Parton found it impossible for a woman to embody the outlaw status rock bestowed on Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, or for a rural southerner to be elevated to singer-songwriter artiste. Her crossover required the most rootless option: MOR/AC, which left her making disco records and headlining a Vegas revue. Parton the personality—movie star, “queen of the tabloids,” and motivational speaker—replaced Parton the musician.
