Welcome to Ladies of Song. There is no denying that women are under represented in songwriting, with only 15% of professional songwriters in the UK being female. Having said that, female songwriters punch above their weight. Just ask Dolly Parton or Sara Bareillies!
Ladies of Song was created to raise the profile of female songwriting by singer-songwriters DiElle and Eve Williams and Anne Buckle. It is a YouTube and podcast series where 3 female songwriters from all over the world pay tribute to a well known woman songwriter as well as showcasing their own material.
You can catch past episodes here.
If you would like to play on Ladies of Song, get in touch here.
A Tribute to Dolly Parton, the Great Lady of Song
Some people are referred to as ‘inspirations’ in a slightly patronising way, but Dolly was the real deal. Born in abject poverty and with all the disadvantages of being a woman in the 60s music industry, she played up both of those things and famously said, ‘It takes real money to look this cheap’.
She was sweet and caring, but tough as nails with it and famous as a formidable business woman. When Elvis wanted to record I Will Always Love You, she wisely said no when any other young songwriter would have jumped in and been screwed over. Decades later, when Whitney Houston had a massive hit with the song, Dolly was asked if she resented that Whitney’s recording had been a bigger hit than her own. She replied, ‘When I wrote that song, I had a heartache, but it’s amazing how healing it is when a whole lot of money comes rolling in’.
Witty, self-deprecating, sharp as a razor, a musical genius, but most of all, a truly lovely human being who spent millions on rehoming people who had lost their houses in a flood and giving books to children. She not only employed her whole family, she created jobs for her whole town when she opened Dollywood.
She took music and people seriously, but never herself.
On a civilised planet, she would have been High Queen.
We love you, Dolly. You were the absolute best.
ladiesofsong.com 