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I had the sweetest moment with Dolly Parton when I was 6 years old. 40 years later, it happened again.

Hello, Dolly!

Images via Wikicommons and Cecily Knobler

Dolly Parton and Cecily Knobler

Sometimes, serendipity strikes like a tiny and beautiful lightning bolt.

Dolly Parton has been magnetic since she could walk. Already a proficient songwriter, she was singing on Tennessee radio shows as a child and even performed at the Grand Ole Opry at just 13. In 1967, she joined The Porter Wagoner Show, becoming a popular country duo with Wagoner himself.

After a few hits on her own, she was ready to spread her wings into a solo career. So, in hopes of giving it a little boost, she joined country legend Willie Nelson's tour in January of 1977. One of those shows was in Waco, Texas.

Willie Nelson, ticket, country station, country music, Dolly PartonThe original concert ticket for Willie Nelson in WacoCecily Knobler, Canva

In that exact month, in that exact year, I was a precocious six-year-old with pigtails and thick Coke-bottle glasses, also living in Waco, Texas. My dad was the General Manager of an AM country station called K-K-I-K (K-Kick) at the time, and quite frequently, country stars would stop by to promote their new records, sign albums and headshots, and just overall meet the radio crew.

When Dolly came to the tiny station (which incidentally sat above the ballet studio where my mother taught and I danced), I happened to be there—probably in a leotard. My dad introduced us, and my heart thumped like a jackrabbit. I was already a fan, with "I Will Always Love You" (Dolly's original version, obviously) playing on repeat on a scratched-up 45.

I had never met anyone famous before, and Dolly—even then—glowed like a firecracker sizzling against a Texas sky. "Say hello, Cecily," my dad urged. "Hello, Dolly!" Her reply was as big as her hair: "You're just a little baby! Aren't you the cutest baby?" She hugged me like our lives depended on it, and I remember simply floating home. Even then, so young, I knew I had met not only a legend, but a really, really kind one.

The tour itself wasn't entirely successful for her. We went to the show at the Waco Convention Center, and unfortunately, the Willie and Dolly fans didn’t quite gel. I didn't pick up on it at the time, though; I was personally over the moon that she opened her set with "Jolene." But I do remember my parents discussing how scared she looked by the less-than-accepting crowd. (Over time, music journalists would write about it, but thankfully—Dolly and Willie remain friends.)

Willie Nelson, Country star, music, Dolly Parton, country music Willie Nelson strums his guitar. en.m.wikipedia.org

Almost exactly 42 years later, luck would strike again. In December of 2018, I was invited to a party at the Four Seasons Hotel to honor the 2018 film Dumplin’. Dolly just so happened to have written six original songs for the soundtrack, and Netflix was drumming up support for the upcoming "award season."

There were rumors she’d be there, but with busy schedules, one can never be totally sure. As I was drinking a glass of champagne and eating my fourth tuna tartare bite, there was suddenly a palpable buzz in the day-lit room. The cute out-of-work actors turned tray passers parted like it was the Red Sea. If this had been a movie, a golden light would have struck from the heavens as angels sang, "Hallelujah" because just like that—Dolly appeared.

The gravity around a star this bright causes whatever room they enter to fold in on itself. Dolly was no exception! People abandoned their drinks and boring conversations and zoomed quickly in her direction. It actually got a little dangerous, as there were many elderly women on rhinestone-encrusted scooters zipping furiously to get their moment in the sun.

Dolly Parton, dancing, rhinestones, Seth Meyers, DollyDolly dancing on Late Night with Seth MeyersGiphy, NBC

Luckily, I can outrun a rhinestone-encrusted scooter. I pushed my way through (gently, of course), elbowed a couple of publicists, and found myself once again, face-to-face with Ms. Parton. Remembering my dad’s prompting, I enthusiastically said, "Hello, Dolly!" This time I added, "You couldn’t possibly remember this. But I met you at a country station in Waco back in the late ’70s. You told me I was the ‘cutest baby!’"

