Dolly Parton took a major step in the direction of being a country singer when she appeared onstage at the Grand Ole Opry. Parton was still a child, but she had a sizable ambition and an aversion to the word “no.” She set her mind to appearing on the stage and made persistent attempts at getting there. Unfortunately, she was too young to sing at the Opry. It took some assistance from another performer to get her in front of the audience.
Dolly Parton shared how one country singer helped her at the start of her career
After Parton and her Uncle Bill decided she should perform at the Grand Ole Opry, they made their way to the historic venue. Once they arrived, full of ambition, manager Ott Devine informed the singer that she was too young to perform.
“Ott Devine said that I was too young, but now I...
Dolly Parton shared how one country singer helped her at the start of her career
After Parton and her Uncle Bill decided she should perform at the Grand Ole Opry, they made their way to the historic venue. Once they arrived, full of ambition, manager Ott Devine informed the singer that she was too young to perform.
“Ott Devine said that I was too young, but now I...
- 5/13/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
When Dolly Parton realized she wanted to be a musician, she set her sights on performing at the Grand Ole Opry. She put on small performances, but she and her Uncle Bill never lost sight of their goal of having her get onstage at the historic venue. When she finally had a chance to, she only got onstage because she broke a rule.
Dolly Parton broke the rules at the Grand Ole Opry
Parton’s Uncle Bill firmly believed in her star power, and he saved up enough money to bring her to the Opry.
“Nobody ever told me that you couldn’t do anything you wanted to do,” Parton said in the book Dolly by Alanna Nash. “I just always thought, ‘Well, all you gotta do is just go there and if you sing well, you can be on the Grand Ole Opry.’ Gettin’ the nerve was probably the hardest part,...
Dolly Parton broke the rules at the Grand Ole Opry
Parton’s Uncle Bill firmly believed in her star power, and he saved up enough money to bring her to the Opry.
“Nobody ever told me that you couldn’t do anything you wanted to do,” Parton said in the book Dolly by Alanna Nash. “I just always thought, ‘Well, all you gotta do is just go there and if you sing well, you can be on the Grand Ole Opry.’ Gettin’ the nerve was probably the hardest part,...
- 5/11/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Dolly Parton started pursuing stardom when she was about 10 years old. Her Uncle Bill would take her all over to perform at and audition for various venues. Even as a young girl, the “Two Doors Down” singer had a passionate drive to ensure her dreams came true. That’s why when she met Johnny Cash at the age of 13, she couldn’t help but take her shot.
Dolly Parton met Johnny Cash after a show
One night, Parton and her Uncle Bill went and watched Cash perform at the Ryman in Nashville. After the show, the two waited for him in the parking lot, hoping to introduce themselves to the star.
“It was late and I was getting sleepy,” Parton wrote in her 1994 memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “I kept saying to Bill, ‘Come on, we can meet him some other time.’ Then a man stepped out...
Dolly Parton met Johnny Cash after a show
One night, Parton and her Uncle Bill went and watched Cash perform at the Ryman in Nashville. After the show, the two waited for him in the parking lot, hoping to introduce themselves to the star.
“It was late and I was getting sleepy,” Parton wrote in her 1994 memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “I kept saying to Bill, ‘Come on, we can meet him some other time.’ Then a man stepped out...
- 6/28/2023
- by Kelsey Goeres
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Tom T. Hall, the Country Music Hall of Fame member known as “The Storyteller” for his detailed narrative songs like “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” “I Love,” and “That’s How I Got to Memphis,” died Friday at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. He was 85. Hall’s son Dean confirmed his father’s death.
Tom T. Hall: 10 Essential Songs
Born Thomas T. Hall on May 25th, 1936, in Olive Hill, Kentucky, Hall began playing music at a young age and performed with a bluegrass band, the Kentucky Travelers, while he was a teenager.
Tom T. Hall: 10 Essential Songs
Born Thomas T. Hall on May 25th, 1936, in Olive Hill, Kentucky, Hall began playing music at a young age and performed with a bluegrass band, the Kentucky Travelers, while he was a teenager.
- 8/21/2021
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Tom T. Hall, a Country Music Hall of Fame artist known for such songs as “I LIke Beer,” died today at age 85. He died at home in Franklin, Tennessee, according to his son. No cause of death was given.
A consummate country songwriter, Hall is known for the such classics as “That’s How I Got To Memphis” and “Harper Valley PTA.”
Hall entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008, alongside Emmylou Harris, The Statler Brothers and Ernest Stoneman[/link]. He was a Grand Ole Opry member since 1971.
During his long career, he wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more reaching the Top 10. Rolling Stone included him on its list of 100 Greatest Songwriters, an apt tribute for a man who earned the nickname”The Storyteller,” given him by Tex Ritter.
