Some things are better left unsaid
Dolly Parton is one of the most legendary American performers, but despite a life lived in the public eye, she has kept her personal life close to her heart.
Finally, Dolly has revealed the secrets and struggles she’s endured throughout her long marriage. There’s no doubt Dolly has and is leading a life full of accomplishments, but despite taking pride in being completely open with her fans, there’s one thing miss Parton has made sure to keep to herself – and it involved her husband.
Going for half a century
Dolly Parton is rarely seen with her husband by her side, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been behind the scenes for the majority of her career.
Parton and her husband, Carl Dean have been married for more than 50 years, but getting to that milestone hasn’t always been an easy road to travel.
In her recently released book, Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton, she shared some surprising revelations about her long-lasting relationship.
A whirly-wind romance
Dolly Parton moved to Nashville the moment she graduated high school, and it seemed fate was on her side.
The day after she moved, she happened to meet and fall in love with a handsome stranger who spotted her doing laundry at the Wishy Washy Laundromat.
He was concerned that she would get a sunburn in her revealing clothing and saw fit to tell her so. Dolly said she immediately noticed he was looking at her face first, and the couple quickly fell in love.
At first glance
The notoriously private Carl Dean finally shared his side of the story with regards to what it was like to meet Dolly.
He released a statement in honor of his anniversary last year that read, “My first thought was I’m gonna marry that girl.
My second thought was, ‘Lord she’s good lookin’. And that was the day my life began.” Dean had been driving past the laundromat in his pickup truck when he saw Dolly, and just knew he had to speak to her.
Giving in to surprise
Dolly Parton was enchanted by the tall, good-looking stranger who seemed so worried about her creamy skin.
The attraction went more than skin deep, however, as Dolly found herself “surprised and delighted” that he was looking at her while they chatted, rather than just her body.
The”a rare thing for me,” she said-and “seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
Puppy love
Despite their youth, Dolly was only 18 and Carl 21, the young lovers became nearly inseparable after their happenstance introduction.
At the same time, Dolly’s music career was quickly picking up, and it seemed like she was on the fast track to success.
Dolly signed with her first label shortly after her arrival in Music City, but she didn’t realize just how much she would be asked to sacrifice by the executives in order to get her dreams off of the ground.
A promise for the ages
Dolly and Carl were ready to get engaged as Dolly’s career was beginning to ramp up. Parton told CMT News about the moment they told Dean’s parents about their,”
When Carl and I told his mother that we were getting married, she was so excited that she was finally gonna get to do a wedding.
Because her only daughter had eloped. So she was so happy she would get to throw a big wedding party.”
Retreating to the country
As excited as both the Partons and the Deans were for their children, Dolly would have to deflate their joy when her label called and gave her instructions as to how they wanted her wedding to play out.
Given that she was on the verge of releasing her debut album, the executives didn’t want her wedding to be a distraction from the work they’d done cultivating their image.
Dolly was eager to please, but wouldn’t be deterred just yet.
The longest wait
Dolly revealed, “Everyone at my label had invested money in me and in building my career, so they asked me if I’d wait a year to get married.
And I didn’t want to not do what I was supposed to do. Carl’s mother was just heartbroken.” Dolly and Carl were eager to tie the knot, and in the end, decided that they couldn’t wait an entire year before they got married.
Though the affair wasn’t what they’d envisaged, it became a fond memory.
Midnight train to Georgia
Dolly and Carl weren’t going to be dissuaded from tying the knot so easily. The pair decided to head over to Georgia, in order to keep the local media in Tennessee at bay.
Parton took only her mother with her, but once they arrived, she found she needed one extra touch to make the union feel real.
It was Memorial Day 1966, and the pair had been together for two years. It seemed to be a now or never moment.
*This article appeared in BridesBlush. Unfortunately, Parton’s husband, Carl, died at 82 in 2024
