Dolly Parton's Life, Death & Places To Visit

Dolly Parton in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Public domain image of Dolly Parton.

Public domain. From Wikipedia. See Wiki for more details. Seen here with President Bush and other music luminaries.

 Dolly Parton, the Queen of Country Music, died on Tuesday 25th March 2026. President Trump ordered flags in the USA to be flown at the mid point for a week. Half mast is the word used on ships. 

Places To Visit

1 Dollywood Museum

Opened 2026 in the Dollywood Hotel

2 Dollywood Hotel

3 Statue of Dolly Parton

4 Country Music Hall of Fame

5 Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles

7 Star on walk in Tennessee.

Music City Walk of Fame, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Two of her most successful songs were: 

9 to 5; and 

I will always love you.

She had lots of plastic surgery. 

She kept out of politics, saying that her business was entertainment.

She contributed a million US dollars to research which developed a vaccine against Covid.

Her other well known charitable donation was to start a fund for donating books for children under the age of five. This started in her area, spread around the USA, and reached the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, and Australia.

Useful Websites On Dolly Parton

https://www.songtellerhotel.com/museum/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Parton

Announcement

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bk_mCuNa8iA

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-death-celebrity-reactions-tribute/91460553007/

-ends-

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Marty Robbins & Hank Snow Sing Classic Country Music Songs and visit Opryland the the Country Music Museum

Marty Robbins and Hank Snow.

Country music classics. All tell stories.

"Moving on."

I have fond memories of touring the USA when I lived there.
Nostalgic songs.
Today I discovered some happy and sad ones such as the long black veil, which I shall write about in another post.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Useful Websites
https://www.opry.com/tours/
https://web.archive.org/web/20130629185254/http://countrymusichalloffame.org/visit

About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Elvis Enthusiasts - where to see Elvis memorabilia and events

The great Elvis shrine is Graceland in Memphis but there are many more cities and countries where you can still see places and items and connected with Elvis and learn about his visits, films, recordings, and events. (List at end, but read on through this post.)

USA
When I lived in the USA we had not yet discovered distant family there, so we were free to go travelling every weekend. Without even looking for them, I found Elvis items all over the USA and Canada. A car or guitar seemed to pop up everywhere, a disc in a rock theme restaurant, a car in a car museum, a guitar in a music museum, a statue in a waxworks, photos in a local history museum. Or a hotel with a room where he stayed a night, a hall where he performed music, or a landmark where he filmed. Worldwide sites were to be found: in the USA, Canada, UK.

TENNESSEE
I went on a press trip to Opryland, Nashville, Tennessee. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel. It was huge. When somebody phoned me from the lobby to say, 'come down and meet us, our coach is here,' it would take me 20 minutes to get from my room at the far end of the building all the way to the  nearest lobby, then on to the correct lobby, in the other half of the multi-storey figure of eight building. Endless walking galleries overlooked and wound around the two (or more) bandstands and themed restaurants.

The best thing about my stay at Opryland was that the room service set the radio to play Elvis and Country Music which was playing when I opened the door of my bedroom. I was so happy. I had just flown in from England. I knew I was in the USA. I knew I was in or near Nashville, the heart of Country music

In the evening we went to an Opryland music theme park concert featuring singers. We had a chance to meet Brenda Lee in the interval.

BRENDA LEE
She was sitting sewing. The journalists were allowed only one question each, so as not to tire her, and to give them all an equal chance. My question was: 'What do you think Elvis died of?'

I assumed she must have been asked many times. so she would react phlegmatically, giving a stock answer. To my surprise, she was flustered and upset and said, "I wish we knew. If we had known, perhaps we could have done something to help prevent it."

You can also visit events:
1 Elvis competitions. (USA)
2 Elvis theme nights at restaurants with Elvis lookalike singers. (UK)(See my previous post for events at Orama restaurant in Hatch End, NW London, England, during 2016.)

Should you wish to be married by an Elvis lookalike, somewhere there's a chapel, or two or more, in the USA's favourite wedding location, where you can do so. If you missed out on this the first time you got married, there's always the next time. (Or, if you stay married, a renewal of vows, your children's bar mitzvah parties, or your daughter's wedding.) Or hire your own Elvis outfit for a fancy dress party for New Year's Eve or a friend's 'Fifties' or 'Sixties' theme birthday party. (We hired one in Singapore. A white suit.)

Elvis Sites - Here are my favourites:
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Sun studio (museum, hourly tours led by a musician, photo spots, food).
Graceland and Gravesite in Graceland.

Photo by Ron Cogswell
Tupelo, Mississippi, USA. Birthplace museum.

Elvis Sites Websites
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/aug/17/top-10-elvis-presley-memphis-attractions
graceland.com
http://travelblog.viator.com/11-sights-and-tours-perfect-for-the-elvis-fan/
http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/elvis-sites.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Hawaii
His pink Cadillac is in Graceland. Read about his cars and Australia connections here:
http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis_presleys_1955_pink_cadillac.shtml
(This post under construction - come back for links photos later.)

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker, comic performance poetry, songs.
You can also see me and my profile on Facebook, like me on Facebook. Follow me here and on Facebook.
Link to me on LinkedIn.
You can watch me talking about restaurant etiquette on YouTube.
I have profiles and several books on Amazon and
Lulu.com .

Buy books for yourself and your family. Meet me and get books signed at writers' events or Toastmasters International Speakers' meetings.
Harrovians, London, UK
HOD, London, UK
I am often in Singapore.
If I am not at your nearest group, invite me to a meeting to speak. I have a speech about Christmas, Harvest festivals (wine and food); and New Years (Chinese, Christian, Jewish, Muslim,) Around England and Around the world.

