Dolly Parton has been in the news a lot lately, and she appears to have overcome some health concerns. 2026 is a milestone year for Dolly, marking her 80th birthday, the 60th anniversary of her marriage to the late Carl Dean, the 40th anniversary of Dollywood, and the 30th anniversary of her Imagination Library. There is no better time to send a love letter to “our Dolly.”
Born January 19, 1946, in Sevierville, Tennessee, Dolly Rebecca Parton has risen from humble beginnings in the Great Smoky Mountains to become one of the most successful people in the entertainment world. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has written such classics as “Jolene,” “Love is Like a Butterfly,” and “I Will Always Love You,” the latter becoming a worldwide hit when recorded by Whitney Houston.
Dolly’s flashy clothing, distinctive soprano voice, and sharp wit have made her an instantly recognizable cultural figure. Beyond her musical achievements—more than 25 No. 1 country singles, 11 Grammy Awards, and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame—Parton is also a successful business person, actor, and philanthropist.
She was once a regular performer on Chattanooga TV. She made a weekly trip from Nashville to the WRCB studio for "The Porter Wagoner Show." In the 1960s, Wagoner took his busload of pickers and singers around the south for weekly live shows on local TV stations.
WRCB employees of that era recall Wagoner's bus pulling up to 1214 McCallie Avenue to unload their gear. There were tiny dressing rooms in the building, used by reporters, wrestlers, and country music stars. Dolly, barely five feet tall, would "carry a box about as big as she was," which contained her gigantic wig.
Once she was in full Dolly mode, she would emerge for her appearance on the show. She would often joke, “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”
It's a popular myth that Dolly and Carl Dean were married at the Ringgold, GA Wedding Chapel. Actually, they exchanged vows at Ringgold First Baptist Church on May 30, 1966. Carl was familiar with the area from having spent part of his youth on Missionary Ridge, and Dolly learned that that couples could get their marriage license and get married the same day in Ringgold. Plus, she said, the town's name sounded good: “Ringgold was a good place to get hitched.” The two were married almost 59 years until Carl's death in March 2025 at the age of 82.
In an interview with WRCB in 2013, she said that she and Carl still felt a close connection to Ringgold, and Chattanooga, and visited the area "at least once every three years, around the time of our anniversary, on Memorial Day.” She said they had visited nearby attractions like Lookout Mountain and the Tennessee Aquarium. She said, "People never know that we're there. We have a little RV camper that we travel around in. We stop, and I'm not totally in my rhinestones. I put on a little makeup for my husband, I usually have my own hair, just put it up in a little scrunchy or something. But nobody else knows it's me."
She and Wagoner appeared together as part of several multi-act country music shows at Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga in the 1960s. After she became a solo artist, charting with songs like “Here You Come Again,” she headlined her own sold-out show at the Auditorium on November 18, 1977.
In 1986, she opened the theme park Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which became one of the nation’s most visited attractions. Her Imagination Library, launched in 1996, has provided more than 200 million free books to children around the world, reflecting her lifelong advocacy for literacy and education.
Parton has also found success on screen, starring in hit films such as “9 to 5” (1980), “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (1982), and “Steel Magnolias” (1989).
In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an acknowledgment of her wide-ranging influence on American music.
One of Tennessee's most famous faces is also among the most generous, and we salute her for being a shining light of kindness all over the world.
David Carroll is a Chattanooga news anchor, and his latest book is "I Won't Be Your Escape Goat," available from his website, ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. You may contact him at 900 Whitehall Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37405, or at RadioTV2020@yahoo.com.
