Dolly Parton at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
This evening, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum celebrated the opening of its newest exhibition, Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker. The evening included special tribute performances of Parton’s songs “Coat of Many Colors” and “The Seeker” by Alison Krauss & Union Station. Parton concluded the evening with remarks of her own.
The exhibit focuses on turning points throughout Parton’s more than 60-year career where she overcame obstacles and ignored naysayers to become one of the most beloved and widely recognized celebrities across the world. It is open now until September 2026. The museum will hold a variety of programs throughout the life of the exhibit, including public programs and arts and crafts programming for families. Visitors can find more information on the exhibit and upcoming related programming on the museum’s website.
Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker includes clothing, awards, handwritten lyrics, instruments, photographs, exclusive interview footage and more. Examples of displayed items include:
- Parton’s first draft of handwritten lyrics to her classic song and #1 country hit “Jolene.”
- A custom-built Gibson five-string banjo with a white metallic finish, rhinestone embellishments and butterfly motifs used by Parton at performances in 1992 and on her “Halos & Horns Tour” in 2002.
- A cowgirl outfit Parton wore in the 1980 Hollywood film “9 to 5.”
- Hand-painted and beaded boots, designed by Bambi Breakstone, which Parton wore at the photoshoot for her 2002 album, Halos & Horns.
- The Kennedy Center Honors medallion Parton was presented in 2006 to honor her lifetime of contributions to American culture.
- A Tony Chase-designed lace dress, embellished with pearl beading, Parton wore when she performed the R&B classic “I’m a Hog for You Baby” as a duet with the Muppets character Miss Piggy on an episode of Parton’s ABC-TV variety series, “Dolly!,” in 1987.
- The Gibson L-30 archtop acoustic guitar, built around 1935 — given to Parton as a gift from her brother Floyd Parton — which she played in the 1991 music video for “Silver and Gold,” from her album Eagle When She Flies.
- The dress, with balloon sleeves, chiffon skirt, bugle beading and rhinestone accents Parton wore at a 1978 photoshoot by celebrity photographer Harry Langdon Jr. The likeness of her on a Dolly Parton-themed pinball machine, made by Bally in 1979, was based on one of Langdon’s photos of her in this dress.
- Designed for Parton by Lucy Adams, a pantsuit with bell sleeves, bell bottoms and rhinestone-and-bead embellished floral shapes, worn by Parton when she toured with her Traveling Family Band in 1975, and on the cover of Dolly, her 1975 album also known as The Seeker/We Used To.
An illustrated and in-depth exhibit companion book supplements the gallery presentation, featuring historical photographs and artifacts from the exhibit. The book is now available to purchase here or in the museum’s store. It will also be made available in bookstores and online outlets through a distribution partnership with the University of Illinois Press.
An additional display that celebrates Parton’s community of literacy, created through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, is presented in the museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center.
Access to the Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker exhibit is included with museum admission. A limited number of timed tickets for the exhibit are available each day. Advance reservations are encouraged and ticket availability can be found on the museum’s website.
The official exhibit playlist is now available here.
About the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum:
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum collects, preserves and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of diverse audiences. In exhibitions, publications, digital media and educational programs, the museum explores the cultural importance and enduring beauty of the art form. Among the most-visited history museums in the United States, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was awarded the country’s highest honor in the arts, the National Medal of Arts, in 2024. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The Country Music Foundation operates Historic RCA Studio B®, Hatch Show Print® poster shop, Haley Gallery, CMA Theater, CMF Records, the Frist Library and Archive and CMF Press. Museum programs are supported in part by Metro Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission.
More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.