Dolly Parton looked June Carter straight in the face and said, “I had him first.”
Only Dolly Parton could get away with that. No hesitation, no filter, and definitely no shame in reminding the world that she felt all kinds of ways about Johnny Cash before June ever got the ring.
It started back in 1959. Dolly was just 13 years old when she made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Johnny Cash, who was 32 at the time and already the Man in Black, was the one who introduced her to the crowd. That night, Dolly got three encores, but it was not just the applause that stayed with her. It was Johnny.
Years later, Dolly opened up about that moment and said it was the first time she understood what people meant by sex appeal. According to her, Johnny Cash made her feel everything, every butterfly, every shiver, and every hormone coming alive in a teenager just trying to sing her songs.
In her words, “That was the first grown person I had that with. I had little crushes on boyfriends, but that’s when my hormones were beginning to rage, and I just felt all those feelings for him because he was very charismatic.”
You can feel her grin just from reading it. She did not hold back then, and she definitely did not years later when she brought it up to June Carter Cash herself. “I told her, ‘I had him first. I loved him before you did,'” Dolly said.
It was a joke, kind of, but with Dolly, the humor always comes wrapped in a little truth.
And the truth is, Dolly was not wrong. That kind of crush never fully disappears, even if it never turns into something serious. Johnny Cash had that thing. Dolly knew it and felt it and kept that story tucked in her pocket for decades like a backstage secret.
Now here is where it gets better. When Johnny Cash appeared on Ralph Emory’s show back in 1997 to promote his book, they played Dolly’s old comments. Right there on air, Johnny heard Dolly call him the first man who made her feel sexy. She said he had that magic, that charisma, and that spark that hit her like lightning at 13 years old.
And what did Johnny say?
For You
“I really appreciate that,” he replied, calm as can be. “That was nice of her.”
That was it.
No blushing, no nervous laugh, just smooth, cool, and respectful. This was probably exactly how June wanted it. Johnny knew better than to puff his chest when Dolly Parton called him sexy on national television. He took the compliment, tipped his hat, and moved on.
But Dolly? She kept on talking. Because for all her sparkle and shine, she has always had grit underneath it. And telling June Carter she had Johnny first was not just a bold flex. It was a reminder that Dolly has been writing her own story ever since she stepped onto that Opry stage.
She never hooked up with Johnny. She did not need to. He made her feel something, and she remembered it. That is the real story. That feeling stuck. And Dolly, being Dolly, had no problem letting the whole world know it.
Shop Dolly Parton
- Behind the Seams: My Life in RhinestonesBook · 2023The stories behind her stage outfits, written with Holly George-WarrenSee it on Amazon
- Dolly Parton’s Favorite Yellow Cake MixBaking · Duncan HinesFrom her Duncan Hines baking lineSee it on Amazon
- JoleneVinylWith “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You”See it on Amazon
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Because when Dolly Parton tells you she loved him before you did, you just nod and believe her.
She is not bragging. She is just telling the truth.
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