 "Puppy Love" 45 single reissue picture sleeve. (1986) Image credit: T.o.D. at 45cat.com Dolly Parton made her Grand Ole Opry debut 63 years ago today, on July 25, 1959. Dolly began performing as a child, singing on local radio and television programs in the East Tennessee area. By ten, she was appearing on The Cas Walker Show on both WIVK Radio and WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dolly made her first professional recording at age 13 when she recorded "Puppy Love" for Goldband Records. Released in April 1959, the single did not chart. Dolly and her uncle Bill Owens had made musical connections while performing on The Cas Walker Show, and on the night of July 25, 1959, they managed to get Jimmy C. Newman to agree to give Dolly one of his spots on the Saturday night Grand Ole Opry. She was introduced by Johnny Cash who said, "We’ve got a little girl here from up in East Tennessee. Her daddy’s listening to the radio at home and she’s gonna be in real trouble if she doesn’t sing tonight, so let’s bring her out here." She then performed a cover of George Jones' "You Gotta Be My Baby" and received three encores. Dolly would not appear on the Opry stage again until October 7, 1967, and she became a member on January 4, 1969. Listen below to Dolly's 1970 performance of "You Gotta Be My Baby" at her alma mater, Sevier County High School. She would later record a studio version of the song for the 1994 compilation Red Hot + Country. |
Album of the Week
Blue Smoke is the forty-fourth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released by Dolly Records and Sony Masterworks on January 31, 2014, in Australia and New Zealand; May 13, 2024, in North America; and June 9, 2014, in Europe. The release was staggered to coincide with each leg of the Blue Smoke Tour, which ran from January to July 2014, grossing over $20 million. The album was produced by Kent Wells with Dolly serving as executive producer. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number six on the all-genre Billboard 200. Four singles were released from the album: "Blue Smoke", "Home", "Try", and "Unlikely Angel". At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, "You Can't Make Old Friends" was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
AdministratorBen Childers is the administrator of The Dolly Parton Discography. A native of Tupelo, Mississippi, he grew up taking family vacations to the Smokies and Dollywood. His love for Dolly and her music reached a fanatical level in April 2013. After spending countless hours researching and cataloging Dolly's musical output, he decided to open a website dedicated to her discography. His dream of meeting Dolly came true on May 23, 2024. 
Ben at the opening of Dollywood's 39th season on March 8, 2024.
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