In 1972, a woman from Prince George named Juline Whelan thinks she might have been the inspiration behind Dolly Parton’s iconic song ‘Jolene.’ Whelan met the singer around the time the song was recorded and fits the description of the young girl Dolly Parton mentioned as the inspiration for the song’s title.
Although Whelan doesn’t recall the specific conversation, she vividly remembers meeting Parton in 1972 during a family trip to Disneyland to see a country music concert featuring the renowned artist. At the end of the show, Whelan approached Dolly Parton for an autograph, particularly drawn to her song ‘Coat of Many Colors.’
Years later, after watching a TV movie about Dolly Parton’s life in 2015, Whelan began to connect the dots. Researching the origin of the song ‘Jolene,’ she stumbled upon an interview where Parton described meeting a red-haired, green-eyed girl named Jolene, leading Whelan to consider that she might be the inspiration.
The resemblance between Whelan and the girl described by Parton, coupled with the frequent mix-up of her name with ‘Jolene,’ further fueled Whelan’s belief that she could be the muse behind the famous tune.
Although the song ‘Jolene’ tells a mature story of pleading with another woman not to steal a lover, Whelan, despite initially being annoyed by the song, has come to appreciate its beauty over the years. She now embraces the connection and hopes for the opportunity to meet Dolly Parton again during her upcoming performance in Vancouver on September 19. Whelan admits she would likely be left speechless if given the chance to reunite with the music legend.