The Grand Ole Opry, perhaps the most important broadcast and radio show in country music history, will host a tribute on Aug. 29 to the most important woman in country music, Dolly Parton.
The death of the "Queen of Country" was announced Aug. 25 by her family. It was later revealed that the star had a brief battle with cancer before her death. Parton was 80 years old.
Parton's first radio performance was in Knoxville on WIVK with Cas Walker, whose show hosted other influential singers including Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Carl Butler and Carl Smith. The building where she had her first radio performance isstill standing on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville today.
While Parton might have gotten her start in her East Tennessee home, her dream was to play
on the Opry stage, and that dream came true, multiple times.
When did Dolly Parton become a member of the Grand Ole Opry?
The "Better Get to Livin'" singer became a member of the Opry on Jan. 4, 1969. She was 23 years old.
Parton had an expansive discography at the time of her death, but when she became an Opry member, she had released just three albums. "Just Between Me and You" and "Just the Two of Us," were duet albums recorded with Porter Wagoner and released in 1968. Her first solo album, "Just Because I'm a Woman," also was released in 1968.
When Parton became an Opry member, the show was still held in the iconic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. Parton said it was a dream of hers to play the show.
"It was always my dream to be on the Opry," Parton said, according to the Opry. "They call it the 'Mother Church' because the old Ryman was a church, but it's sacred to me, wherever it goes - the church of my heart. For me, the Opry is like the song 'New York, New York' - if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere."
Although Dolly became a member in 1969, her Opry debut came 10 years earlier when the "Love is like a Butterfly" singer was just 13 years old. In 1959, Dolly and her uncle Bill Owens stepped in for Jimmy C. Newman. The two were introduced by another pillar of country music, Johnny Cash.
"We've got a little girl here from up in East Tennessee. Her daddy's listening to the radio at home, and she's gonna be in real trouble if she doesn't sing tonight, so let's bring her out here," Cash said when he introduced the pair.
Dolly and her Uncle Bill sang George Jones' "You Gotta Be My Baby," and reportedly sang three encores.
How many times did Dolly Parton perform at the Opry?
With Parton's history at the Opry spanning 67 years, it is hard to pin down the exact number of time's she has performed there, but she had some remarkable moments with the show.
Parton only appeared once in between her debut and her induction as a member of the Opry. It was on Oct. 7, 1967, according to the Dolly Parton Discography. During this appearance she performed "Dumb Blonde" and a cover of "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry.
OnJan. 13, 1993, Parton performed at "A Country Music Celebration," a concert-TV special honoring the 35th anniversary of the Country Music Association. She performed "Islands in the Stream" alongside Kenny Rogers.
Parton's final appearance at the Opry was on Oct. 12, 2019. It was a 50th anniversary celebration of her first appearance, marked by a whole week of festivities and named "Dolly Week 2019," Parton was 73 at the time.
At the celebration, Parton sang some of her biggest hits. "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors," "Here You Come Again," "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You" all made the setlist.
“It’s been a great honor to be a part of the Grand Ole Opry all these years,” Parton said during the performance. “It was always my dream."
What is the Grand Ole Opry?
"Country's biggest stage" began as a radio show in 1925. It first aired on WSM-AM, and now broadcasts on WSM Radio, Sirius XM, Circle Country and RFD-TV, according to the Grand Ole Opry.
The urge to see the show in-person skyrocketed in 1943, when icons including Patsy Cline and Hank Williams took to the Ryman stage. The show moved to the Grand Ole Opry House in 1974, where it still plays. When the Grand Ole Opry moved, an eight-foot square piece of wood was taken from the Ryman stage. it was carved into a circular piece of wood, six feet in diameter, and put into the new stage.
Artists still considered it one of the biggest honors in the country music industry to "step inside the circle" and play the Opry or become a member.
Afton Pratt covers trending news for The Knoxville News Sentinel and Tennessee. She can be reached at ampratt@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dolly Parton first played the Grand Ole Opry at 13, became a member at 23