Almost as if she were living her lyrics from "Here You Come Again." she smiled that smile. Her bluish-green eyes glistened as she patted me on the arm. "Well I do remember! And you're still the cutest baby!"

- Dolly Parton sings "Here You Come Again"www.youtube.com, Dolly Parton YouTube page, Vevo

That’s just like Dolly— o make me feel like a million bucks in first grade and then again in my 40s. We had time for a quick photo snap before she was whisked away by a male Dolly impersonator wearing a white pantsuit.

That serendipitous lightning bolt sure did strike again. Only this time, it had rhinestones on it.

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Joy

A mom mentioned she played the fiddle so the bar band handed her one. She totally shredded.

Seriously impressive talent.

A mom mentioned she played the fiddle so the bar band handed her one. She totally shredded.play icon
shorts Today we are featuring a video from @cynamin.roll This mom brought down the house with her awesome fiddle playing!
- YouTube

The devil may have gone down to Georgia, but it appears he took a detour to a bar in Nashville and possessed a middle-aged mom along the way.

In a TikTok video that's been viewed 5.5 million times, Olivia Reeths shared that her family had gone to the Whiskey Bent Saloon in Nashville and was watching the Moonshine Outlaw Band perform. Her mom, Sue, told the band she played the fiddle, and mid-song, the fiddle player decided to hand his instrument over to her.

You kind of have to wonder what the guy was thinking. Did he imagine she'd be able to keep up with the band? Did he figure she'd play a few bars and then hand it back?


Whatever he was picturing, it almost certainly wasn't what she ended up laying down.


Mom might as well have said, "I'll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul, dude," because she came prepared. In hindsight, her whipping off her scarf was the sign it was all over, but who'd have known?

Watch her shred that man's fiddle and see how he reacts:

@skootbutt123

#nashville #whiskeybentsaloon #fiddle

The best part is when the guy pretends to boot the band's fiddler out of the bar. Then, Mama got sassy with it! She was an absolute legend, making her skills appear effortless as she walked around the room. Didn't even take her coat off. She looked like she walked in off the street, which she basically did.

The woman's daughter shared that her mom is classically trained and that her dad was the one who introduced her to country and bluegrass music. They both play in two bands, Coconut Radio Band and Barney’s Bullet.

Seriously impressive talent. And you've got to love the respect the band's fiddle player gave her, despite her basically stealing his soul. What a fun exchange between musicians who clearly love what they do and love to share it with others.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Culture

Watch Dolly Parton expertly handle Barbara Walters' tacky questions in a 1977 interview

Proving Dolly has always been a model of grace, wit and self-assurance.

Happy Mag/YouTube

Dolly Parton was the picture of grace in her 1977 interview with Barbara Walters.

Dolly Parton is a beloved icon whose appeal somehow bridges a diverse audience. Even people who aren't big fans of her music admire her for her kindness, philanthropy and unflappability.

Barbara Walters is a now-retired broadcast journalist who gained international fame for her candid interviews with well-known figures. Though she was renowned for her interview techniques and willingness to ask tough questions, sometimes her questions could be somewhat tactless.

Put those two together 44 years ago and you get a shining example of Parton's grace and wit in the face of tasteless questions about her looks, her breasts and criticisms lobbed at her. Parton has always been who she is and portrayed the outward appearances she wants to portray, and she calmly and deftly navigates Walters' patronizing line of questioning with impressive poise.

Watch:

So much of Barbara Walters' commentary and questioning comes across as condescending and judgmental, but Dolly Parton transforms that negativity into a positive portrayal of who she is, where she's from and what she's all about.

When Walters told her she was beautiful and didn't need the wig and the make-up and the outrageous clothes, Parton told her it was a choice she's making. “I don’t like to be like everybody else," she said. “I would never stoop so low to be fashionable, that’s the easiest thing in the world to do.

