Dolly Parton celebrated 50 years as an Opry member on Saturday evening, Oct 11. The two-show event was sold-out a year in advance.
To celebrate the momentous occasion, Puffy Muffin in Brentwood created a five-tier cake that was served to guests backstage.
On Facebook, Puffin Muffin shared, “What an honor and privilege it was for us to be selected to create this cake for Dolly Parton to celebrate her 50th year at the Grand Ole Opry. I met Dolly when I was 10 years old and still this memory of her kindness and love is something I remember to this day. Blessings to you and all you do for others.”
In a press conference before Dolly’s performance, the 9 to 5 singer shared while she is celebrating 50 years as an Opry member, it has been 60 years since her first time she took to the stage at the Opry when she was 13 years old.
With only a 30-minute segment on the special Opry show, Dolly packed it with some of her biggest hits including “Joshua,” “Jolene,” “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “Here You Come Again,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You.” Dolly also welcomed banjo great Buck Trent, a member of Porter Wagoner’s “Wagonmasters” who played lead guitar on Parton’s classics “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene,” to perform Wagoner’s “Carroll County Accident.”
For those who were unable to score a ticket to the show, you are in luck. Select performances from Friday night’s Opry and Saturday’s show were filmed for an NBC Television special “Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Grand Ole Opry” which airs Tuesday, Nov. 26 from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT. The special celebrates Parton’s 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry and will feature new interviews as well as performances from Parton and some of her superstar friends who performed in her honor – Dierks Bentley, Emmylou Harris, Chris Janson, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum, Margo Price, Hank Williams Jr., and others.
Don’t think this celebration means a slow-down for the longtime Opry member, Dolly shared there will be new music released soon, Netflix specials, and co-hosting the CMA Awards in November along with Carrie Underwood and Reba.
Dolly said, “This world is just so dark and ugly and awful. So I’m going to make it my business to do more songs that are more uplifting… I want to do songs that are more uplifting, little more love, little more light, and don’t be so dark and dirty.”
For the latest updates, follow Dolly on Facebook.
