Dolly Parton isn’t shy in recounting her tough upbringing as the fourth of 12 children raised up in a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River, Tennessee.
And of course, the pay-off is she is the rags-to-riches Queen of Country who has amassed a fortune estimated by Forbes to be in excess of US$800mln.
She even has her own theme park, called Dollywood, near her home town in the Smokey Mountains.
So, why she should require a US$100mln handout from one of the world’s richest men is something of a mystery.
Until it’s revealed that the money from Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos and partner Lauren Sanchez recognises the country star’s work supporting childhood literacy and helping the economically disadvantaged of Tennessee.
"We can't wait to see all the good that you're going to do with this $100mln award," said Sanchez, revealing the recipient of this year’s Bezos Courage & Civility Award.
Previous beneficiaries are celebrity chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen charity provides hot meals to disaster victims, and Van Jones, a former adviser to Barack Obama, whose charities focus on human rights and criminal justice reform.