Songwriting courses, Writing and Painting Holidays

I looked for songwriting courses in previous years and found they were at the extreme ends of the market. Either you paid thousands of dollars to stay at five star hotels in Hollywood to meet top producers and professionals. Or you could pay peanuts to sleep in a sleeping bag in a location requiring a trek with a backpack to stay with teenagers in tents.

I succeeded in finding songwriting courses at Swanwick Writers' Summer School but these were not a regular feature.

In some of the courses you paired up. In others you got into groups of four or five.

1) My first tip: It's a good idea to sit near somebody you would like to meet or co-operate with.

However, be prepared for your favourite to leap up and cross the room to escape you and seek a more promising partnership.

2) Chat up the person you are sitting next to. Make a friend of them. That will increase your chances of having a willing partner.

3) Make a contact and exchange details. You may want to stay in touch if they move.

4 Be prepared to make a quick getaway if they are only accompanying a partner, walked into the wrong room by mistake, or they cough or sneeze all over you and your immune system is down, or they don't speak English and you don't speak their language and you are writing English language songs.

On the other hand, if they have a physical or professional handicap, and you can supply help, you might be able to team up with grateful and reliable partner.

How do you make a getaway? By moving to a seat nearer the front, leaving the room to go to the toilet or fetch a pen and turning via another door. Greeting another mere acquaintance like a long-lost friend. Being honest: 'Lovely to meet you. I'm looking to pair up with somebody from my town/city/country so we can write French songs/I'm looking for a composer/songwriter/guitarist/singer for duets. Here's my card. Thanks for yours. Hope you find a composer/singer - if I meet one I'll send them to you.'

It's often hard to decide whether to make one great friend by chatting the whole half hour or hour of a meeting or coffee break with one person, or circulate around a room meeting twenty.

If you do move on around a room and later feel bad about it, to be sure your potential friend didn't feel abandoned. Remember their name, and wave enthusiastically, greeting them by name, when you see them nearby. Introduce them to others. Follow-up by emailing them cordially.

Send out a newsletter in which you mention them warmly and mention their skills or endeavours enthusiastically.

After the course, do the homework, perhaps in a group with those on the course. If you don't want to share your best song, do another just to share and practise.

Have a dedicated songbook for handouts, notes, ideas, songs you start composing when the workshop plays demos.

You can prepare a notebook in advance with a series of pages at the start, middle or end, or in a divided lined notebook, the sort sold in large stationers and university bookshops used for schools and university coursework. Make an index at the front and head each page with any starter such as Title, opus 1 /....100, by (your name or pen-name or the famous song-writer); have a column on left or write or end with a ruled off ruler wide section for copyright notice or call to action such as email to course leader (email eg john smith@johnsmithsongs.com) / finish by November for songwriting competition deadline Dec 31.

Pack any previously written songs with which you need help, or to read out in class for comments.

Ask conference leader to point out the songwriting workshop leader. Find them over coffee in advance to ask questions such as: Will we need to bring anything; what books do you recommend; can you give us some advice on finding a composer.

Often a course leader has no idea of the people who will be on the course, and does not know whether to pitch at amateurs or professionals. Therefore they will be glad to have the chance to research answers to questions. You can then sit in the front row smiling or nodding and they will feel they have a friend in the audience.

Magazine Ads
A quick way to find courses in any subject is to buy or read at a library a magazine on your subject (writing, songwriting, painting, motorcycling, whatever). See advertisements and write ups. You will also find adverts for courses alongside your website searches.

Sometimes a course on your subject will be offered for partners on other more focused courses on other subjects. For example, the Fishguard, Wales, Writers' Holiday in the summer usually offers a painting course which is popular with non-writing partners and spouses.

Facebook And Forums
You can also check out on Facebook websites of courses you are attending (or courses you cannot attend) and put out an appeal such as:

'Hello, Swanwickers. I shall be attending this year and would like to meet a songwriter/ children's book illustrator/painter. / I shall not be able to attend this year (because of my broken leg/whatever/but would love to hear from somebody else stuck at home who would like to exchange songs/poetry/discuss plots. / I would like to swap ideas on selling online miniature illustrated songs and poems.'

Here's my latest research into songwriting courses and events.
songwriting.co.uk
imw.co.uk

If you can't or won't travel, or can't or won't pay for a course, look at Coursera.
coursera.org - work on the internet April 21-Jun 7. Join for free. 6-8 hours work a week.
As far as I can see, if you want to get a certificate you have to do three stepped advanced courses and a project for 3 x £32 but you can pay for two years upfront or pay for each course as you take it. They like you to do a basic music course first and songwriting second or third.  I have managed signed up for the free songwriting course.

Useful Books On Songwriting
Instant Songwriting Musical Improv from Dunce to Diva by Nancy Howland Walker
Better Songwriting by Pat Pattison. The course leader's book for Coursera course on songwriting, available new and used and as an ebook from Amazon.

If you visit Nashville, Tennessee, USA, the museums and theme parks sell books on songwriting. If you have a friend going and they are likely to bring back a gift, or you are going and are looking for a gift, you might prefer a book to a tee-shirt.

If you are a general writer going into songwriting, print a business card or flyer with your contact details.

Update 2022

This link popped up on my screen

https://welcome.online.berklee.edu/general-download-berklee-online-songwriting-handbook.html?pid=6963&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bol-gen-google-adwords-songwriting-handbook&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhqaVBhCxARIsAHK1tiPTBmhNnaEJdFndwXVaioDBd_MyyW3VowpMM4oiZM8rLtebBKDs0wwaAhgkEALw_wcB#?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=bol-gen-google-adwords-songwriting-handbook&utm_content=