Rachel Dennison, Dolly Parton's Look-Alike Sister, Was Sure People Would ‘Compare Her To’ Her Famous Sibling So She Worked Even Harder

Sep 07, 2023 by apost team

When it comes to country music royalty, Dolly Parton is easily one of the most iconic names in the business. Known for her impeccable songwriting skills and unique singing voice, Parton has been a huge influence on the music industry for decades with hits such as “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “Coat of Many Colors.” 

She also penned and originally recorded “I Will Always Love You” in 1973 before it was later made famous by vocal powerhouse Whitney Houston in 1992.

Along with being a singer and songwriter, Parton is also best known for her work as an actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian. She has been a pivotal figure in the industry for more than five decades, with her debut album, “Hello, I’m Dolly,” being released in 1967. 

With so much time in the spotlight has come ample time for Parton to become a role model to many, as she has always made an effort to make a positive impact on the world with both her music and her personal actions.

Born on Jan. 19, 1946, Parton was raised in Tennessee and was the fourth of 12 children, and grew up poor. However, she had a real passion for music and moved to Nashville the day after she graduated from high school, embarking on what would become a lifelong career.

Among her 11 siblings, Rachel Dennison is probably one of the most talked-about as fans see the resemblance between the singer and her youngest sister not just in their facial features, but the way they style their hair and even their fashion sense.

Born Rachel Ann Parton George, Dolly Parton’s youngest sister is now known as Rachel Dennison. She still uses the last name from her previous marriage with Richard Dennison, who was a backup singer on her sister’s band.

Like Parton, Dennison also loves dressing up and wearing makeup. At a young age, she loved playing with cosmetic products in order to imitate the celebrities that she looked up to.

Initially, Dennison never wanted to be in the spotlight as she just wanted to be a housewife taking care of her children. However, things changed when she quit her studies at a young age in order to take part in her family’s tour across the country.

At the time, she would do her older sister’s makeup and sometimes go up on stage to be a backup singer. Things changed as she later performed solo performances, and years later, she became a singer in the band Honey Creek and an actress.

It seems like her childhood also became a big reason why she pursued singing. as she mentioned, “Singing was like breathing at home.”

According to her IMDb page, the only credits she has were the TV series “Nine to Five” and her sister’s holiday special, “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas.”

One of the main reasons why she had her own career was not because of her sister but rather due to Jane Fonda’s insistence. 

According to an article published by People Magazine in 1982, the actress “discovered” Dennison when she was doing Parton’s makeup before a show.

She then asked the country singer if she could bring Dennison to Hollywood to try out for a part, and after her audition, “everyone started calling asking who she was.”

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In the interview with the outlet, Dennison, who was 22 years old at the time, said she was sure that people would compare her to her sister once she entered show business.

“I’m sure people will compare me to Dolly—it’s only human nature,” she said.

Nevertheless, Dennison was able to make a name for herself and didn’t remain behind the shadow of her famous sister.

The singer might not be as active in music as she was before, but she was still able to perform with Parton for a performance in 2014 at the Red Tent Women’s Conference in Tennessee.

In 2023, Dennison was working on a cookbook with her dear sister, as Parton teased in a January interview with Forbes, “I’m writing a cookbook with my sister Rachel.”

The following month, the legendary country singer gave more insight into the project she was working on as she told Yahoo! Life, “We’re putting a cookbook out together on recipes from the past and things I’ve gathered traveling all around the world.”

It appears that Dennison is not just a good singer and actress; as her sister described, “She’s a great cook, so we’re going to come out with a cookbook in the near future.”

The book was titled “Good Lookin’ Cookin’,” and the reason why they came up with that was because Dennison knows how to make food look pretty and, at the same time, make it taste good.

Fans will get a taste of nostalgia in the cookbook as Parton noted that the collaboration would also feature some updated recipes from her 1989 book “Dollywood Presents Tennessee Mountain Home Cooking.”

“We’re going to rework a lot of those recipes because they’re still great… We’ll refurbish that thing and use many of those same recipes,” she added.

What do you think of Dolly Parton’s youngest sister Rachel Dennison? Do you think they look a lot like each other? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.