This summer, Dolly Parton is embarking on a 60-city tour throughout the United States and Canada and she is making a special stop in Pigeon Forge, TN. On Nov. 15, Dolly will return to her hometown for a special concert which will benefit her Imagination Library.
Dolly's set list during the tour includes a number of hit songs, with a few new offerings from her double-disc album "Pure & Simple with Dolly’s Biggest Hits." She will also perform a number of hits that have not been heard live by some fans in decades.
Tickets go on sale to Dollywood season passholders on June 15 and to the general public on July 1. The concert is set for Nov. 15 at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN.
UPDATE July 5: SOLD OUT
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a book gifting organization which began in Sevier County, TN. The program, inspired by Dolly's father, has sent over 77 million free books to children in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States.
View Dolly Parton's Pure & Simple Tour Schedule.
In 1975, Dolly released "The Bargain Store" which topped the U.S. Country Singles Charts becoming her fifth consecutive No. 1 single and the album became another Top 10 hit. In October, Dolly was named Female Vocalist of the Year at the CMA awards. The following month, she released her 16th solo album "Dolly: The Seeker / We Used To." "The Seeker" climbed to the No. 2 spot on the U.S. Country Singles Charts and "We Used To" reached No. 9.
The same year, Dolly earned her 10th GRAMMY nomination for her live performance of "Jolene." It was an incredible year of awards, nominations and chart-topping hits.
Quietly living behind the scenes, Dolly's mama, Avie Lee Parton looked on with pride and admiration. It had been 11 years since her daughter moved to Nashville, TN to follow her Music City dreams. Avie Lee was beyond proud of her Smoky Mountain Songbird and not just for the fame and notoriety she had earned. She was proud her daughter was getting everything she had dreamed of while keeping herself grounded and focused.
In this letter to Dolly’s Fan Club, Avie Lee shares two stories. The first is a delightful tale about 1000 pairs of shoes and the second is about Dolly's overwhelming generosity that surprised even Avie Lee.
Submitted by Avie Lee to Dolly Parton's Fan Club Journal, December 1975
Mama's Memories
As I watched the CMA awards Oct. 13 and saw Dolly win Female Vocalist of the Year, I said to myself, "I've seen another of Dolly's dreams come true."
Hi, I'm Dolly Parton's mother and I want to tell her many fans how proud I am to be her mother and to share some memories with you for this holiday season.
One year for Christmas we bought all the children new shoes, and my sister bought Dolly a pair of black patent leather slippers with bows. Another aunt gave her a pair that were too small for her child, so Dolly had three pairs. I can still remember how proud she was to have that many shoes at one time, and she said in her child-like voice, "When I grow up I'll have a thousand pairs of shoes."
Two years ago when I was helping Dolly move into her new home, I decided I would count her shoes just for fun, remembering what she had said as a child. I counted over a thousand pairs of shoes. She still loves pretty shoes and jewelry, and I remember how she would make rings and bracelets from any pretty thing she could find. I really enjoy seeing Dolly in all her pretty clothes and jewelry.
Dolly has always been sincere in that when she tells someone she is going to do something she does it. When Dolly was fifteen years old we bought a farm. We sold the house we had built because we didn't need two houses, but I cried anyway because I felt close to the home Lee and I had built with our own hands. I remember Dolly saying, "Don't cry Mama. I'll buy it back for you when I get rich." Well, I felt ashamed for crying and didn't let anyone know how foolish I had been. Five years later I had forgotten the promise Dolly had made. She came home for a visit, but it was more than a visit. She came in and said, "Mama, I've bought back your house for you. I told you I would and I have." Lee and I tried to tell her we didn't need it with the house on the farm, too, but she said, "I wouldn't be happy or satisfied to buy a home for myself until you had yours back," so that's where we live today.
