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Dolly Parton sings in this image from 1976
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Country Music Hall of Famer Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 1959 when she was just 13. Since then, she's wrote thousands of songs, including "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene" and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You." Parton is one of the few performers who was successful enough to start her own theme park. But the philanthropist, actress and singer-songwriter wasn't always wealthy. She grew up, as she put it, "dirt poor" in a one-room cabin in the mountains of East Tennessee. In this 2001 interview, Parton described how her interest in music started when she was sitting on her front porch, listening to country songs and traditional mountain music.
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Today in Fresh Air History

Harold Ramis Talks "Groundhog Day."

Writer, actor, director Harold Ramis He's one of the most influential forces behind some of the biggest comedy hits of the late 70s and 80s. But his influence is not generally known by those outside the industry. (For that reason he's been called the "Clark Kent" of comedy. Also because he's "mild-mannered," "bespectacled," and he "looks as if he would be the first to duck under the table at the first sign of a food fight"). RAMIS wrote for "The National Lampoon Show," and "SCTV." He co-wrote as well as acted in the movies, "Animal House," "Stripes," "Ghostbusters," and others. He directed the movie, "Groundhog Day," starring his old co-star Bill Murray. (REBROADCAST from 2/11/93). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

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32:56

Remembering Irish singer–songwriter Glen Hansard

Best-known for his band The Frames and his part in the 2007 film Once, Hansard got his start as a street busker in Dublin. He died July 29 in a motorcycle crash. Originally broadcast in 2008.

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Celebrating Tony Bennett on what would have been his 100th birthday

Bennett, who died in 2023, was known for a string of hits, including "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation and remembers some of Bennett's lesser-known songs.

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'I Want Your Sex' urges Gen Z to get a little more X-rated

In the new comedy "I Want Your Sex," Olivia Wilde plays an LA-based artist who initiates a dominant-submissive relationship with her younger employee, played by Cooper Hoffman. It's the first new feature in 12 years from the queer cinema pioneer Gregg Araki, and it's opening in theaters today after premiering to much acclaim in January at the Sundance Film Festival. Our film critic, Justin Chang, has this review.

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