Dolly Parton’s husband supported her career, but he rarely attended her concerts. Some people close to her said they’d never even met the elusive Carl Dean. During one show, though, he surprised everyone by getting on stage with his wife. Parton revealed why her husband finally started attending her shows.
Dolly Parton’s husband got bothered into attending her concerts
In the 1970s, Parton said Dean rarely attended her shows. Such a public venue didn’t appeal to him.
“‘[Carl] is not a show person,” she said, per the book Dolly: The Biography by Alanna Nash. “He’s a quiet and home-loving person. If he comes to a show, he likes to go on his own. Most of the time I don’t know when he’s coming. It’s good that way.”
During a show at the Indiana State Fair, however, Dean surprised everyone by getting onstage as a backup singer. Parton revealed that he started going to shows because stories about his lack of attendance began to irritate him.
“He just got tired of people buggin’ him about it,” Parton said. “And then he knew I didn’t until just lately have my show the way I wanted it to be.”
Dolly Parton said she wasn’t her husband’s favorite artist
According to Parton, Dean typically only listened to her music when he was alone because it made him emotional.
“He’s good as gold, really,” she said. “He just doesn’t want to hear the record, ’cause we’re both so emotional. He’ll put it on and listen to it sometime when he’s here by himself, and if he likes it, he’ll tell me it’s pretty good. I bought him a video tape recorder, and he tapes me every time I’m on TV, but he won’t watch it unless he hears I done good.”
Still, he outright told her that she wasn’t his favorite artist. She didn’t even make music in his preferred genres.
“You know,” she said, “he loves me good and all, but I’m really not his favorite singer. We have a great relationship and he’s a wonderful person, but he’s not my biggest fan. He likes bluegrass and hard rock music.”
She said his private nature didn’t bother her at all
Dean’s desire for privacy has led to a great deal of speculation over the years. Parton said this has never bothered her, though. His avoidance of the spotlight allowed her to separate her marriage from her career.
“He’s a real mystery person to the public. That’s good, though,” she said. “I mean, that’s fine with us, and fine with him. He loves me good, and my career bein’ separate from my marriage is perfectly natural for us. We like it that way. It’s too right and too natural and too comfortable and too secure for it to ever be anything else.”
She spent long weeks on the road, away from him, but the dynamic worked well for the two of them. They were together for over six decades, until his death in 2025.
