor’s note: photo contributed by our favorite Florida girl, Heather McCole Williams. To view more of her art or book her for photographic work, check out Heather’s blog or their Facebook page.