That felt like the proper way to start things off, as the recent “Jolene” clip makes for an interesting intersection of the two most creatively fertile periods of her career:

1) Parton’s early work, through the mid-'70s, and 2) the past decade-or-so of recordings. In the years between, drum machines and rinky-dink keyboards plagued much of her material, in an effort to “stay current” in the increasingly pop-oriented country market - and “stay current” she did, for better or for worse - I’d say worse - as hits like “9 to 5," “Don’t Call It Love," and 1977’s “Here You Come Again” (ahead of its time in its own absurd way, thanks to the use of the quintessentially '80s vein-popping saxophone solo motif - several years before Glenn Frey’s “You Belong to the City” and Rob Lowe in Saint Elmo’s Fire and just about every other schmuck-with-a-headband picked up a sax to express his, er, soulfulness) proved with their radio-ubiquity. As fun as many of those little ditties can be, it’s tough to smile and nod along without giving up a knowing wink or two. And we haven’t even touched upon the Kenny Rogers period yet - more on that later.

No, I tend to focus on the two polar ends of her career: the former beginning with 1967’s Hello I’m Dolly (Monument) and lasting through 1976, and the latter period starting around the time of her 1993 collaboration with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette, Honky Tonk Angels (Columbia), and has continued to this day. It’s these bookends of her career - as mighty bookends as they are - which I am far more interested in, as they offer Parton’s deepest explorations into roots music, and her musical roots in general.

That first career-phase, what a run: Hello I’m Dolly started it all off, and what an opener! Everyone tends to think straight away of “Dumb Blonde” - something which Parton clearly is not, making her cultivated persona all the more fascinating - and it did indeed make one hell of an intro to Parton’s wisecracker side, but the album is loaded with other gems, which, by the way, she wrote or co-wrote (“Dumb Blonde” was penned by Curly Putnam, perhaps best known for crafting the poignant “Green Green Grass of Home"). “The Company You Keep” and “I’ve Lived My Life” were also instant classics, giving a glimpse of her ability to write entertaining songs about morality issues without coming across as either pedantic or, maybe worse, yet, hokey. It’s a delicate dance, laying one’s moral code out in the open and staying true to his/her words without becoming an easy target as a result, but Parton’s managed to pull it off for decades, avoiding controversies and keeping clear of alienating fans - and without even holding her tongue! How many other artists with such career longevity can say that?

Just Because I’m A Woman (RCA) followed a year later, and Parton’s four songwriting contributions are some of the full-length's strongest tracks, particularly “The Bridge,” a harrowing tale of adultery and abandonment. 1969 gave us My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy (RCA), and another classic Parton composition: “Daddy," a moving tale about a girl begging her father not to leave the family for a younger woman. It also offered a fascinating cover choice: the Mac Davis-written Elvis Presley hit “In the Ghetto.”

A few more albums followed - including the mostly successful spirituals collection Golden Streets of Glory (RCA) and a couple more collaborations with former mentor Porter Wagoner - before Parton unleashed her masterpiece, Coat of Many Colors (RCA/Buddha). The title track alone guaranteed its critical-fave status: a genuinely touching, autobiographical portrait of her scrimp-and-save childhood, the song is achingly sweet in the best possible way. In lesser hands, such a tune would have drowned in sickening syrup. Not so for Parton. A mere mention of this title to a true-blue fan, and you’re likely to bring the poor guy or gal to tears. “My Blue Tears” is also a stunner. Apparently she thought so, too, as she revisited her composition for her 2001 bluegrass ass-whupper Little Sparrow (Sugar Hill), perhaps to even more tremendous effect (the benefits of being older and wiser, I suppose?). Her “A Better Place To Live" - with its bright-eyed visions of a better, kinder world - is also a highlight, just so long as one is able to discard the post-millennial cynicism long enough to indulge in her heartfelt imagining of everyone getting along. Me, I’m more than willing to surrender to her sincere soprano charms, thank you very much.

Then came “Jolene” and the 1974 album of the same name - well, you know the story. What a high. Jolene (RCA), by the way, was also the world’s introduction to “I Will Always Love You," a breathtakingly restrained, elegantly crafted little heartbreaker of a ballad that was later given a punishing, ham-fisted, melisma-caterwaul makeover by Whitney Houston back in 1992. (Ever heard it? I think it was the number one single for approximately 97 weeks.) Every ounce of tenderness in the original was not only scrapped and shredded, but was remodeled into a thoroughly self-congratulating, bombastically “look at me” musical-platform in which overwrought histrionics are mistaken for passion. Personally, I blame Houston’s wholesale-rape of this gentle confessional for the relentless wave of faux-emoting that has plagued the airwaves ever since, beginning with Mariah Carey and showing no signs of abating in the near future. But that’s for another time.

A different set of ears is required for Parton’s mid-period stuff - we’re talking Kleenex-box rhythm tracks, Kim Carnes covers, and Fisher-Price synthesizers here, after all. Sure, it’s fun and everything, but it does require a lil’ shift in the taste levels, given the aforementioned recurring themes, oh, and the Bearded One: Kenny Rogers, of course! Besides knowing “when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em," besides his velvet-painting and casino-hall ubiquity, Rogers is probably best known for getting all hot ‘n' bothered with Parton on 1983’s Bee Gees-penned “Islands in the Stream.” If there isn’t at least one tiny recess in the deepest corner of your heart that thumps away in stupid delirious joy at hearing this, you might not be human after all, sorry.

Honky Tonk Angels (Columbia, 1993) - her collaboration with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette - marked a return from the uber-processed synth-twang period, offering up spirited covers of early country gems by folks like Tex Ritter and Ferlin Husky, delivered in a faithful, rootsy style. From there, the '90s brought a good number of respectable old-school countrified albums, culminating in 1998’s Hungry Again (MCA) and 1999’s The Grass is Blue (Sugar Hill), both of which offer some of the finest down-homey sounds we’d heard in years up till that point. The latter - a bluegrass project with contributions from Jerry Douglas, Alison Krauss, and Rhonda Vincent, among others - could very well go down as one of the absolute finest moments of Parton’s career. It’s a real gem, offering plenty of nuance while still throwing down a serious banjo gauntlet from time to time. Her four compositions on the album are impressive, but here it’s the interpretations that truly shine. Taking a Billy Joel song and making it palatable is no small feat, and Parton achieves the unthinkable by making over his “Travelin’ Prayer” into something extraordinary.

The Grass Is Blue set the ball back in motion for Parton, creatively and critically speaking. Its follow-ups, 2001’s Little Sparrow and 2002’s Halos and Horns (both Sugar Hill), brought further explorations into traditional folk roots and eclectic lyrical material. I’m especially partial to the former, with its devastating title track, which uses the bird-as-freedom metaphor as a signifier in discussing an unfaithful lover, but Halos and Horns certainly has its moments - including a barnstorming, gospel-frenzied cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” A head-scratcher on paper, sure, but Parton manages to hold onto the mystery of the original while still giving the song a massive overhaul, even changing a few of the lyrics (with Robert Plant’s and Jimmy Page’s approval, of course) to better fit the bluegrass interpretation. The results: well, they’re exhilarating, quite honestly.

Couldn’t find any clips of “Stairway To Heaven,” sadly, so how about another classic? Here’s Parton doin’ “Coat of Many Colors."

And don’t forget: Saturday’s the big day! Dolly Parton turns 62 on Jan. 19. The Tennessee Mountain Birthday Bash kicks off at 9 p.m. that night, at El Rio, 3158 Mission, SF. Admission is $3, unless of course you come decked in your Dolly-wear, in which case you get in free! Ain’t that sweeter than pie!