A little girl, one of twelve siblings, was born on a cold day in 1946 in the Tennessee mountains. This is the beginning of an interesting story. Sister and brother thought she was the most beautiful baby, even though her family was poor.
When things were hard, the family’s love kept them going. This wasn’t believed by her neighbors, who said her family wasn’t poorer than other families in the neighborhood, even though she said she grew up poor.
The daughter was born into a family where having many kids was common. She got her father’s driven, business-focused personality and her mother’s creative and spiritual side. She says that both of her parents gave her positive traits that helped her do well in life.
She started singing in church when she was little and quickly learned she was good at it because she was stubborn and tough as nails.
Being true to herself has always been important to her. Before she became popular, her mother used to dress her out of sacks and extra fabric. She was inspired to dress differently by a flashy model in town, and even though her father and grandpa told her not to, she kept trying.
