Dolly, I Will Always Love You

A heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton, sharing my favorite memories, Dolly-inspired recipes, our Dollywood trip, and the faith she openly shared.

Some people make music you enjoy. Some make movies you remember. And then there are those rare people who somehow become woven into the fabric of your life.

For me, Dolly Parton was one of those people.

Like so many of you, I was heartbroken to hear of Dolly’s passing. Almost immediately, memories started flooding back—not only of her songs and movies, but of my own life and all the places where Dolly’s story intersected with mine.

I grew up listening to her music. My daughter once figure skated to “9 to 5.” I baked with Dolly Parton cake mixes. And a couple of summers ago, I piled into the car with a bunch of my grandkids and drove from Texas to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where we visited the Dolly Parton Experience, toured Dolly’s former tour bus, ate that famous Dollywood cinnamon bread, and made memories I treasure even more today.

So today I’m setting the usual baking chatter aside for just a minute. This one is for Dolly.

I Grew Up With Dolly Parton

I grew up in Texas with parents who loved country western music, and Dolly Parton was part of the soundtrack of my childhood. My parents fell in love with her way back in the Porter Wagoner days. We loved that unmistakable voice, of course, but we loved the whole Dolly package, too.

She was funny and feminine and larger than life, but somehow she always felt completely approachable. She was glamorous without pretending she hadn't come from humble beginnings. In fact, she seemed proud of those beginnings.

Maybe that's one reason so many of us felt like we knew her. As the years passed, our family's love for Dolly just kept growing.

Then Came “9 to 5”

Oh, how we loved that movie! By then Dolly wasn't simply the country singer my parents listened to. She was a movie star, and she was hilarious.

And that song! Years later, when my daughters were competitive figure skaters, my middle daughter, Courtney, actually skated a routine to “9 to 5.” It was a hoot, and I can still picture it.

Hearing that song takes me right back to those days. That's the funny thing about music, isn't it? A few notes can transport you to another decade in an instant. Dolly's music has been doing that for me practically my whole life.

The Dolly Parton I Loved Most

As much as I loved Dolly's talent, her humor, her movies, and that wonderful larger-than-life personality, there was something else about her that meant even more to me: her faith.

Dolly never seemed ashamed to talk about God or about the Christian faith that had been planted in her as a little girl growing up in the mountains of Tennessee. You could hear pieces of it throughout her life and her music.

“Coat of Many Colors” told a story of poverty, a mother's love, and the biblical story that helped a little girl understand the value of what she'd been given. But one of the songs that touched me most came much later.

It was “There Was Jesus,” her duet with Zach Williams. The first time I heard it, it absolutely got me.

The story behind the collaboration makes it even sweeter. Zach knew when the song was written that he wanted Dolly Parton to sing it with him. The song eventually made its way to her, and she said yes.

Think about that. She was Dolly Parton. She didn't need another hit or another famous duet to prove anything to anybody. But she heard a song about Jesus and wanted to be part of it.

Today, as I think about Dolly's passing, that song means even more.

Our Family Trip to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

A couple of summers ago, my family did something I'd wanted to do for a very long time. We drove from Texas all the way to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to visit Dollywood.

And y'all, we had the best time.

Of course, Dollywood has rides, attractions, shows, food, and plenty for kids to do. And when you're traveling with a whole passel of grandkids, you can bet we did our share of all of that.

But for me, this trip wasn't just about visiting a theme park. I wanted Dolly. I wanted to see the Smoky Mountain world that had shaped so much of her story and experience some of the place she'd built there.

And I got my fill of Dolly.

Visiting the Dolly Parton Experience at Dollywood

One of my favorite parts of our Dollywood visit was seeing the exhibits devoted to Dolly's life and career. There were costumes, photographs, memorabilia, and reminders everywhere of the extraordinary journey that took a little girl from the Smoky Mountains and turned her into one of the most recognizable women in the world.

And then there were the glamorous parts, because you can't celebrate Dolly Parton without a little pink and sparkle.

My granddaughters had a ball exploring the Dolly Parton Experience, especially when they found the fabulous makeup vanity. Naturally, they sat down in front of that big lighted mirror and pretended to do their makeup like Dolly.

That photograph makes me smile even more now. There we were, three generations of women in one family who all knew who Dolly Parton was. My parents' generation loved her. I loved her. My children knew her. And now my grandchildren were sitting at a pink lighted vanity inside Dollywood, pretending to get all Dolly-fied.

That's quite a legacy.

We Got to See Dolly Parton's Tour Bus

Another highlight of our Dollywood trip was getting a peek inside Dolly Parton's former tour bus. Now this was fascinating.

Dolly spent years of her life on the road, so this wasn't simply transportation. It was a home away from home. We got to see the living spaces and even Dolly Parton's bedroom inside the tour bus.

Of course there was a guitar on the bed.

The whole thing felt exactly right for Dolly—warm, comfortable, a little glamorous, and very personal. Standing there looking at that room made the superstar seem a little more human. You could imagine the miles rolling by outside while she wrote, rested, prayed, talked to family, or prepared for another show.

Of all the things I saw at Dollywood, that tour bus was one of the things that stayed with me.

Dollywood With the Grandkids

But here's the other side of the trip: I didn't go alone. I had a whole bunch of grandkids with me, and they weren't there to quietly contemplate the history of country music.

They wanted to have FUN.

And Dollywood delivered. We rode rides, explored the park, climbed aboard the carousel, and did our best to keep everybody happy. There were teenagers. There were younger kids. There were plenty of opinions about what everyone wanted to do next.

