Dolly Parton Exhibition Coming to The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will explore the life and career of Country Music Hall of Fame member Dolly Parton in a new exhibition, Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker. The exhibit will focus 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. The exhibit will be open from May 20 until Sept. 2026.

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 exhibit will include clothing, awards, handwritten lyrics, instruments, photographs, exclusive interview footage and more.

Examples of items to be displayed 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 Sony portable cassette tape recorder Parton used when she wrote the songs "I Will Always Love You," "Jolene" and "The Seeker."
• A cowgirl outfit Parton wore in scenes 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 with 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.
• A Lucy Adams-designed dress, with lace sleeves and skirt and a butterfly-shaped rhinestone design, which Parton wore at appearances on “The Porter Wagoner Show” and the cover of the 1974 album Porter ’n’ Dolly.
• 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.
• A Steve Summers-designed metallic dress, with mesh fabric, spikes and beaded fringe, was worn by Parton in photos promoting her singles “World on Fire” and "We are the Champions/We Will Rock You," from her 2023 album, Rockstar.
• The Andreas-designed, rhinestone-covered platform mules Parton wore at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2019. The ceremony included a tribute to Parton, in which Miley Cyrus, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Katy Perry performed a medley of her songs. Parton joined them onstage to sing “Jolene” with Cyrus.
• 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.

Dolly Parton was born the fourth of 12 children 15 miles east of Sevierville in a remote cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with no plumbing, electricity or access roads. Embracing her father’s enterprising work ethic and her mother’s love of traditional Scots-Irish folk music, she pursued her dream of becoming an entertainer despite limited opportunities. By age 10, Parton performed regularly on radio and television shows in Knoxville, Tennessee; recorded teen-pop tunes in Louisiana at age 13; and signed with Mercury Records in Nashville at age 16 — moving there to pursue her career the day after finishing high school.

Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker will explore many times during Parton’s life where her persistence established a pattern to not let critics or business-as-usual policies discourage the pursuit of her dreams. A singer, songwriter, movie and television actor, author, businesswoman and philanthropist, Parton is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has received the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. Visit the museum’s website for more information on Parton’s life and career.

An illustrated and in-depth exhibit companion book will supplement the gallery presentation, featuring historical photographs and artifacts from the exhibit. Like the exhibit, the book focuses on Parton overcoming obstacles and critics throughout her life and career. It also includes stories behind four of Parton’s most well-known songs, in her own words: “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene.” The book is available for presale here and will also be sold in the museum’s store beginning on May 20.