I never once considered living in a world without Dolly Parton, but here we are. From her art to her heart, Dolly embodied the qualities we should all strive for as human beings: kindness, compassion, humility, authenticity, generosity, and acceptance. She was an angel here on earth, and though her legacy will live on through her prolific catalogue of music, her philanthropy, and the countless lives she touched simply by being Dolly, losing her is akin to losing a dear family member—especially to those of us here in East Tennessee, where her light shone the brightest.
Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love Dolly, my Appalachian Queen. For years, Dolly’s 60-watt smile has greeted me every morning from my screensaver. I keep her photo by my desk at home and a little St. Dolly prayer candle so that I’m always reminded of what she stood for and what she overcame to become the person she was; my favorite coffee mug is emblazoned with the words “What Would Dolly Do?” I can’t count the number of people who reached out to me the day she passed; many of them were former colleagues at the Birthplace of Country Music (BCM).
After her passing, stories of Dolly’s good deeds began flooding the algorithm. It was around that same time that my dear friend Dr. Rene Rodgers, director at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, asked me to share a blog about Dolly’s connection to our little corner of the world.
I am deeply grateful for the chance to honor my Queen and share stories about some of the truly special things that wonderful woman did for BCM—things that continue to elevate our region’s remarkable music legacy.
I’m also excited to spill a little Dolly tea! Read on to the end for the scoop!
Flashback to 2013, I was serving as Marketing Director at BCM. We were working toward the grand opening of the museum when Rusty Morrell (a relation of the late Joe Morrell family of Morrell Music) approached us with the idea of recreating the 1927 Bristol Sessions with some of country music’s biggest names, with Grammy Award-winning producer Carl Jackson.
While reinterpreting the 1927 Bristol Sessions for new audiences had long been a dream of the organization, the opportunity had never presented itself in such a winning package. Like the legendary recordings of Ralph Peer so many decades before, it felt like a perfect storm—the right people, in the right place, at exactly the right time.
As a nonprofit, BCM’s mission centers on music and music history—not the record business. The project would require the necessary funding and the right connections to bring the vision to life. Having a powerhouse like Carl Jackson at the helm gave the project significant credibility; his participation and overall vision was the catalyst for turning the project from an idea into reality.
BCM tourism partners Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) and the Tennessee Dept. of Tourist Development (TDTD) ultimately backed “Orthophonic Joy” and Carl began assembling his cast of characters who would breathe new life into those old songs.
From our first meeting with Carl, there was one singular, burning question: “Can we get Dolly?” His answer came quickly and without hesitation: “Yes.”
I gave Carl a call when I started writing this piece, because I didn’t trust my own memory with some of the details. As much as I miss Dolly as a fan, he is mourning the loss of a very dear friend.
“She was somebody I was really close to overall,” Carl said. “I was 14 years old working with Jim & Jesse McReynolds at the Opry, and that was the first time I met Dolly. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I probably couldn’t speak! I fell in love with her immediately.”
Dolly sang the hymn ‘When They Ring Those Golden Bells’ for “Orthophonic Joy,” a hymn that was sung by Baptist minister and gospel singer Alfred G. Karnes on the 1927 Bristol Sessions. I asked Carl if Dolly had chosen the song herself.
“Actually, that song reminded me of my mom, so I talked to her about it,” said Carl. “She loved that song, and so did Dolly. We talked about it, and that’s how it happened.”
The love was certainly reciprocated—platonically—over many decades working together in Nashville.
“There was only one project I asked Dolly to be part of that she said ‘no’ to,” Carl recalled. “She was busy doing a movie. If she had the time, she always said yes.”
Dolly also said yes to being part of a documentary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, a companion project to “Orthophonic Joy.”
with Dolly as she recorded for Orthophonic Joy.
Photo courtesy of Charlene Baker.
