Dolly Parton brings her ‘Pure & Simple’ tour to Tampa

Perhaps the two biggest female stars of popular music of the past half-century are coming to Amalie Arena in Tampa within a few days of each other.

On Wednesday it’ll be Barbra Streisand, in one of the most talked-about concert tours of the year. But before that, on Saturday, country superstar Dolly Parton takes to the Amalie Arena stage.

It’s Parton’s first major national concert tour in more than 25 years.

She’s now 70 years old, and she’s been performing professionally since she was a child. She first came to national attention as a protege of country star Porter Waggoner. She was a regular on his TV show, and her first hit record was a duet with Waggoner in 1967.

She started to cross over and reach non-country audiences with such early ’70s hits as “Here You Come Again,” “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You.” But it was her first movie role, in “9 to 5,” that cemented her superstar status. Parton acted along side experienced movie stars, including Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and earned Golden Globe nominations for her performance. She also wrote the movie’s theme song, which became one of her biggest hits.

She’s branched out in to business (most notably, her theme park Dollywood) and philanthropy. She supports a number of causes, but is especially interested in promoting literacy.

She’s one of those rare show business personalities that almost everyone seems to admire, whether for her music, her acting or her ineffable charm.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26, Amalie Arena, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. $45.75, $65.75, $95.75 and $125.75. 813-301-2500, amaliearena.com.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Dolly Parton brings her ‘Pure & Simple’ tour to Tampa."