Basically, it was a family vacation. Ha!

And I wouldn't trade it for anything. Looking back now, I'm especially glad we took the time to make that trip and create those memories together.

And Then There Was the Dollywood Cinnamon Bread

Now we need to discuss something extremely important: the bread.

If you've ever been to Dollywood, you probably already know exactly what I'm talking about. Dollywood cinnamon bread.

Warm, buttery, sugary, cinnamon-y bread that you pull apart while it's still warm. Mercy.

I am a baker, after all. You couldn't expect me to walk away from Dollywood without becoming obsessed with the bread. By the end of the day, I was standing in the store buying more of it to take with us.

Apparently, even on a pilgrimage celebrating one of America's greatest entertainers, I'm still thinking about baked goods. Some things never change.

Coming Soon: Dollywood Cinnamon Bread-Inspired Recipe

This is not Dollywood's official cinnamon bread recipe. It's an easy homemade version inspired by the warm, buttery cinnamon bread we enjoyed at Dollywood. I plan to make it soon and will upload the real pics when I do!

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Rhodes frozen bread dough
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Nonstick cooking spray, for pan and plastic wrap

Instructions

• Place frozen bread dough in a greased loaf pan and thaw for about 2 hours.
• Cut several deep slits across the dough without cutting all the way through.
• Fill the slits and coat the dough generously with melted butter and cinnamon-sugar.
• Let rise for another 2 hours.
• Bake at 350°F until golden brown and cooked through.
• Then pull off a gooey piece and eat it while you're standing at the kitchen counter, because that's half the fun.

Then Dolly Parton Came Into My Kitchen

Here's where my baking-blog world collides with my Dolly-loving world.

Long after I'd fallen in love with Dolly's music, Dolly Parton cake mixes started appearing in my kitchen. Who could have predicted that?

After all those decades of listening to her sing, watching her movies, and following her career, there I was standing in my Texas kitchen, doctoring up cake mixes with Dolly's smiling face on the front.

And naturally, I couldn't leave them alone. I started turning those Dolly Parton Duncan Hines cake mixes into all sorts of easy desserts.

My Dolly Parton Cake Mix Recipes

I've made several recipes using Dolly Parton cake mixes, and each one gave me a chance to have a little fun with the flavors.

My Dolly Parton Pecan Pie Brownies are luscious and rich (and super gooey). Speaking of gooey, my Dolly Parton Gooey Butter Cake? It's over-the-top delicious!

My Dolly Parton Banana Bread Cookies are soft, sweet cookies made with Dolly Parton's banana cake mix, while my Dolly Parton Banana Bread turns that same boxed mix into a moist, homemade-style loaf.

Then there's my Dolly Parton's Apples and Bananas Dump Cake, an easy cake mix dessert that combines two old-fashioned favorite flavors. My Dolly Parton Coconut Cookies with Lemon Glaze (my personal favorite!) pair coconut with a bright lemon glaze, and my Dolly Parton Pineapple Coconut Cake brings pineapple and coconut together in a beautiful tropical cake.

And I've still got Dolly cake mixes in my kitchen, so apparently we aren't finished yet.

If you happen to have one of those pretty pink Dolly Parton cake mix boxes tucked away in your pantry, maybe this is the week to bake something with it. I think she'd like that.

One More Dolly Stop: Steel Magnolias

Our Dolly adventure didn't end when we left Tennessee. On the way back to Texas, I made sure our route took us through Natchitoches, Louisiana, where Steel Magnolias was filmed.

Because, really. How could we not?

(I interrupt this post to insert this little tidbit: While still in Tennessee we had a movie night and I introduced my grands to the movie. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that one scene in the locker room. You know the one. Oops!)

In Natchitoches we visited some of the Steel Magnolias filming locations, explored the town, stopped at the general store, and enjoyed a delicious meal. Somehow our Texas-to-Tennessee-to-Louisiana family vacation had turned into something of a Dolly Parton road trip.

At the time, it was simply fun. Today, I'm especially grateful we did it.

Dolly Parton's Legacy Was About More Than Music

There's so much more that could be said about Dolly Parton. She was a songwriter, singer, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist, and one of the most recognizable entertainers who ever lived.

She built Dollywood into a destination visited by families from around the world. Through her Imagination Library, she put books into the hands of children. She made people laugh. She never seemed to take herself too seriously, but she took loving and helping people very seriously indeed.

And she gave us music that became attached to our lives.

That's the part I'm thinking about today. My parents loved Dolly. I loved Dolly. My children grew up knowing her music. My daughter skated to her song. My grandchildren traveled with me to Dollywood and sat at her makeup vanity.

And decades after I first heard Dolly's voice coming through my parents' speakers, I was baking cakes in my own kitchen from boxes with her face on them.

What a funny, wonderful circle.

Dolly, I Will Always Love You

Today I'm sad she's gone. But because of the faith Dolly so openly talked and sang about—and because of my own faith—I don't believe this is the end of her story. I like to think she's singing for a much better audience now.

And that brings me to one final song.

Dolly wrote “I Will Always Love You” decades before Whitney Houston turned it into one of the biggest songs in the world. Whitney's version was magnificent, but I've always had a soft spot for Dolly's.

That unmistakable voice—a little raspy, tender, simple, and completely hers.

So that's where I'll leave this today.

Dolly, thank you for the songs, the movies, the laughter, the fabulous clothes, the Smoky Mountain stories, the cake mixes, the cinnamon bread, and the memories. Thank you for being brave enough to talk about Jesus. And thank you for being part of the soundtrack of my life.

Dolly, I will always love you.