Dolly Parton hits Birmingham LG Arena

Legendary country star of the stage and screen Dolly Parton will be strutting her stuff in Birmingham tonight (Friday, September 2, 2011).

Dolly Parton has sold an estimated 100 million records. Yet at 65, the legendary singer, songwriter, movie star and Queen of Country shows no sign of slowing down.

In fact 44 years on from her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, the diminutive star has a whole new fan base. The country music legend appeared in teen idol Miley Cyrus's Disney TV show Hannah Montana and that introduced her to a younger generation who have now become admirers of her music.

The self-styled 'Backwoods Barbie' has been working as a musician since the age of nine and has written some of the best loved songs of all time, among them I Will Always Love You – forever linked with Whitney Houston in the 1992 movie The Bodyguard – and Jolene.

A queen of the screen too, Parton has played the brassy, busty blonde in many movie roles since her 1980 debut in the hit comedy 9 to 5.

Her latest is opposite Queen Latifah in the upcoming movie musical Joyful Noise, due to be released in January next year.

Despite her global success – she even has a theme park named after her called Dollywood – Parton remains deeply connected to her Tennessee roots.

One of 12 children, the singer described her childhood growing up in a one-room cabin on a run-down farm as "dirt poor". Today her literacy programme which sends free books each month to enrolled under-fives is a tribute to her father who never learned to read.

"I'm grateful for all the wonderful things that have happened in my life," says the star.

"I remember my original dream of becoming a star when I was little, and I still think of myself as a working girl who had a talent and just did the best with it she could".

Dolly Parton's 2011 world tour, which comes to Birmingham's LG Arena tonight, features music from her new Better Day album plus many of the old favourites.

She says of the new tour: "We're doing some new things but of course we have to do all the classics.

"This time there will even be a little bit of choreography which I don't normally do, so it'll be fun for the fans. To me, touring is like a paid vacation. I get to sightsee and shop, and I have security if I need it and people to help with my suitcases.

"I still love the audiences and the performing.

"It's a lot of work but it keeps me alive and it keeps me excited, and it reminds me what this was all about to start with."

Tickets for tonight's show, priced at £50, £60 and £67.50, are still available. To book, visit www.theticketfactory.com

By Karen Knowles