While Carl had the artists in the studio, a film crew stood by to record interviews for an accompanying docudrama about the Sessions entitled “Born in Bristol: The Untold Story of the Birth of Country Music,” produced by TDTD and Asheville-based Plan A Films. Released in August of 2017 on the 90th anniversary of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, VTC promoted the film internationally, sending Marty Stuart and former BCM Executive Director Leah Ross on a press tour of the U.K. The 53-minute film earned shortlist honors at the 63rd Annual Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France. BCM held a private red carpet event for its release in Bristol at Marquee Cinemas with beloved WSM Radio and Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs in attendance, along with other cast and crew members who worked on the project.
I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music Special Exhibit
In March of 2023, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum opened its first traveling exhibit, “I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music.” The exhibit honors the hidden heroines, activists, and commercial success stories of women who have impacted the roots and branches of old-time music, and the integral role women played in the development of country music as we know it.
“Women in Old-Time” is a crowning achievement for the museum, and Dolly gave it her stamp of approval simply by providing a quote.
My wonderful friend Cindy Dupree, a publicist who worked with TDTD for many years, is often contracted by BCM to help secure media coverage on certain projects, including the opening of “Women in Old-Time.” She has a top-secret contact within Dolly’s team and was able to secure a quote from her for the release of the exhibit.
Having Dolly’s endorsement—provided at no cost—was a major victory for the exhibit and its promotional campaign. Her personal support brought an extraordinary level of credibility and star power to the project, while also providing a powerful marketing asset that money could not easily buy. Dolly’s name and reputation helped elevate the exhibit’s profile, generate public interest, and give the campaign an authenticity and reach that would have been difficult to achieve through conventional advertising alone.
When I say that Dolly’s participation in all these projects is priceless, I mean just that. She, along with each of the artists who participated in “Orthophonic Joy” and the “Born in Bristol” documentary, accepted no payment for their work on either project. They did it for Carl, for BCM, and for the reverence each of those artists has for the 1927 Bristol Sessions and its important place in music history.
Dolly’s Bristol Memorial
These days I am Associate Director at Believe in Bristol (BiB), the twin cities’ accredited Main Street program, literally two blocks away from my old office at BCM and the museum. The organizations have held a close partnership since BiB was incorporated 20 years ago, and I love that I get to continue my work serving our downtown community.
When Dolly passed, BiB immediately began receiving calls about a memorial for her. We got together with BCM and Explore Bristol, our local tourism office, to organize something special to honor her in time for the 25th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion this weekend.
The amazing and multi-talented Ella Patrick—better known as singer-songwriter and fellow Dolly fan Momma Molasses, who works at BCM at Radio Bristol—was commissioned to create a larger-than-life memorial to Dolly across the museum’s glass windows. It’s the perfect Bristol location for locals and visitors in town for the festival to stop, reflect, and pay tribute to our beloved Appalachian Queen.
Dolly Everlasting
Carl revealed to me that he is working on a very special, new project. I don’t want to give away any spoilers or get ahead of any official statements, but I can share this much: Dolly recorded the perfect song for him “in the key of A,” Carl said, before she passed. In a way, it’s like the unbroken circle—a continuation of the musical legacy that has been woven through our region for generations. And when the time is right, I think what Carl is working on will add another beautiful chapter to that story. Stay tuned!
Then he left me with this golden nugget:
“I was talking to Vince (Gill) about her the other day and he said ‘If there’s one thing everybody agrees on, it’s that we all love Dolly Parton.”
No lies detected.
P.S.: There is a lot of conversation happening downtown about the possibility of creating a more permanent memorial to Dolly in Bristol, and we’d love to dream big and create something truly worthy of her legacy as a thank you for the gifts she has given to us. As with any project of this scale, bringing an idea like that to life takes time, planning, and the financial support of people who believe in its importance. If you’d like to contribute to such a project, I’d love to hear from you. Drop an email to info@believeinbristol.org.
Charlene Tipton Baker is Associate Director of the nonprofit Believe in Bristol, our dually accredited local chapter of the Tennessee Main Street and Virginia Main Street programs and the National Main Street Center™. Charlene has a long history with BCM and is among the organization’s first employees, previously serving in the roles of Marketing Director and Communications Manager.
