Dolly Parton Admitted To Abusing Sisters Musically in the Past — Here’s Why She Did It

Dolly Parton admitted that she used to musically abuse her sisters while she was honing her singing talent as a young woman.

Before becoming one of the greatest singers in the music industry, Parton started as a songwriter for other musicians until she debuted with "Hello, I'm Dolly," in 1967. She went through ups and downs before enjoying a skyrocketing career, and she once wanted her sisters to experience the same.

How Did Dolly Parton Musically Abuse Her Siblings?

Parton shared the shocking story in her first memoir, "Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business," saying that she forced her sisters to sing with her. In the book, the singer detailed how - while growing up - she used to manipulate and threaten her siblings because she thought singing alone was not enough.

For the country crooner, what she did to her sisters was musical abuse.

"That is the only way I can think of to describe what I put them through in my constant search for musical satisfaction," she said. "Stella and Cassie were my chief victims. Of course, I was always the star, and I made them sing backup."

Parton noted that she made a deal, promise, or threat just to make them sing with her in one or more verses.

Dolly Parton Wanted All of Them To Become Successful Singers

Although she initially wanted all the spotlight, the "Islands in the Stream" singer recalled the time she realized they could experience stardom altogether.

Parton wrote in her memoir that she made her backup sisters sing in pig Latin as she believed what they do would be the "biggest thing" in the industry. However, the pig Latin backup singing did not work as expected, and they even failed to get featured on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

While the singer thought it was a failure, she wrote that her sisters Stella and Cassie felt glad it did not work out.

But despite the failure, Parton tried the power of pig Latin again in her song, "The Friendliest Enemy" from her "Mountain Magic Christmas" special.

While Parton became a soloist, her siblings went on to take different jobs and passions in life. Her sister, Stella, made her country singing debut in 1967; Cassie, on the other hand, once performed in a Dollywood show but did not pursue a career in singing.