CLEVELAND — Dolly Parton held many titles in her lifetime — among them, country music singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist.
Her death has left people around Northeast Ohio and the world sad and remembering the joy she brought to so many.
Cleveland DJ, music producer, record store owner, and music teacher Brittany Benton, also known as DJ Red-I, said Dolly charted new territory for women in the music industry.
"The sun set on another one of our greats,” Benton said. “Dolly broke down a lot of barriers as far as women taking control of their careers, having their own voice, and even what she was able to do on the business side of the music scene, which you didn't really see women get celebrated for.”
Benton mentioned Parton’s hit song “I Will Always Love You.”
"Many people know her for her classic song, 'Jolene,' but also a lot of people-- I don't know if the newer generations know she was one who penned 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston,” Benton said. “It was a hit when she wrote it for herself, but when Whitney took it to the whole next level on the Bodyguard soundtrack, it brought her levels of fortune and royalties that are usually reserved for writers that might be in the male space. That was very eye-opening to a lot of people, especially women and what we could do in the music industry outside of just being the entertainment.”
News 5 Anchor Damon Maloney said to Benton, "It’s one thing to be loved for your music and your craft, but it seems like people just loved her as a person.”
Benton said, "I think all around she was a force. If you take music off the table, I think Dolly was going to do great things anyway. Her spirit and her efforts and her endeavors fed a lot of people … food for the soul … food for inspiration. She'll be remembered as one of our great American storytellers, songwriters [and] singers."
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
