Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to Open Dolly Parton Exhibit in May

East Tennessee native and cultural icon Dolly Parton will soon have her inspirational career spotlighted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Museum, when the Hall launches its new exhibition, Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker, on May 20. The exhibit will run until September 2026.

Parton, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, has forged a multifaceted career as a singer, songwriter, actor, author, businesswoman and philanthropist.

“Being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame was one of the greatest moments of my life, and being able to have a personal exhibit for the fans that put me there is a very big deal to me,” Parton said in a statement. “This seeker is very proud and honored, and I hope you enjoy my journey. I will always love you.”

“After accomplishing enough for three lifetimes, Dolly Parton continues to astound and amaze us with her boundless talent, her vivacious wit and her tremendous generosity,” added Kyle Young, chief executive officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “Like all great artists, Parton has demonstrated consistently that she can transform adversity and setbacks into works of stunning beauty and insight into the human condition.”

The exhibit will feature costumes, awards, instruments, photographs, handwritten lyrics and exclusive interview footage from throughout Parton’s career. In 1978, Parton was named as the Country Music Association’s entertainer of the year, and she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. At 79, her tireless passion for her career is evident, as she continues extending her career’s acclaim with the recent announcements of her upcoming musical and Nashville hotel.

The exhibit will highlight key points in Parton’s career, such as the handwritten lyrics to her No. 1 hit “Jolene,” and the Sony portable cassette tape player recorder she used when she wrote her now-iconic songs including “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene” and the exhibit’s namesake song, “The Seeker.”

Other pieces to be featured include Parton’s Kennedy Center Honors medallion she was presented with in 2006, as well as a cowgirl outfit Parton wore in the 1980 movie 9 to 5. Also on display will be a Lucy Adams-designed dress Parton wore on appearances on The Porter Wagoner Show, as well as the cover of the 1974 album Porter ‘n’ Dolly, which marked the final collaborative project from Parton and Wagoner. Another dress, designed by Steve Summers, features mesh fabric, spikes and breaded fringe, and was worn by Parton in promoting her 2023 album Rockstar.

The exhibit showcases Parton’s generational appeal through her inspirational, rags-to-riches story of growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, in a home with no plumbing or electricity. She inherited from her family both a love of music and an intense work ethic, and by the age of 10, she was performing on radio and television broadcasts in Knoxville, Tenn. She began recording music by the time she was in her teens. She moved to Nashville after finishing high school, and released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967 on Monument Records.

Crucially, Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker will highlight Parton’s determined spirit throughout her career and her unique creative and business vision, such as when, at age 13, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut, though only after she and her uncle Bill Owens persuaded Jimmy C. Newman to give her one of his Opry performance timeslots after an Opry manager refused to give her a performance timeslot due to her young age. In 1974, after a seven-year stint on The Porter Wagoner Show, Parton decided to part ways with Wagoner, with whom she had become one of country music’s most popular duos. That decision sparked the beginning of Parton’s rise as one of country music’s most revered and recognized solo artists.

Later on in her career, she opted to work with Los Angeles pop music producer Gary Klein on her 1977 album Here You Come Again, which brought backlash from some in the Nashville music community, who claimed she was abandoning Nashville in favor of pop music success. The album reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s top country albums chart, and the top 20 on the all-genre Billboard 200, spurred by songs including the title track and “Two Doors Down.” The album was also Parton’s first million-selling album, earned the star her first Grammy award win, and led to her film debut in the movie 9 to 5.

The exhibit also highlights the 10-time Grammy winner’s work as a philanthropist. Among her initiatives, in 1995, she encouraged new generations of children to love reading by founding Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Three years later, she launched the Dollywood Foundation, with the Imagination Library as its flagship program. The program is now active in not only all 50 states, but also in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Along with the new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit, an illustrated and in-depth exhibit book will supplement the information presented in the gallery presentation. The book will highlight Parton’s career triumphs and share stories behind four of her most beloved songs, “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene.” The book will also be sold in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s store starting May 20. An official exhibit playlist will be available on all major streaming platforms beginning on May 20.