Kate Humble and Natasha Barnes

From Father Brian D’Arcy, a Catholic Passionist priest:

Even priests make confessions.

I have a real soft spot for Dolly Parton ever since I first met her in Nashville over 40 years ago. Once, while interviewing her in the Dominion Theatre in London, we had our picture taken together to accompany the article. As we posed, Dolly reminded me: “Hey Father, I think you should be looking at the camera”

That’s one of the reasons I admire Dolly so much – she’s smart, has a sense of humour and can sum up any situation with a “killer” line.

Just now in America she’s on the crest of a wave because one of her iconic songs was made into a successful tv film about her life and a follow-up is planned for Christmas. Coat of Many Colors is based on a true story from Dolly’s childhood. Her parents were poor, hard-working, people from the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Dolly’s mother had to make clothes for her small children from scraps of material. The rich kids laughed at them. When she became a star, Dolly wrote a song about her mother’s thrift. It was called Coat of Many Colors.

“Momma sewed the rags together/ Sewin’ every piece with love/ She made my coat of many colors/ that I was so proud of.” The song adds that as she sewed, she told them the story from the Bible of Joseph’s coat of many colors (Genesis 29 -31).So, with her practical love, she taught them the Bible, a strong faith and the ability to make the best of the bits and pieces life offers. It’s Dolly’s favourite song from the several thousand she’s penned.

“If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain,” Dolly believes. “My songs are the door to every dream I ever had…my head would explode if I didn’t get some of that stuff out.”

She believes everyone can be a star but first you must find your special place to shine. She has a “killer” line for that too -: “Just know that you can’t direct the wind but you can adjust your sails.”