The news of Dolly Parton's passing on Aug 25, in Nashville, United States, at the age of 80, brought me back to an event held long in my memory.
Many knew her as the queen of country music, a singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist who brought light to the Western entertainment world for more than seven decades.
Parton was not just a big name I knew through the radio and television screen. She brought personal memories that I am sharing publicly for the first time, in conjunction with remembering her passing.
Once upon a time, I worked in Dubai in a management position at a company owned by Yusuf Islam, better known as Cat Stevens before he embraced Islam.
Yusuf was not only a legendary singer and songwriter in the 1960s and 1970s, but also an entrepreneur and philanthropist active in various charitable and educational initiatives after leaving the mainstream entertainment world.
Holding the position of general manager at his company gave me the opportunity to see up close how an iconic figure from the Western entertainment world who embraced Islam maintained good relations with his contemporaries, even though his life's journey had changed significantly.
One morning - nighttime in the US - the office telephone rang. I was at my desk, managing the company's routines before most of the other staff arrived. I answered the call as usual, without expecting it to become one that I would remember to this day.
The voice on the other end of the line asked, "May I speak to Yusuf?" and then introduced herself as Dolly Parton. At first, I thought it was just a brief official call, merely a message to be conveyed because Yusuf was not at the office at that time.
However, when I introduced myself in turn, the conversation suddenly shifted. It became her turn to ask, with a genuine curiosity in her tone, "Tell me about yourself."
I answered that I was from Malaysia and resided in Malaysia even though working far away in West Asia. I still remember the warm and curious tone of her voice, as if every person spoken to was of equal importance, regardless of position or status.
There was no arrogance of a big star in her tone. Instead, there was the warmth of a country woman from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, who never forgot her origins despite becoming one of the most recognisable figures in the world.
A rough journey
That phone call also reminded me of a larger chapter in the relationship between Yusuf and Parton - a journey that did not go smoothly as planned.
In 2004, Yusuf was scheduled to fly to the US to meet and record a song together with Parton, whether in Nashville or Washington. However, during that journey, the aircraft carrying Yusuf was diverted to Bangor, Maine, under instructions from the US Department of Homeland Security, due to his name being listed on a watch list related to alleged "links to terrorist activities".
He was detained, denied entry to the US, and flown back to the UK on the same day. That incident became a major international media headline, and sparked sympathy from his fans, including Parton herself, who was reportedly disappointed with the treatment towards her close friend.
Although that trip to America stopped midway, the musical connection between the two figures was never broken. Parton later recorded a song together with Yusuf, "Where The Children Play", in her classic song collection album, "Those Were The Days", as open support for her friend, even though the controversy surrounding rumours of Yusuf's connection to militant groups was still fresh at the time.
In Yusuf's own album, "Roadsinger", there was a bonus track, "Boots & Sand", where Yusuf duetted with the harmony voices of Parton and The Beatles’ Paul McCartney - telling the story of the moment he was denied entry into America, yet told with a tone of humour and calmness, without any bitterness.
After the phone call incident, I began to pay closer attention to Parton's career, even though I am not a die-hard fan of country music. The movie “9 to 5” (1980), which she starred in alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, was one of the works I remember most.
The movie's theme song, also sung and written by Parton herself, became among the most iconic songs of her career - a song about working women rising against unfair treatment in the workplace, something that remains relevant to this day across the world, including Malaysia.
Other songs such as “Jolene” also became legends in their own right - a simple yet emotional song about jealousy and the fear of losing a husband to another woman, sung with an honesty rarely found in mainstream popular music.
“I Will Always Love You”, later re-popularised by Whitney Houston, also became proof of Parton's greatness as a songwriter, not just a singer. Many might not realise that the song was originally written and sung by Parton herself, before it became one of the most recognisable songs in world pop music history through Houston's interpretation.
Free book programme
Parton was also known for her philanthropic nature, particularly through the Imagination Library, a programme that sends free books to children around the world to foster a love of reading from a young age.
This is another commonality between Parton and Yusuf - both of them, although coming from completely different entertainment worlds, ultimately poured a large portion of their energy and resources into charity and education efforts, far beyond the glitter of stages and cameras.
The phone call incident - something I experienced by chance while working at a small company in Dubai, not because of my own position or importance - will continue to be a cherished memory in my career journey abroad.
It teaches that a person's greatness is often not measured by titles or fame, but by the way they treat others, even if that person is just an ordinary staff member answering the phone on an unexpected morning.
With Parton’s passing, the world has lost one of the most sincere and influential voices in popular music history.
However, what remains is not just timeless songs like “Jolene” or “I Will Always Love You”, but a warm question at the end of the line at dawn in Dubai - "Tell me about yourself" - from a global star who was willing to ask after a Malaysian far away from his homeland.
How many more great figures in the world still retain such humility, despite being at the peak of fame? - Mkini
FUDZAIL NOR is a person with disabilities, a writer and literary award winner, who formerly served at TV3 and worked as chief operating officer and director of several international companies.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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