Born in Olive Hill, Kentucky, Hill got his early start performing in a band that played before movies for a traveling theater.
A consummate country songwriter, Hall is known for the such classics as “That’s How I Got To Memphis” and “Harper Valley PTA.”
Hall entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008, alongside Emmylou Harris, The Statler Brothers and Ernest Stoneman[/link]. He was a Grand Ole Opry member since 1971.
During his long career, he wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more reaching the Top 10. Rolling Stone included him on its list of 100 Greatest Songwriters, an apt tribute for a man who earned the nickname”The Storyteller,” given him by Tex Ritter.
Born in Olive Hill, Kentucky, Hill got his early start performing in a band that played before movies for a traveling theater.
- 8/21/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Elizabeth Cook can’t remember how many times she’s performed on the Grand Ole Opry, except to say it’s “more than 400.” In fact, the veteran country singer holds the record for the most Opry performances by a non-member. It is a curious statistic.
“The stat you don’t want is the one I got,” Cook says with a laugh. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone in support of her superb new album Aftermath, she talked about the dubious distinction but said she doesn’t feel slighted.
“I...
“The stat you don’t want is the one I got,” Cook says with a laugh. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone in support of her superb new album Aftermath, she talked about the dubious distinction but said she doesn’t feel slighted.
“I...
- 10/1/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Dolly Parton is celebrating a half-century of being an official Grand Ole Opry member with “Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry,” a two-hour special that airs tonight on NBC. But if you want to talk about how long she’s really been associated with the Opry, she’s not bashful about noting that you can actually tag another 10 years onto that number.
“A lot of people think this is my 50th year at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s actually been 60, because the first time I got to sing on the Opry, I was 13 years old,” Parton explained at a press event before going into the auditorium to film the new special. “But then the night that I became a member after I was working with ‘The Porter Wagoner Show’ — and got to actually be a member 50 years ago this year — was one of the highlights of my whole life...
“A lot of people think this is my 50th year at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s actually been 60, because the first time I got to sing on the Opry, I was 13 years old,” Parton explained at a press event before going into the auditorium to film the new special. “But then the night that I became a member after I was working with ‘The Porter Wagoner Show’ — and got to actually be a member 50 years ago this year — was one of the highlights of my whole life...
- 11/26/2019
- by Cillea Houghton
- Variety Film + TV
By the time Dolly Parton had entered her teens, the young girl from the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee had accomplished something that most adults who love to sing country music could only dare dream: she had performed on the Grand Ole Opry.
Parton, who this week celebrates her 50th anniversary as a member of the Opry cast with an all-star salute, was officially inducted as an Opry member in January 1969, by which time she was a nationally recognized TV star alongside Porter Wagoner. But in 1959, the 13-year-old, then unknown outside of Knoxville,...
Parton, who this week celebrates her 50th anniversary as a member of the Opry cast with an all-star salute, was officially inducted as an Opry member in January 1969, by which time she was a nationally recognized TV star alongside Porter Wagoner. But in 1959, the 13-year-old, then unknown outside of Knoxville,...
- 10/11/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
From her Tony-winning title role in Broadway’s Hello, Dolly! to one of her signature songs, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” – sung on film by Marilyn Monroe and covered in 1983 by Emmylou Harris – Carol Channing’s effervescent presence on the stage and in film and TV roles was accompanied by an unmistakably unique voice, making her one of the most recognizable entertainers of the past half-century.
Channing, who died Tuesday at her home at age 97, made numerous appearances on both the big and small screens and, apart from...
Channing, who died Tuesday at her home at age 97, made numerous appearances on both the big and small screens and, apart from...
- 1/15/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Grand Ole Opry member Jimmy C. Newman, known for mixing Cajun and country music, has died. Opry publicist Jessie Schmidt said Newman died in Nashville on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 86. The Tennessean reports Newman's first Top 10 country hit, "Cry, Cry, Darling," came 60 years ago, in the summer of 1954. That same year he joined Shreveport-based radio show "The Louisiana Hayride," where he performed alongside Johnny Horton, Elvis Presley and others. He joined the Opry in 1956, after notching five straight Top 10 records, including "Seasons Of My Heart." In 1957, Newman earned his highest-charting record with "A Fallen Star," which reached No.
- 6/22/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
Country music has lost one of its veteran entertainers with the passing of Grand Ole Opry performer Jimmy C. Newman. He died on June 21 in a Nashville hospital following a brief illness. He was 86. Starting his career as a mainstream country performer, Newman moved in a Cajun direction in the 1970s, becoming one of the most respected artists in the genre. Born Aug. 29, 1927, in Mamou, Louisiana, Newman grew up listening to the Cajun music of his area, but was also enamored with cowboy music and what was known as “Hillbilly Music.” He started playing music
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- 6/22/2014
- by Chuck Dauphin, Billboard
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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