The pair recorded 12 albums together for RCA Victor, and in the late 1960s and early 1970s had a series of top 10 hits on the country charts, including "The Last Thing on My Mind", "Tomorrow Is Forever", and "Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man".

On Wagoner's television series, Parton gained a national audience of millions of viewers, and her own singles began to move up the country charts.

Following her departure from Wagoner's show, Parton branched out into pop music with her 1977 single "Here You Come Again", which hit number one on the country chart and number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, helping to produce a string of crossover hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including "Two Doors Down", "Heartbreaker", "You're the Only One", "9 to 5" and "But You Know I Love You".

Two more traditional-themed albums were released in the early 1990s that were also successful, Eagle When She Flies (1991) and Slow Dancing with the Moon (1993).

Parton holds the distinction of having the most number one hits by a female artist on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart (25).