How Dolly Parton Went Pop and Struck Country Gold

Ten years and more than a dozen albums after she started recording music, Dolly Parton finally went Gold.

What Was Dolly Parton’s First Gold Album?

Here You Come Again dropped in October of 1977 and took less than three months to earn the prestigious certification, doing so on Dec. 27, 1977.

The album’s pop-friendly title track is what pushed sales over 500,000 units before year’s end. A bouncy, piano-led arrangement supported Parton’s iconic voice throughout the love song.

Legendary songwriting duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote a song that’s maintained a place among the country hitmaker’s choice cuts four decades later.

Did Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” Win Any Awards?

While nominated for several country awards, the album would win a Grammy in the Best Country Vocal Performance, Female category in 1979.

It was her first, and it opened a door for massive crossover success in the way of songs including “9 to 5” (a Grammy winner in 1981) and, soon after, her duet with Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream.”

Parton had achieved great success within country music prior to the release of Here You Come Again, but she was an artist closely associated with (and perhaps held back by) Porter Wagoner. With this album, she proved she could make it without his help as producer and mentor.

“Two Doors Down” and “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right” were two more singles released to radio, with the former enjoying some minor crossover success and the latter becoming another No. 1 hit at country radio.

READ MORE: How Dolly Parton Scored a Smash With Her Movie Debut

Parton wrote four of the 10 songs on Here You Come Again. She tapped pop hitmakers including Mann and Weil, Bobby Goldsboro, John Sebastian and Rogers for additional songs.

What Are Dolly Parton’s Biggest Albums?

Billboard lists seven No. 1 country albums for Parton, with Here You Come Again being her second after New Harvest … First Gathering, another Wagoner-less, pop-friendly album released earlier in 1977.

Both of these albums reached No. 1 several months after their initial release. Here You Come Again would eventually go on to achieve Platinum status for one million units sold.