On This Day in 1959, 13-Year-Old Dolly Parton Released Her Debut Single, 'Puppy Love'

When it comes to our living legends, few would rate higher in the world of country music than our beloved Dolly Parton. But years before she received her first Grammy nomination for "Just Someone I Used to Know," her duet with Porter Wagoner, she was just another teenager who loved music. Unlike other teenagers her age, she was determined to make a name for herself and had already released the first of many singles at 13: "Puppy Love."

The Rise of Dolly Parton: Mandolins, Guitars, and Her First Record

Dolly Rebecca Parton first began performing in front of her church at age six, and by seven, she "made" her first guitar by adding bass guitar strings to a mandolin. After her uncle gave her a real guitar at age 8, there was no stopping her.

By ten years old, she was performing anywhere she could, including radio stations and a local TV show, The Cas Walker Show. Just a few years later, she released her first record, which featured a song she wrote at 11 with her uncle, Bill Owens.

"Gold Band was a small label in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and the song I recorded was called 'Puppy Love,'" she told the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2001. "That record didn't do anything, because it wasn't good at all! But it was a start, and I had big dreams."

The album cover features an adorable, dimpled Parton wearing a modest button-up shirt and no makeup. Definitely not the bouffant-haired, bedazzled look we've come to know.

'Puppy Love' Led to the Grand Ole Opry

Later that same year, Parton appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for the first of many times. However, she didn't have the discography she has now, so she sang 'Puppy Love.' When she received three encores, she just "sang it again."

"When I heard ‘Puppy Love' on the radio for the first time, I about killed myself," she admitted to W Magazine in 2021. "I was sitting on the counter at my aunt's house, and suddenly I heard my voice. I slid on the floor, 'cause she was mopping. I was trying to get to the radio. Even to this day, I've never had anything that was more exciting than the first time I heard myself on the radio."

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 2:00 AM.