Dolly Parton laughs with Brooke Handley while meeting with editors and publisher from the Tennessee and Kentucky Press Associations at the opening of Dollywoods KidsFest 2011, Friday, June 17, 2011 in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. (AP Photo/Steven Bridges)July 14–KNOXVILLE — Sevierville gave Dolly Parton her look, but Knoxville allowed her artistry.
“It taught me how to perform in front of people. Knoxville was my first time when I sang around people I didn’t know,” says Parton, who’ll perform on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena in her first Knoxville concert in more than 25 years. “I learned how to be around other people for the first time.”
Parton often jokes she assembled her world-famous look from the loose women she saw in Sevierville. They had the big hair, the short skirts, the low-cut blouses and far too much make-up. That look has certainly made Parton distinctive.
However, she says she cut her teeth as a performer in Knoxville, where she landed her first major radio gig on “The Cas Walker Show.” Over the summer when she was off from school, Parton’s relatives would bring her into Knoxville. She’d stay with an aunt and uncle during the week while singing on the radio during the weekends.
Parton would marvel at the sight of the tall buildings in Knoxville. At age 10, she rode the bus to gigs alone and dreamed of what her life might be like if she ever became a star.