"I'm very real as far as my outlook on life and the way I care about people and the way I care about myself and the things I care about. I just chose to do this, and show business is a money-making joke and I've just always liked telling jokes," she added.

Walters asked her if she ever feels that she is a joke, since people make fun of her.

“Oh I know they make fun of me, but all these years the people have thought the joke was on me, but it’s actually on them,” said Parton. “I am sure of myself as a person. I am sure of my talent. I’m sure of my love for life and that sort of thing. I am very content, I like the kind of person that I am. So, I can afford to piddle around and do-diddle around with makeup and clothes and stuff because I am secure with myself.”

The questions about Parton's breasts were particularly tacky, especially by today's standards. But Parton handled it all beautifully. Her responses are a masterclass in grace and her self-assurance is a refreshing model for us all—especially now that we can see how she has stayed true to herself all these years. Anyone who has ever wondered why Dolly Parton's appearance is what it is will learn a lot from this interview, and anyone who wants to learn how to maintain dignity and class in the face of inconsideration will learn a lot as well.


This article originally appeared on 12.8.21

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Country duo gives Dolly Parton's famous '9 to 5' song a twist to reflect modern day work life

"There ain't no time when your job is 9 to 6."

@thedoohickeys/Instagram

You're STILL just a rung on the boss man's ladder.

Have working conditions really gotten better?

On the one hand, with more work-from-home opportunities, more allowances regarding parental leave, more awareness around the importance of taking days off for mental health reasons, and more businesses adopting four day work weeks…you'd think yes, definitely, things are getting better!

And yet, it definitely can feel like a one step forward, two steps back situation a lot of the time. Many people still woefully lament unlivable wages, having to take on extra work just to make ends meet, and somehow having most of their lives revolve around working. In many ways, all the progress we’ve made toward productivity hasn’t made the common person any freer. Rather, it only moved the goalpost further. Which, needless to say, is exhausting.

It’s this phenomenon that inspired a “cheeky country music duo” named The Doohickeys to make a modern day revamp of everybody's favorite twangy anti-work anthem: “9 to 5.”

The tune was made famous by Dolly Parton whose character in a movie by the same title bemoaned the common working man/woman’s curse of toiling day in, day out just to essentially be a cog in the corporate greed machine. Serious subject matter…but a very catchy song!

The Doohickeys’ parody cover shows that things have changed a bit…the most notable change of all being that, as the new title suggests, “9 to 5” is out, and “9 to 6” is in.

“Like everyone, we love Dolly’s song ‘9 to 5,’ but we realized that neither of us have ever actually worked those hours — 9 to 6 would be more accurate…Turns out that additional hour struck a chord with viewers ‘cause people started sharing their insane work schedules in the comments, and boy, some of those hours suck!” Doohickey vocalist Haley Brown told Upworthy.

In this version, our singing hero still stumbles outta bed and tumbles to the kitchen. But instead of pouring herself a cup of ambition, she “checks her phone while she eats to see what she’s missin.’”

There’s no time to yawn and stretch, or even take a shower, you see. This working gal has to rush out the door because “there aint no time when your job is 9 to 6.”

Take a listen below. Holy cow, did Brown really nailed Parton’s signature airy twang.

That’s Part 1. In Part 2, The Doohickeys hilariously sing about the foibles of racking up student debt in college. Surely nothing any Gen Xers and Millennials can relate to. Plus, again, the need to work an additional job…which is 8 to 1.

All in all, the Doohickeys seemingly did the impossible by making their own unique version of a beloved, almost untouchable classic song, while still holding onto the original’s essence. It’s unfortunate that we still are having these issues, to be sure. But that’s another conversation.

And while we might not see sweeping improvements to the workplace quite as fast, the Doohickeys did immediately fulfill the people’s request to make a full version of the song, which you can listen to on Spotify.

But wait, there’s even more awesome ditties where that came from. Follow the Doohickeys on Instagram here

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