Today is Dolly Parton’s 77th birthday! As an actress, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Dolly is iconic for many different reasons, but a music career spanning over fifty years and more than 100 million records sold worldwide definitely warrants star status! Country music is her forte, but in the late seventies into the early eighties, Dolly made a transition into pop music. She became one of the few female country singers to have a number-one single on the country and pop charts simultaneously. Her albums during this period were developed specifically for pop-crossover success.

Dolly is a quintessential classic country star that successfully crossed genres. Others include Kenny Rogers, Loretta Lynn, and Glenn Campbell. More contemporary artists like Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, and Sturgill Simpson followed suit. Let’s build a playlist of songs by country stars who dabbled in pop music - or pop stars that gave country music a shot. For today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, what classic country/pop crossover songs do you want to hear?

Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

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Songs Played:
Dolly Parton – 9 to 5
John Denver – Take Me Home, Country Roads
Skeeter Davis – The End of the World
Ray Charles – I Can’t Stop Loving You
Patsy Cline – Crazy
Willie Nelson – Always On My Mind
Glen Campbell – Rhinestone Cowboy
Dolly Parton – Here You Come Again
Roger Miller – King of The Road (Bonus!)