The following artists have made huge contributions to music and our American society.  Many have even influenced the rest of the world at one point or another.  Here are five facts on each of them:

Dolly Parton

1. Dolly Parton is only 5 feet tall.
2. She began her career in radio when she was only 13 years old.
3. Ms. Parton has received 46 Grammy nominations, tying her with Beyonce.
4. She has composed over 3,000 songs, which include “I Will Always Love You” (also sung by Whitney Houston), “Jolene,” and “9 to 5,” just to list a few.
5. Dolly is in a very exclusive club of people to have received at least one nomination from the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and Emmy Awards.

Loretta Lynn

1. She is currently 83 years old and has worked over a 50-year career.
2. Loretta was first married when she was only 15 years old.
3. She taught herself to play the Harmony guitar, after her husband bought one for her to play for $17.
4. Lynn already gave birth to three children by the time she was 19 years old.  She now has a total of six kids.
5. Loretta Lynn was outspoken about her social and political views, which resulted in several of her songs being banned from radio stations for being too controversial.  One song was called “Rated X,” and sung about the double standards that divorced women face. Another was “The Pill,” about a wife and mother becoming liberated through the pill method of birth control.

Reba McEntire

1. She began her career singing in her high school band, local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos.
2. Ms. McEntire started her film career in the early 1990s with a movie called Tremors.
3. Her father was a three time World Champion Steer Roper, taking on the family tradition after his father was a champion steer roper.
4. Reba learned to sing from her mother, who wanted to be a Country music artist, but decided to become a school teacher instead.
5. Reba’s stepson is currently married to singer, Kelly Clarkson.

Willie Nelson

1. Willie wrote his first song when he was 7 years old and joined his first band at 10 years old.
2. He was born during the Great  Depression and was raised by his grandparents.  This was after both parents left at separate times for Willie and his sister to be raised by said grandparents.
3. In 1990, the IRS claimed he owed them $32,000.  He released an album called “The IRS Tapes:  Who’ll Buy My Memories?”  By 1992, the profits of the double album and an auction of his assets, Willie was able to clear his debt.
4. Although he owns a ranch near Austin, Texas, Willie calls Maui, Hawaii home.  He lives in a community where most of the homes are largely self-sustaining and off the grid.  His neighbors include Kris Kristofferson, Woody Harrelson, and Owen Wilson.  Who wouldn’t want to live in this paradise?
5. Willie has traced his genealogy back to the American Revolutionary War, where one of his ancestors, John Nelson served as a major.

These four singer songwriters are all incredible examples of human beings living life to its fullest, living out theirs and their parents dreams.  They are all strong women and man that we can all learn a thing or two from.  Many of their lyrics inspired current artists in their sound and attitude.

Which of these facts surprised you the most about these singers?  Who has time to write 3,ooo or more in a lifetime?  It seems like too much.  What other facts do you know that might stump the readers?  Better yet, which artists would you like to read about next?

For the full article on these artists, please visit The Biography Channel & Listal