Dolly Parton Talks About Her Statue

Dolly Parton talks about her statue, a landmark on the lawn of the Sevier County Courthouse in Sevierville, TN. The statue is a life-size bronze placed under a shady tree. The statue by artist Jim Gray depicts the young, starry-eyed Dolly, barefoot, sitting on a rock with her guitar.

Dolly lovingly recounts her father’s pride in her success and how he would often go downtown in the evenings to clean the statue honoring his little girl located on the courthouse lawn.

About Dolly Parton:
Born January 19th, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. One of the best-known country singers in the world, Dolly Parton is famous for her outsized talent, hair, and bosom. She began writing and performing songs as a girl and made her first record in 1960. She moved to Nashville, and in 1967 released the album Hello, I'm Dolly and landed a job on Porter Wagoner's syndicated television show. Parton and Wagoner had a string of hits as a duo throughout the 1960s and '70s, and as a solo artist Parton became internationally famous for such hits as "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You." Her 1973 album My Tennessee Mountain Home was called "a bittersweet look backward at a life and a tradition she was bound on leaving" by the Encyclopedia of Country Music. In 1980 she made her acting debut, co-starring with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the comedy 9 to 5. (Parton was nominated for an Oscar for the theme from the film, which was a hit single.) Parton has won every major music award, with songs ranging from pop and contemporary country to traditional country and bluegrass. She was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and received the Kennedy Center Honor for artistic achievement in 2006.

In 1986, Dolly wanted to do something for the folks in her Tennessee mountain home. Partnering with Herschend Family Entertainment, Dolly opened her Dollywood family theme park in nearby Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.