Dolly Parton Fans Mourn Music Legend

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) Dolly Parton fans made a point of listening and buying her music following news of the her death.

Jor Figueroa put one of her used albums on the turntable at Warbler Records & Goods on Tuesday afternoon.

"I thought it was so sad to hear but I feel like she is an artist that for every generation that gets to enjoy her music finds something pretty special in what she has to say, I feel like so many things she has spoken about and all throughout her life are still relevant to our situation and our times, you know," said Figueroa, "anyone can here working 9-5 and relate to that one and really so many of her songs she is a real legend and we have all generations that come in here and are always asking for Dolly Parton and will continue to I think."

At the landmark Salzer's Records in Ventura, Manager Ricky Madrid noticed a spike in their Dolly Parton sales online following the news of her death.

"Dolly Parton was an amazing icon for young people, too and gays, everybody, I grew up listening to Dolly, grandma always played her records, she is one of my favorites, I miss her already," said Madrid.

Both record stores decades of recording to choose from.

Parton's final big Nationwide Pure and Simple Tour stopped at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sept. 25, 2016, almost exactly a decade ago.

UCSB Classics Professor Helen Morales, Ph.D. saw that concert.

"I last saw her her at the Santa Barbara Bowl and she was wonderful she has such a connection to the audience when she says I will always love you believe her," said Morales, "There was one moment that really stood out she sang a song called Little Sparrow A cappelo, no instrument of backround and she was pitcher perfect."

Morales wrote the book entitled, "Pilgrimage to Dollywood; A County Music Road Trip through Tennessee."

Her phone started ringing when the news broke.

"Suddenly my phone exploded with people being heartbroken and so yes I am very upset but I know that so many people around the world are," said Morales.

She is a British-American professor of Greek literature who has always been a fan of Dolly Parton.

I hadn't intended to write the book I studied Homer and things like that, but as I began to read the lyrics of her thousands, thousands of songs that she has written I realized there is a body of work there, and an importance of witnessing people's lives and changing attitudes to women and of the countryside that rivals the work of Sappho," said Morales.

Sappho was known as the Poetess known for her prolific lyrical lines of poetry.

Morales wants Dolly Parton's lyrics to be respected.

"Because she has a backwoods Barbie, fluffy sparkly persona she hadn't been taken seriously as a lyricists as the male country greats."

She described her book as a scholarly analysis of Parton's lyrics and her persona and of Dollywood written with the warmth of a true fan.

Parton's voice catapulting her to stardom with hits including "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You."

Parton owned a small home at 561 Alisal Road in Solvang for about a decade.

During visits she was known to try to keep a low profile.

Her prolific songwriting and generosity also led to hit songs for other artists.

Parton acted in a number of successful films including "9 to 5" and "Steel Magnolias."

Parton's philanthropy included scholarships and books.

Her Imagination library donated more than 330 million books to children.

She often teared up talking about how it was inspired by her late father who could not read or write when she was growing up in Tennessee.

Her publicist said she passed away peacefully in Nashville at the age of 80.

"One way to honor her extraordinary legacy is to think about the mantra she has as her Imagination Library that has made such a huge impact."

"If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, care more, be more, then you are an excellent leader," said Parton.

'Dream More, Learn More, Care More, Be More' became a slogan associated with the library.

"The world will be a better place if we all did that so, thank you Dolly," said Morales.

Your News Channel will have more on Morales and the passing of the music legend tonight on the news.

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