Dolly Parton stood beaming in the heart of Nashville on Monday night, surrounded by shimmering gowns, handwritten lyrics, and the echoes of a life lived in full color. At 79, she wasn’t just attending the opening of an exhibit in her honor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum — she was walking through her past, her perseverance, and her poetry.

“I think it’s wonderful that I have been able to see my little girl dreams come true,” Parton told the hundreds gathered in celebration. Her voice, gentle but unwavering, carried the weight of every mountain she’s ever climbed — and every “no” she’s ever turned into a resounding yes.

The exhibit, titled “Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker,” does more than showcase dazzling outfits or platinum records. It tells a story of grit, guts, and the unstoppable will of a woman who refused to be boxed in — by genre, by appearance, or by expectation. It is a journey not just from East Tennessee to global stardom, but from survival to sovereignty.

Parton herself captured that arc best, quoting her own 2011 song “The Sacrifice”:
“Grindstones and rhinestones have made up my life.”
And when asked if it was worth the sacrifice, she smiled and said, “Well, I reckon it was — because I’m here tonight.”

Dolly Parton’s Journey of Grit and Glitter: New Hall of Fame Exhibit Honors a Relentless Icon

Born into a family of twelve in the backwoods of the Smoky Mountains, Dolly’s journey began in humble poverty. But her dreams were never small. With the encouragement of her Uncle Bill Owens, she got her first big break at just 13 — a performance on the Grand Ole Opry. The appearance almost didn’t happen. The manager said she was too young. But Dolly, even then, wasn’t taking no for an answer. She and Bill found a way, convincing country singer Jimmy C. Newman to give her his spot. She sang, got an encore, then another. It was her first time seeing what would become a lifelong pattern: defying the rules, and dazzling in the process.

Exhibit co-curator Michael McCall underscores that very idea. “People think it was easy for her — she’s talented, charismatic. But she had to fight every step of the way.”

The exhibit gives that fight a physical form. Among the artifacts: the now-legendary sherbet-orange dress from her 1967 debut album, the unforgettable cowgirl outfit from 9 to 5, and the turquoise fringed ensemble she wore when inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999. There’s also a set of car keys that belonged to a Chevy station wagon — the very car she accidentally rammed into RCA’s Studio B on her first day of recording. The dented wall? Still lovingly nicknamed “The Great Wall of Dolly.”

There’s also intimacy: the cassette recorder where she first captured “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” and her personal script from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Yet for all the sparkle and sass, what endures is her resolve. She left Porter Wagoner’s show when no one thought she could make it on her own. She blended pop into country long before it was fashionable. She built Dollywood, defying skeptics. She kept her unapologetic style when the industry begged her to “tone it down.”

“Even now,” McCall shares, “people say she should dress her age. And she laughs and says, ‘I’m not gonna tone it down now!’”

Dolly hasn’t just preserved her past — she’s preparing to celebrate it. During the evening, she revealed that her own museum will open next spring inside the SongTeller Hotel in downtown Nashville. “I did kind of cheat them a bit,” she joked of the Hall of Fame. “I held onto some major things — but I was happy to share!”

“Journey of a Seeker” runs through September 2026, a rare chance to walk through the heart and hustle of a woman who rose from mountain hollers to world stages — not with shortcuts, but with sheer spirit.

And if you ask Dolly what powered her through it all? She’ll tell you, without blinking:
“Grindstones and rhinestones.”