A new podcast series called Dolly Parton’s America investigates this cultural phenomenon. Over the past 50 years, Dolly Parton’s singing and songwriting have earned acclaim (I Will Always Love You was a number one song in three consecutive decades.) and continue to fill stadiums. Host Jad Abumrad (of Radiolab and other WNYC podcasts) has a hunch that Dolly is an important bridge between otherwise divided Americans. And maybe that’s true. But just as fascinating is the sheer scale of her achievement.

"You start to look at Dolly and her body of work for five minutes and it just — it's endless. I mean you fall into a million rabbit holes." 

She has evolved continuously as an artist since the 1960s, her decade of “Sad Ass Songs” documenting the pain and struggle of women. One producer compares her to Mozart for her prolific output. Mozart of Nashville? Maybe. 

Weekly episodes are available from WNYC.