Now that the children are all grown up and gone away from home, I have time to look back and think about things. I remember that Dolly made up songs before she could write them down. Her music has always been a sacred thing to her. When other children were going to ball games or out on dates, she would rather be somewhere singing. She would stay up all night writing songs and come downstairs to breakfast singing and laughing and tell her Daddy a joke before he left for work. She would say after he left, "I feel better if Daddy laughs before he leaves for work."
Dolly is a very sensitive person and she can't stand to see anyone sad or hurt. I believe that is why she has such a great talent to write. She can see sorrow and heartache in other people's lives and it hurts her very much.
Lee and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for helping Dolly see another dream come true.
Merry Christmas,
Lee and Avie Lee Parton
Read more about Avie Lee including the famous Stone Soup story in A Mother’s Love & Inspiration – Avie Lee Parton
Order "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" on DVD starring Jennifer Nettles as Avie Lee Parton.[su_button url="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BLZIFLI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01BLZIFLI&linkCode=as2&tag=sdprof-20&linkId=NURZAAKZCQPCF5Y7" target="blank" style="flat" background="#c13f47" size="6" center="yes" radius="3" text_shadow="0px 0px 0px #fff"]Order "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" on DVD[/su_button]
Photos courtesy of Curtis Hilbun
Talk show and radio host, Andy Cohen visited Dollywood for a SiriusXM Town Hall featuring Dolly Parton. Before the candid interview, he toured Dolly's Chasing Rainbows museum inside the park and shared a photo on Instagram of his favorite Dolly costumes. He also presented Dolly with two baskets filled with books to honor her book gifting organization, Imagination Library.
Andy helped field questions from the audience and chatted with Dolly about her husband, upcoming tour, movies and a variety of other topics.
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Andy and Dolly recorded the show Live at Dollywood.
It will air on SiriusXM (channel 102), Friday, May 13, 2016, at 4 PM (EST).
Follow Andy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Photos courtesy of Curtis Hilbun
For the 31st year in a row, Dolly Parton greeted adoring fans as the Grand Marshal of the Annual Dolly Homecoming Parade in Pigeon Forge, TN. She led the way on her new Lumberjack Adventure float in her spectacular Dolly-inspired lumberjack outfit.
People lined the streets waiting to catch a glimpse of the hometown girl now an entertainment icon. They also tuned in to the LIVE Facebook broadcast for a bird's eye view of everything going on, and going on it was! Following Dolly on the Lumberjack Adventure float was the ever-popular Dixie Stampede float, the Sevier County Marching Band performing some of Dolly's hits and much more. The parade down the Parkway included several lavish floats, entertainers, bands, Veterans and performers.
At the time of this article the Facebook video (below) had reached an audience of more than 4.2 million.
Dolly will return to Pigeon Forge, TN on Nov. 15 for a special performance at LeConte Center. The concert is part of her Pure & Simple tour covering 60 cities across the United States and Canada. Proceeds from the Pigeon Forge concert will benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
More about Dolly Parton's Pigeon Forge Concert
See Dolly Parton's Pure & Simple Tour Schedule
Dolly Parton's largest North American tour in 25 Years Kicks Off on June 3. Coming off the heels of a headline-making performance at the ACM Awards in early April, Dolly is heading out on her largest North American tour in over two decades. Tickets are selling fast for the first leg of the Pure & Simple Tour, which includes a total of 16 dates.
Dolly Parton's Pure & Simple Tour Dates
The Pure & Simple Tour coincides with the summer release of her double-disc album "Pure & Simple with Dolly’s Biggest Hits." The collection will include some of her most popular singles as well as a few new tracks. The set list features several of Dolly's biggest hits along with a few new songs from the double-disc album. She will also perform songs which some fans have not heard live in decades!
Additional U.S. dates for the historic North American tour will be announced soon as well as Dolly's highly-anticipated return to Canada. The entertainment icon is on one of the biggest hot streaks of her career after her hugely successful TV movie, “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors,” attracted a network record of more than 16 million viewers. It was the most watched movie on network TV in more than three years. It becomes available on DVD May 3.
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