Bill Owens drove his 10-year-old niece from Sevier County to 319 N. Gay St. in 1956, sneaking her backstage at WIVK for one of the downtown Knoxville radio station's most popular shows. Over the next 70 years, that little girl would become universally known and loved by a single name: Dolly.
Radio host Cas Walker, impressed by the 10-year-old's confidence in approaching him about a spot on the show, gave Parton her first big break with a regular AM radio gig performing in front of an audience of 60, according to her autobiography. In the book, Parton attributed her love for live performances to WIVK, which still operates today on 107.7 FM.
Walker, also known for being a cunning businessman and controversial politician, had a larger-than-life persona
that made him a substantial figure in Knoxville's history. His radio show served as a launching pad for the Everly Brothers and other notable country, bluegrass and gospel artists, and audience members often would come in off the streets to hear the live performances on his program.
But the building where it all started for Parton at 319 N. Gay St. sits vacant today.
The building served as the home for Theatre Knoxville Downtown from 2005 until 2019 before the theater moved to a larger space at 800 S. Central St. Commercial Realty Company acquired the building in 2023, and it's now listed for sale at $1.2 million.
Built around 1900, when the area was booming with commercial businesses, the building would become home to WIVK's studio in 1953. The station moved to Bearden six years later and operates in the Sequoyah Hills area today.
Knoxville helped launch the careers of several other country stars on stations like WNOX, whose Midday Merry-Go-Round program introduced artists including Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Archie Campbell and Don Gibson.
Other modern country stars like Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney and Kelsea Ballerini have Knoxville roots. Wallen and Chesney attended Gibbs High School and have both performed at Neyland Stadium. Ballerini, who attended Central High School, released a song about Knoxville featuring Chesney titled "Half of My Hometown" in 2020.
Parton − the “Queen of Country Music,” a philanthropist and Dollywood’s Dreamer-in-Chief − died peacefully Aug. 25 in Nashville. She was 80 years old.
Sophia Tiedge is the growth and transformation reporter for Knox News. Email: sophia.tiedge@knoxnews.com
Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks at subscribe.knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How a Gay Street building gave 10-year-old Dolly Parton her big break
