Dolly Parton's Extraordinary Career Highlighted In New Exhibit At Country Music Hall Of Fame
Hundreds of invited guests gathered at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville to see Dolly Parton and get a preview of a new exhibit honoring her.
Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker looks back at her career with a special focus on some of the obstacles she faced along the way.
It's interesting to note, a number of those obstacles involved other people advising her against many of the decisions that would turn out to be pivotal to her career.
Entrance to "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker" exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum ... More in Nashville, TN
Fortunately, the little girl with the big dream, has always relied on her own instincts and had the strength and fortitude to dismiss naysayers. Her ability to 'trust the voice inside' paved the way for her incredible rags-to-riches journey and led to her becoming a global superstar, exceptional businesswoman, and committed philanthropist.
'Each step of the way Dolly had to fight for something,' says Michael McCall, Associate Director of Editorial for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. 'She had to go against someone telling her, 'No, don't do that,' and she just wouldn't take no for an answer. Whether it was somebody telling her to tone down how she dressed or not to 'go pop,' or not to start Dollywood because she'd lose her fortune on it, and on and on. She continuously overcame people telling her not to do something.'
A costume sketchon display at the new Dolly Parton exhibit at the at Country Music Hall of Fame and ... More Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by)
Display from the "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker"exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and ... More Museum
Display from "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker" at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
At a ceremony the night before the exhibit opened to the public, an excited crowd heard Alison Krause do beautiful versions of two of Dolly's iconic songs: 'The Seeker' and 'Coat of Many Colors.' Most are familiar with the auto-biographical 'Coat of Many Colors' which tells the story of a young Dolly who grew up with eleven brothers and sisters in poverty-stricken East Tennessee. When it came time for a new coat, her mother could only afford to make one out of colorful rags. Dolly went to school so excited about the coat, only to find the other kids laughing and making fun of her.
Jerry Douglas, Alison Krauss, Stuart Duncan, Russell Moore and Ron Block of Union Station perform at ... More the opening "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker' at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. (May 19, 2025) (Photo by)
When Krauss finished the song, she told everyone:
'The only thing that gets me through that song is to think about her wearing that little coat to the bank.'
The room burst into applause.
Dolly later headed to the podium saying she was both happy and proud to be there.
'I'm like Minnie Pearl,' she said. 'I'm so proud to be here! I really am.'
Dolly Parton speaks onstage at the opening of Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum's new exhibit ... More 'Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker' (Photo by)
She expressed how thankful she is to have grown up in a world where dreams 'can' come true.
'It's a long way from the top of the Smoky Mountains to the top of the world. And thanks to you and all of the fans and the people that have helped me along the way, I've made it. And I'm so grateful!'
She noted she was happy to share artifacts for the new exhibit but admitted to holding some of her things back.
'You're going to see a lot of things as you go through the exhibit. But I've left a few things for myself. You know, I'm building a hotel up the road here. It's called the SongTeller Hotel and attached to it will be my own museum. That'll open in the spring of next year.'
Her 12-story hotel will be located at 211 Commerce Street in Nashville.
Dolly Parton at the opening of Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum's new exhibit honoring her ... More life and career. May 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by)
Dolly is extremely busy with multiple projects including her upcoming Broadway show. It's set to premiere with a series of shows in Nashville this summer, before making its way to New York i 2026. She's been intimately involved with every aspect of the production from writing to casting to, of course - creating the music.
Dolly says her nearly six-decade career hasn't come without sacrifice and mentioned a song she's written, explaining a little of what that means, is set to be featured in the show.
She shared a few lyrics- touching on missed vacations, time with family, and working around the clock. Then she continued with:
'Empty or full, I carried my pail,
But you don't drink the water, if you don't dig the well.
Grindstones and rhinestones have made up my life,
And you ask…was it worth - the sacrifice?
Well, I reckon it was, cause I'm here tonight!'
Everyone cheered and applauded.
Dolly thanked everyone again, then headed into the museum to get her first look at her new exhibit. She seemed very pleased with the way it tells part of her story.
Dolly Parton gets her first look at a new exhibit honoring her at the Country Music Hall of Fame® ... More and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. (May 19, 2025) (Photo by)
Dolly Parton and her niece, Rebecca Seaver (who is her Dolly's Director of Museum and Archive ... More Services) attend the opening of Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum's new exhibit 'Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker' (Photo by)
You can see Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker now through September 30th with regular admission to the museum. However, you must reserve a separate ticket for the Dolly exhibit (at no extra cost). Those tickets are based on availability, as only a limited number are available daily (between 9 AM and 3:30 PM CST). It's highly recommended that you secure your tickets well in advance.
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