Dolly Parton has achieved the status of a country legend, akin to other singers like George Jones and Loretta Lynn. The journey to success is never an easy one, and Parton said there was one moment in her career when she realized she made it.
Dolly Parton watched country singers on TV with her dad
In an interview with USA Today, Parton discussed how her passion for music came from her family. Her mother taught her gospel music while her uncle trained her to play the guitar. However, her love for country music may have come from her father, who watched The Grand Ole Opry on TV with her.
“My dad loved the Grand Ole Opry. Before we had electricity, we had an old battery radio that we used to pour water on the ground wire in order to bring it in,” Parton shared. “I just knew that I wanted to be out in a bigger world. I knew there was more than just the Smokies. I love my people, I love my home, but I just wanted to do more.”
Dolly Parton knew she made it when she became a member of The Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is the home of country music in America. The Opry is a radio station that presents the latest and greatest in country, bluegrass, Americana, and gospel. There is also the world-famous Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN, where audiences gather to watch legendary country stars.
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Parton grew up admiring the Grand Ole Opry but never imagined she would one day be a member. On Jan. 4, 1969, she officially became an Opry member, which she recalls as the day when she knew she made it.
“One of the first early proud moments was when I got to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. When I became a member back in 1969, that was a big, big night for me, knowing that my people were listening and that I had made it. Just like the song about New York and Broadway. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Well, country singers always think, ‘If I can make it to the Grand Ole Opry, beyond the Grand Ole Opry, then you’ve made it.’”
Parton said people used to laugh at her when she said she wanted to be a singer
Parton grew up in a small town in Tennessee where becoming an internationally successful singer wasn’t a realistic goal for many. She was determined to become a country star but recognized it was unrealistic. She said many of her fellow classmates laughed at her ambitions but she understood that they were unrealistic for most people.
“When we were graduating, (high school classmates) were making little speeches and saying, ‘Well, I’m going to nursing school, I’m going to join the service, I’m going to get married,’” Parton explained. “When I got up, I said, ‘I’m going to Nashville to be a star.’ There was a lot of laughter, and it kind of embarrassed me because, to me, that was what I was going to do. It was only years later that I realized that that was just a big dream for a little kid. It was not so much of making fun as just a reaction to a big dreamer like that.”
