We recently visited Dollywood, and there was so much information about Dolly Parton's career and her family, but virtually nothing about her husband. Does she have children? I do not recall ever seeing even a picture of her with her spouse.
—Jill B., Indiana
Country superstar Dolly Rebecca Parton met her future husband in 1964 on her first afternoon in Nashville, Tenn. Parton describes her husband, Carl Dean, as moral, unselfish, and witty. She also says he's a homebody, which is why you don't often see him out with her at awards shows and
such. He maintains a distinct separation between the different worlds in which he and his wife of 36 years move and rarely appears with her at public functions. Parton, an East Tennessee native, got her first big break when she started appearing on Porter Wagoner's syndicated television show. Eight Country Music Association awards, seven Grammy Awards, several number one singles, and dozens of other awards tell the story of Parton's extraordinary career, which has evolved to include starring roles in movies and television shows as well. She is touring to promote her new album on Sugar Hill Records titled Halos and Horns, which was released last month. She and Dean have no children.
