Words by Johnny Sharp
It was widely accepted practice for debut albums in the 1960s to be packed full of covers to lure in the punters, so it’s testament to Dolly Parton’s prowess as a songwriter that the songs she penned alone and with writing partner Bill Owens make up no less than 10 of the tracks on Hello, I’m Dolly. She has since claimed that even at this early stage – she’d just turned 21 – she had written over 400 songs.
The title surely hoped to catch people’s eye on the basis of its play on the name of the hit musical, but this music could more than stand up for itself. From the first bars, we can discern an unmistakably tough but smart working-class edge to Dolly’s onstage persona. “This dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool,” she chirrups on the Curly Putman-penned opener, then Your Ole Handy Man backs up the same impression, pointing at an errant partner and demanding he raise his game on the domestic chores front.