Cleveland, OH, Jan. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, American Greetings announces a multi-year partnership with Dolly Parton that includes digital and physical products integrating the legendary singer-songwriter’s music in unique ways. Additionally, cards featuring her now-classic “Dolly-isms” will roll out in the coming months. Parton’s birthday is this weekend and the team at American Greetings will be giving fans across the world birthday surprises for years to come. The inaugural Parton product offering, a birthday audio & video “SmashUp” e-card, will take inspiration from Parton’s hit song “9 to 5.”
“I am so thrilled to begin this relationship with the folks at American Greetings,” says Parton. “When presented with this opportunity I knew it was perfect for me. I love connecting with people in unique ways and being able to integrate products that take inspiration from my music and the life lessons I have learned through the years makes this extra special. I know first-hand how a few words in a card can change someone’s day for the better. I am looking forward to working with the Creative group at American Greetings to develop cards that do just that!”
This is Parton’s first line of greeting cards. The digital products will be available worldwide and the physical products will initially be available in eCommerce channels.
“We are so excited to announce this relationship with Dolly because we make products that are expressions of happiness, laughter, and love, all of which are qualities that she personifies with her infectious, joyful personality,” says Rob Matousek, GM – Direct to Consumer Business at American Greetings. “We believe everyone should feel as special as they are, especially on their birthday. Creating these products with Dolly helps us inspire people to share some happiness with friends and family on their special day.”
Additional announcements are forthcoming as to specific product lines. Fans can register for product alerts at https://www.americangreetings.com/dolly.
ABOUT AMERICAN GREETINGS:
As the leader in meaningful connections, American Greetings is committed to making the world a more thoughtful and caring place. Founded in 1906, the creator and manufacturer of innovative social expression products offers paper cards, digital greetings, gift wrap, party goods and more to help consumers honor the people and moments in life that really matter. The Company's major greeting card brands are American Greetings, Papyrus, Recycled Paper Greetings and Carlton Cards. The 113-year-old company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and its products can be found in retail outlets worldwide.
ABOUT DOLLY PARTON:
Dolly Parton is the most honored female country performer of all time. Achieving 29 RIAA certified Gold, Platinum, and multi-Platinum awards, she has had 26 songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. She has 44 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has 110 career-charted singles over the past 40 years. In 2014 the RIAA recognized her impact on recorded music with a plaque commemorating more than 100 million units sold worldwide – and in 2016 her No. 1 album Pure & Simple, which topped the Billboard Top Country Albums and Americana/Folk Albums charts and debuted at No. 1 in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia, added to that massive tally. With two nominations for 2020, she has garnered eight Grammy Awards, including a 2017 win with Pentatonix for their collaboration on her iconic 1974 hit “Jolene”; 10 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including Entertainer of the Year; four People’s Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted as a member of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, recognizing her music and film contributions—9 to 5, Steel Magnolias, Joyful Noise and many more—and she also claims two Oscar & Golden Globe nominations. The global superstar became a member of the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001, honoring Parton for penning more than 3,000 songs, all self-published by her Velvet Apple Music, including “I Will Always Love You,” one of the most-played songs of all-time with more than 9 million airings. Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) honored her with their Icon Award in 2003, and in 2004 the U.S. Library of Congress presented her with their Living Legend Award. In 2005, she was presented the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government, the National Medal of Arts. In 2008 Parton launched a return to touring on a global scale with Backwoods Barbie World Tour, the first of many sold-out arena tours, returning her to Billboard Boxscore’s Top 10 Country Tours of the Year. Her subsequent jaunts—2011’s Better Day World Tour, 2014’s Blue Smoke World Tour, and her largest North American tour ever, 2016’s Pure & Simple Tour—reached its apex in 2014 when the legend headlined the historic Glastonbury festival in the UK, where she played to her biggest audience ever of 120,000 adoring fans. Her 2016 movie “Christmas Of Many Colors: Circle Of Love,” was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie. The film was the follow-up to her highly rated 2015 film “Coat Of Many Colors,” which also aired on NBC and won the ACM's Tex Ritter Award. In 2017, Parton released her first children’s album, I Believe In You; the project’s proceeds benefit The Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, a non-profit that since 1996 has provided more than 130 million books to children from birth to five years of age in the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK and Ireland. In 2018, Parton received her first two Emmy Awards as the organization recognized her lifetime of giving with the Governor’s Award and the award for Best Community Service Program lauding her 2016 telethon “Smoky Mountains Rise,” which raised more than $13 million for her My People Fund, which provided financial assistance to victims of massive wildfires in Gatlinburg, Tenn. In 2018 she was also honored with two Guinness World Records for the most decades with a Top 20 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and most hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist. In 2018 Parton collaborated with producer Linda Perry on the soundtrack for the Netflix film Dumplin’ starring Jennifer Aniston and Danielle MacDonald with Parton as the executive producer. In 2019 Parton starred & produced a Netflix television film series, Heartstrings, produced by her Sandollar Productions in partnership with Warner Bros. Television. In 2019, Parton became the first Nashville-based artist honored as MusiCares Person of the Year. 2020 marks the 35th anniversary season for Dollywood, her theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., which since 1986 has hosted more than 4 million visitors annually. Complementing Dollywood’s massive footprint on Tennessee tourism are Dollywood’s Splash Country, Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, Dollywood Cabins, Dolly Parton’s Stampede (with a second location in Branson, Missouri), Dolly Parton’s Pirate’s Voyage (with a second location in Myrtle Beach, SC.), Hatfield & McCoy’s Dinner Feud, The Comedy Barn & Smoky Mountain Opry. Currently Parton is experiencing a renaissance with a #1 Dance hit “Faith (with Galantis & Mr. Probz), #1 Contemporary Christian hit “God Only Knows” (with for King & Country), and a new single with Contemporary Christian hitmaker Zach Williams (“There Was Jesus”). NPR’s unexpected hit 8-part podcast, Dolly Parton’s America, spurred increased engagement in Parton’s music & life. In 2020, Parton will again team with Netflix for the release of holiday musical Christmas On The Square. The new year will also see 9 to 5: The Musical, for which she wrote the music and the score, extend its successful touring run; after wrapping a sold-out run in the U.K. in 2019, the production will premiere this spring in Australia.
For American Greetings inquiries related to Dolly Parton:
Patrice Molnar
Patrice.molnar@amgreetings.com
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