Dolly Parton has met many country stars throughout her long and storied career. But Johnny Cash will always stand out in her memory.
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Appearing on Bunnie XO's Dumb Blonde podcast, Parton reflected on the first time that she met Johnny Cash in the flesh. Parton said that she instantly understood what sex appeal was.
She said, "Johnny Cash was the person that introduced me that night. And Johnny, first time I saw him, that's when I really, that's when he was lean and lanky, and that's when I first realized what sex appeal was. I was 13 years old, it was like 'Oh!' It was like, holy moly, what is this? And then, little did I know, he'd be the first person to introduce me on the Opry."
Parton went into more detail on their interaction. She said, "He said hello."
Dolly Parton Talks Johnn Cash
Parton confessed that she had a bit of a crush on Cash ever since she was a teen. In fact, she told Cash that he was her first crush.
She said, "See, I had seen Johnny Cash at another time... I had the biggest crush on him. He had so much magnetism, and I was so young, and I was just beginning to feel those hormones. You know where you feel those things I had never felt.
Well, he did have all of that movement. Now, I found out later that was because he was coming off drugs. He just had twitches, which I thought was magnetism. But I loved him, and for years and years, I told him he was my first crush. And he was."
Parton also opened up about how she got along with the Cash family.
She said, "He was a real nice guy and very quiet. But I became best friends with June and Johnny after. So, as the years went by, we would visit, and we liked each other a lot."
She's a loudmouth like me. So, we got along just fine. I remember someone said to Johnny one time, 'Johnny don't you get tired of hearing June talk all the time?' And he said, 'No, I do some of my best thinking when June's talking.'"
