Dolly Parton’s Blunt Confession About This Country Music Icon
Dolly Parton’s Blunt Confession About This Country Music Icon
Lucille BarillaSat, February 21, 2026 at 4:55 PM UTC
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Dolly Parton once gave a strikingly honest assessment of a fellow country legend’s singing ability — and her blunt remark still stands out years later.
The country superstar sat down for an interview for Dave Grohl’s 2014 HBO docuseries Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways. There, Parton discussed her career, songwriting, and the Nashville music scene with Grohl for the band's 20th-anniversary album.
However, one series of remarks stood out among the others. It was her blunt confession about a fellow, legendary country superstar, Johnny Cash.
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“Johnny was not a great singer as far as a voice, but I always think of Johnny as the John Wayne of country music. He just had a presence, had an authority. He just had a way about him that was just so different," she admitted.
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She added that Cash embodied "sex appeal." She watched him perform at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time as a teenager. "I was sittin' in the audience, and I was just a girl, and my hormones were probably beginning to rage."
"Johnny came out on stage and all that weird moving and all. It just really stirred me. I just couldn't understand. I had a terrible crush on him," she continued.
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"That's what true charisma was. Magnetism, the way he moved."
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Parton concluded, "We got to be friends through the years, and I told him he was my first crush. June (Carter Cash) used to get a bit jealous when I would tell him I had a big crush on him; in a good way."
Cash would later introduce Parton to the Grand Ole Opry community as a young performer in 1959, reported PEOPLE Magazine. This milestone moment was one she never forgot.
Parton sang the George Jones song “You Gotta Be My Baby” alongside her uncle, Bill Owens. She would go on to receive three encores, as reported by PEOPLE.
Parton told the publication, "Having him introduce me that night as a very young girl — I was just a teenager, and I got to sing on the Grand Ole Opry — that was a magic night. I felt special that night, too.”
The country legend later spoke of Cash and his wife during an appearance on BunnieXo's Dumb Blonde podcast. She said that her friendship with the Cash's lasted for many years.
“He was a real nice guy and very quiet. She was a loudmouth like me, so we got along just fine,” Parton quipped. “And I remember when somebody said something about, ‘Johnny, don’t you get tired of hearing June talk all the time?’ And he said, ‘No. I do some of my best thinking when June’s talking.’”
Dolly Parton continues to record and perform. June Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003. Johnny Cash died four months later. They were married for 35 years.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
