Dolly Parton’s America is a nine-part audio portrait of an icon at the crossroads of a divided America. Equal parts biography, investigative journalism, cultural essay, music documentary, and personal memoir, the series takes a look at American history and culture through the lens of the life and work of an entertainer who has been dubbed “the Great Unifier.” Dolly Parton’s America earned Gold from the Grand Jury and received a Peabody Award.
In this edition of Content POV, Jad Abumrad, Host/Creator, Dolly Parton’s America and Shima Oliaee, Producer/Reporter, Dolly Parton’s America give their insights into the transformative power of creativity.
In the summer of 2016, Dolly Parton kicked off her biggest stadium tour in a quarter-century. She visited 67 cities. Each night, thousands of people from across the political/cultural spectrum - from evangelicals to men in drag to millennial feminists to everyone in between - all stood together, shoulder to shoulder to sing “I Will Always Love You.”
Since its debut in October 2019, Dolly Parton’s America has been downloaded more than 12 million times. Thousands of listeners wrote in sharing stories of reuniting with estranged family members, reclaiming Southern heritage, reconnecting with their family’s story of migration, women opening up about experiences with violence and forgiveness and abuse in the workplace.
"We're thrilled to win the Gold Award! This series was one long mediation on America at a very divided moment, and how it's still possible, even with all the contradictions and divisions and difficult histories, to find a shared space. That's what Dolly Parton seems to do. Thank you to everyone at the New York Festivals for honoring our work!" - Jad Abumrad, Host/Creator
"Thank you New York Festivals for our Gold Radio Award! Making Dolly Parton's America, we learned so much from so many people - perhaps the most important is that by using our creative hearts and minds, we can connect with anyone anywhere. Here's to a future world that's as diverse and full of love as a Dolly concert!" -Shima Oliaee, Producer/Reporter