6 Bigger Dreams

Chapter 6 Bigger Dreams Around 1976, Dolly found a new big-time Hollywood manager, Sandy Gallin. He managed stars like Cher. Dolly got an apartment in Los Angeles. Sandy thought she should branch out into pop music and not just do country music. He was right. Dolly soon had her first million-selling record, Here You Come Again. In 1979, it won a Grammy award for Best Country Female Vocal Performance! Winning a Grammy is as important to musicians as winning an Oscar is to actors. She also had her own TV show, Dolly, in

the 1980s and often appeared on other TV shows like The Tonight Show, Cher, and Hollywood Squares. Dolly toured in London, Sweden, Alaska, and Hawaii. She was working so hard, she lost her voice! Dolly had to cancel a lot of shows, as well as her new TV show, to rest her voice. Dolly, Carl, and Dolly's five younger brothers and sisters moved to a twenty-threeroom mansion outside Nashville. Carl, who was retired, helped build it. Willow Lake Plantation was their dream house with a swimming pool and a lot of land. In 1977, Dolly formed a band called Gypsy Fever with some of her family. Since Dolly still hated to fly, the band went on tour in a very fancy bus called "The Coach of Many Colors." It was pink, purple, and silver on the outside.

Inside, it was yellow, bright pink, and orange. There was a kitchen, a dining area, a shower with a tiny tub, a lounge, a private suite with a queen bed and prayer altar, and bunk beds for the driver and guests. The bus also had closets for wigs and costumes and a cosmetic area. Dolly liked staying in the bus much more than in fancy hotel rooms.

Dolly and Gypsy Fever had to fly, though, to perform in England. The British people loved Dolly. She even performed for and met Queen Elizabeth II of England. Dolly said that the queen wore "just as much jewelry as I did, though maybe she was a little tastier with it."

Even meeting the queen, Dolly wore a big blond wig and dressed as flashy as usual. Dolly liked herself the way she was. She joked, "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap!" Dolly continued to put out many more big hits and collect many awards for her special mix

of pop and country. She said, "I'm not leaving country. I'm just taking it with me." In 1978, she was named Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year. She wasn't just a star; now she was a superstar! Stardom came with problems. Porter Wagoner was unhappy that he wasn't getting a share of Dolly's success. He bad-mouthed her and sued her for a lot of money. There were battles in court which wore Dolly down. Gossip magazines were hard on her because she was gaining weight. Dolly loved her fried chicken... especially when she was under stress. But Dolly still kept on dreaming. She was a singing star. She was a TV star. What else could she do? What about movies? What about Hollywood?