Before becoming a country superstar, Dolly Parton recorded girl group-style singles as a teenager, including one that became a hit outside the US.

Dolly Parton released her first recording at age 13, a rockabilly number she cowrote called 'Puppy Love.'

Phil Spector's Philles Records was home to several definitive girl group singles

The label, formed by Spector and Lester Sill, released most of Spector's early "wall of sound" recordings, including the Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me" and the Ronettes' "Be My Baby." This 1963 compilation, "Philles Records Presents Today's Hits," collects some of the label's early hits.

As disco grew more popular, country star Dolly Parton experimented with the genre.

The American girl groups of the 1950s and '60s had a profound influence on The Beatles, who frequently paid homage to acts like the Marvelettes and the Ronettes

Dolly Parton jumped to Hollywood in the 1980s, where she became a bona fide movie star.

The classic girl group sound arrived with doo-wop

Doo-wop was a type of vocal-based pop music popular in the '50s that coincided with the rise of early rock 'n' roll. The mid-tempo, harmony-heavy songs about teenage life provided the template for the girl group sound, which arrived at the end of the decade.

Read a 1984 interview with Dolly Parton, conducted by artist Andy Warhol.

Dolly Parton teamed up with country star Porter Wagoner in 1967 as a cohost on his popular TV show.

Elvis Presley wanted to record 'I Will Always Love You,' but Dolly Parton refused.

Dolly Parton initially declined her nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, though the Hall inducted her anyways.

Dolly Parton recorded two albums with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris under the name Trio.

How British youth resurrected overlooked American soul music

Motown released some of the 1960s' biggest soul records and changed the sound of pop music. The label also inspired countless smaller, regional labels that released songs by lesser-known artists that received limited attention. That changed with the rise of British Northern Soul, an underground scene that repurposed these obscure records (including several overlooked Motown releases) for all-night dance parties and, in the process, minted some unexpected American superstars.

Dolly Parton hosted two separate variety television shows called 'Dolly.'

'9 to 5' was Dolly Parton's first No. 1 pop hit.

The Beatles were not an immediate success in the US—their label rejected their first two singles, and the band was mocked on the TV show 'American Bandstand.'

Explore the best Dolly Parton songs, including 'Jolene,' '9 to 5,' and many more.

The Shirelles' 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' was the first girl group record to reach No. 1

The 1960 song, composed by husband-and-wife Brill Building occupants Gerry Goffin and Carole King, was more than a little suggestive. The main character wondered if her partner would abandon her after a night of passion, leading to some stations banning the record. But it also propelled the song to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Phil Spector's 'wall of sound' revolutionized girl groups—and pop music

The method captured a room of live musicians and transmitted the sound into a basement outfitted with more speakers and microphones. That sound was then sent into the central control room, producing a massive recording that sounded unlike anything else in pop music.

Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' 'Islands in the Stream' was written by the Bee Gees.

Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' was partly based on a real woman who flirted with Parton's husband.

A young Dolly Parton felt confined by her partnership with country star and TV host Porter Wagoner.

Dolly Parton consistently declined opportunities to align herself with politicians.

The Ronettes' 'Be My Baby' is a quintessential 'wall of sound' record

The 1963 single features one of the most recognizable drumbeats in the world; many critics consider the song the greatest pop recording of all time. If nothing else, it's a definitive example of both the classic girl group sound and Phil Spector's ingenious 'wall of sound.'

Hear the first classic girl group record: the Chantels’ ‘Maybe’

While there were all-female vocal groups before the Chantels, most critics consider the group’s 1957 single “Maybe” to be the first record of the classic girl group sound because it established the model’s foundational elements: a mid-tempo backbeat, soaring harmonies, and yearning lyrics.

Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' is a widely covered standard that's been a No. 1 hit multiple times.

Watch a definitive girl group documentary

The 1983 documentary "Girl Groups: The Story of a Sound" features archival footage of some of the Shirelles, the Ronettes, the Shangri-Las, and more alongside interviews with the performers and songwriters. It's a fascinating look back at the music, told by the people who pioneered it.

Dolly Parton produced the original 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' movie.

Check out the records stocked in the jukebox at the Stonewall Inn, the bar responsible for modern Pride celebrations.

