NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The cold weather didn't keep fans from heading to downtown Nashville to celebrate Dolly Parton's 78th Birthday.
The Grand Ole Opry honored the country music legend with a special show on Jan. 19 at the Ryman Auditorium. It was the second straight year the show has celebrated her birthday.
Watch Dolly's celebration in the player above.
"We got our tickets as soon as they were announced," said Beverly Brown, who was visiting from Virginia with a group of her friends. "We are big Dolly fans."
While Parton did not appear in person, there were plenty of tributes. Special guest artists including Ashley Monroe, Tigirlily Gold, Dailey & Vincent, Elle King and Terri Clark performed their favorite Dolly hits.
"I don’t think there is a female singer or any kind of songwriter who hasn’t been influenced by Dolly," said Terri Clark before she performed Dolly's hit "9 to 5."
There was also a large birthday card for fans to sign and a Dolly impersonator who posed for photos with fans.
In addition, $5 from every ticket sold to the show was donated to the Opry Trust Fund in Dolly’s honor. For more than 50 years, the fund has assisted members of the country music community in need.
Dolly celebrated her birthday by giving a gift to her fans. She released a deluxe version of her newest album “ROCKSTAR” that featured nine additional tracks. It is available on all digital streaming platforms.
Music lessons for just 50 cents! A Nashville music school has been providing that to area students for over 40 years including for the city's current mayor. As a child, I always wanted to take piano lessons. I was able to for about 6 months but had to stop due to family finances. I would have loved to have had access to a program like this at the W. O. Smith Music School.
- Lelan Statom
