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The 23 Best Dolly Parton Albums

By YPB Team

Over half a century of records sits on this list: early Nashville heartbreak beside bluegrass detours, glossy pop crossovers and a late-career rock swing. Pick the one that still gets the most spins at your house.

  1. Coat of Many Colors — ranked #11
    Coat of Many Colors
    Parton's 1971 RCA Victor album built around her autobiographical title song about a patchwork coat her mother sewed for her.
    1000pts
  2. Jolene — ranked #22
    Jolene
    A 1974 album that contains both the title hit "Jolene" and Parton's original recording of "I Will Always Love You".
    788pts
  3. My Tennessee Mountain Home — ranked #33
    My Tennessee Mountain Home
    A 1973 concept album about Parton's childhood in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.
    648pts
  4. Trio (with Harris, Ronstadt) — ranked #44
    Trio (with Harris, Ronstadt)
    A 1987 collaborative studio album with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt that topped the country albums chart and won a Grammy.
    551pts
  5. Hungry Again — ranked #55
    Hungry Again
    A 1998 album of Parton-written songs that marked her return to a traditional mountain-country sound.
    468pts
  6. Blue Smoke — ranked #66
    Blue Smoke
    A 2014 album that peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, her first solo album to reach that chart's top 10.
    468pts
  7. White Limozeen — ranked #77
    White Limozeen
    Her 1989 Columbia album produced by Ricky Skaggs, which yielded the No. 1 country singles "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That" and "Yellow Roses".
    419pts
  8. Hello, I'm Dolly — ranked #88
    Hello, I'm Dolly
    Parton's 1967 debut album on Monument Records, featuring the singles "Dumb Blonde" and "Something Fishy".
    419pts
  9. Joshua — ranked #99
    Joshua
    A 1971 album whose title track became Parton's first No. 1 single on Billboard's country chart.
    363pts
  10. Halos & Horns — ranked #1010
    Halos & Horns
    The 2002 third album of her Sugar Hill bluegrass run, featuring an acoustic cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven".
    363pts
  11. Great Balls of Fire — ranked #1111
    Great Balls of Fire
    A 1979 album that mixes a cover of the Jerry Lee Lewis title song with the No. 1 country hit "You're the Only One".
    363pts
  12. Rockstar — ranked #1212
    Rockstar
    Her 2023 rock album of covers and originals with guests including Paul McCartney, Elton John and Stevie Nicks, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
    299pts
  13. The Grass Is Blue — ranked #1313
    The Grass Is Blue
    Parton's 1999 bluegrass album on Sugar Hill Records, which won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.
    299pts
  14. Here You Come Again — ranked #1414
    Here You Come Again
    Her 1977 pop crossover album and her first platinum album, which won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.
    299pts
  15. Pure & Simple — ranked #1515
    Pure & Simple
    A 2016 album of love songs that topped Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and gave its name to her 2016 North American tour.
    299pts
  16. New Harvest...First Gathering — ranked #1616
    New Harvest...First Gathering
    Her 1977 album, her first self-produced record (co-produced with Gregg Perry) and her first aimed at the pop charts.
    299pts
  17. Just Because I'm a Woman — ranked #1717
    Just Because I'm a Woman
    Her 1968 album and first solo release for RCA Victor, named after its self-written title song.
    226pts
  18. Backwoods Barbie — ranked #1818
    Backwoods Barbie
    Her 2008 album and the first released on her own Dolly Records label, reaching No. 2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.
    226pts
  19. 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs — ranked #1919
    9 to 5 and Odd Jobs
    A 1980 album of work-themed songs led by "9 to 5", her theme from the film of the same name that topped the Billboard Hot 100.
    140pts
  20. Heartbreaker — ranked #2020
    Heartbreaker
    A 1978 pop-country album whose title track reached No. 1 on Billboard's country singles chart.
    140pts
  21. Little Sparrow — ranked #2121
    Little Sparrow
    A 2001 bluegrass-folk album whose cover of Collective Soul's "Shine" won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
    140pts
  22. Eagle When She Flies — ranked #2222
    Eagle When She Flies
    A 1991 album that topped Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and included the No. 1 duet "Rockin' Years" with Ricky Van Shelton.
    140pts
  23. Love Is Like a Butterfly — ranked #2323
    Love Is Like a Butterfly
    A 1974 album named after its title track, a No. 1 hit on Billboard's country singles chart.
    0pts

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