2025 Hall of Fame Inductee
DOLLY PARTON, International Icon
Dolly Parton is the most honored and revered multi-hyphenate of all time and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her recent album “Rockstar” made history by scoring the biggest album debut sales week of her seven-decade career and earning her six #1s on the Billboard charts – Top Rock Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Country Albums, Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales, and Independent Albums. The landmark album also claimed the #3 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, her highest position ever. Achieving 27 RIAA-certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 26 songs reach #1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. Parton is the first artist to have topped Billboard’s Adult Contemporary, Christian AC Songs, Hot Country Songs, Christian Airplay, Rock Digital Songs, Country Airplay and Dance/Mix Show Airplay radio charts. Parton became the first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year given out by NARAS. She has 49 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 120 career-charted singles over the past 50+ years. On October 17, 2023, she released her second New York Times Best Seller coffee table book in a trilogy called “Behind The Seams: My Life in Rhinestones.” The first of the series was bestselling coffee table book “Songteller: My Life in Lyrics.” Her cookbook, “Good Lookin’ Cookin’” co-authored with her sister Rachel Parton George was a #1 New York Times Best Seller for numerous weeks on the charts and was the #1 cookbook of 2024.
In 2014, the RIAA recognized her impact on recorded music with a plaque commemorating more than 100 million units sold worldwide. She has amassed eleven Grammy Awards and 54 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including a nod for 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.
Dolly has the largest fan base of all measured music artists in the YouGov database at #1 with 198 million. She has the #1 Q Score of all performers, solo and group. Dolly is one of only 25 celebrities in the E-poll database to have an E-score of 100 and has maintained that perfect rating for 8 years. She recently won Best Brand Award, Celebrity, Influencer and Fashion at the 2023 Licensing International Excellence Awards.
To date, Parton has donated over 270 million books to children around the world with her Imagination Library. Her children’s book, “Coat of Many Colors,” was dedicated to the Library of Congress to honor the Imagination Library’s 100 millionth book donation. In March of 2022, Parton released the book “Run Rose Run” which she co-authored with James Patterson which sat at # 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List for 5 weeks, a record for this decade. She also released an accompanying album of the same name with original songs inspired by the book which reached #1 on three charts simultaneously — Country, Americana/Folk and Bluegrass Albums. From her “Coat of Many Colors” while working “9 to 5,” no dream is too big and no mountain too high for the country girl who turned the world into her stage.
Accepting on Behalf of Dolly Parton:
VAN KOKEH, Vice President, IMG Licensing
Van Kokeh is an accomplished licensing executive with over 20 years of global experience leading brand development, consumer licensing, and strategic partnerships across the entertainment, talent, corporate, and lifestyle sectors.
Kokeh began her career at Warner Music Group in New York, where she was part of the digital sales and marketing team leading the album releases of major artists including T.I., Josh Groban, Danity Kane, and Madonna. In 2008, she joined Nickelodeon’s international licensing division, where she managed the global merchandise programs across EMEA, Latin America, Asia, Australia, and Canada. In this role, she oversaw a network of licensees spanning over 25 countries, driving revenue growth and expanding brand presence for iconic properties including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, South Park, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and iCarly through innovative licensing strategies.
In 2015, Kokeh joined IMG Licensing and currently serves as Vice President of Brand Management. She leads licensing and brand strategy for a portfolio of high-profile clients, including Dolly Parton, Lionsgate, Severance, and Skydance. In her role, she is responsible for building and executing multi-channel consumer product programs across North America, while also identifying and expanding into key international markets where strategic opportunities arise.
Recognized for her cross-functional leadership, and deep industry insight, Kokeh excels in identifying emerging market trends, forging high-impact partnerships, and delivering licensing solutions that align with brand vision and business objectives for her clients.