The 1927 'Bristol Sessions' birthed the modern country industry

Country music has been around since the early American colonies, but the modern country industry began in 1927 in a small town on the Tennessee-Virginia border. Here, Ralph Peer recorded songs from the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, and a dozen more artists through a 12-day stint called "The Bristol Sessions."

Bob Dylan wrote and recorded songs that later became hits when they were covered by artists like Jimi Hendrix, Adele, and Guns N' Roses.

Brian Wilson originally wrote the Beach Boys' classic 'Don't Worry Baby' for the Ronettes, but the legendary girl group rejected it.

Dolly Parton wrote the song '9 to 5' on the set of the movie '9 to 5.'

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program provides free books to kids.

The self-titled country album hinted at what would come later

While Taylor Swift eventually crossed over to pop, a Pitchfork review of her first release hints at the ingredients that would fuel Taylor’s rapid ascent and help her connect with fans, including songs with catchy melodies, relatable themes, and deeply personal lyrics that reflect her experiences as a young woman.

Country musicians grappled with the outlaw archetype on screen

As country grew more popular, some of its biggest stars leapt to the silver screen, with Johnny Cash in "Five Minutes to Live," Kris Kristofferson in "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," and Dolly Parton in "9 to 5." Kristin Hunt notes that all of these films featured country stars toying with the outlaw archetype, a prevalent theme throughout the history of country music.

'Where Did Our Love Go' was the first of 12 No. 1 singles for the Supremes

Billie Holiday's label refused to release 'Strange Fruit,' a protest song about lynching, because of fears of negative reactions from southern retailers.

The '90s saw a resurgence of the girl group

The '90s saw a resurgence of the girl group, with acts like TLC, the Spice Girls, and Destiny's Child turning the model on its head. While still strongly influenced by the '50s and '60s girl groups, these acts also worked in hip-hop and dance music. More significantly, they emphasized female empowerment—or "girl power"—rather than adolescent yearning.

Carole King wrote—and later regretted—the song 'He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss),' which she now believes excuses domestic violence.

A Tennessee children's hospital changed its name to Dolly Parton Children's Hospital.

Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' was written as a goodbye for her musical collaborator, Porter Wagoner.

'Islands in the Stream' was another massive crossover hit for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.

Why one country legend embraced punk rock

Dwight Yoakam was among the most popular country music acts of the 1980s, praised for his upbeat rockabilly and neo-Bakersfield sound. In this interview, Yoakam explains why he left the Midwest for California and began playing in punk clubs, including with an iteration of the legendary LA punk outfit X.

The Boswell Sisters were the precursors to the American girl group

The jazz trio, popular in the '20s and '30s, doesn't share much in common with the sounds of the well-known pop-oriented girl groups, but the sisters' prominence in a male-dominated industry provided an early example for later groups. Check out their appearance in the 1932 film "The Big Broadcast," performing the song "Crazy People."

Outlaw Country was a subgenre that emerged in the 1970s

Outlaw country was a reaction against popular country music produced in Nashville. The name's origin is disputed, but it was firmly established with the 1976 album “Wanted! The Outlaws,” a record featuring songs by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser—artists who bucked industry norms.

The Beatles' appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' in 1964 launched Beatlemania in the US after the band struggled to break through to American audiences.

Taylor Swift was 16 when she released her debut album

When Taylor Swift released her first album, she was a little-known country singer-songwriter. A decade later, she was a world-famous pop superstar. In the first 10 years of Swift's career, her songwriting talent, savvy marketing, and engagement with fans helped propel her into stardom.

Daniel Johnston's home recordings have inspired countless rock legends

The singer-songwriter self-released cassettes in the early '80s that were not fit for the radio—their sound quality was poor, and the songs were often little more than an organ and Johnston's high-pitched voice, singing about things like Casper the Friendly Ghost. The tapes eventually found their way to alternative tastemakers, who lauded the songs' brilliance and inspired a cult following that has admired Johnston's music for decades.

The Beatles' labels released almost twice as many of the band's records in the US to capitalize on the band's popularity.

In the '90s, country aimed for stadiums

While the early 1900s built the template for country music as a genre, the 1990s pushed the music into the mainstream, setting the course for country’s modern ubiquity. Artists like Garth Brooks and Shania Twain pushed against the genre’s orthodoxy, turning the music into blockbuster entertainment with a pop sheen.