By 1976, Dolly Parton was becoming much more than a country music star. She was stepping into the mainstream with her own nationally syndicated variety show, surrounded by some of the biggest names in music and entertainment. But in one especially memorable family-focused episode of Dolly!, Parton did something that felt completely different from the glitzy world she was quickly entering: She invited her parents and siblings onto the stage to sing an old Appalachian folk song. The resulting performance of “In the Pines” is raw, intimate and wonderfully unpolished, offering a rare glimpse of the family harmonies and mountain music that helped shape Dolly Parton long before the world knew her name.
Dolly Parton Sang With Her Family on Dolly!
@ginia1964 Dolly Parton singing with her parents… she was such a beautiful soul. The world is now dimmer without her in it. We will always love you, Dolly Parton for who you were and always will be. 🥹 #dollyparton #dolly #love #gonetoosoon💔💔💔 @Dolly Parton 🫶🏽🥹😢
♬ original sound – ginia64
The Dolly! episode devoted to the Parton family aired during its 1976–77 season. The episode featured Dolly’s parents, Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton, in a rare on-screen appearance, alongside seven of Dolly’s siblings. The family performed several songs together, including “Old Black Kettle,” “In the Sweet By-and-By” and “In the Pines.”
This wasn’t Dolly bringing her family onstage for a sentimental look into her childhood. This performance captures Dolly Parton surrounded by the people who knew her before the rhinestones and high heels, when she was just Dolly, passing time singing with her family on the porch.
The song choice tapped into Parton’s Smoky Mountain roots. Dolly had grown up singing old mountain songs with her family, and she introduced the performance by recalling times when the family would gather together at home and sing.
The performance is unpolished, unfiltered and totally Dolly—charming, authentic and musically stunning. Instead of bringing her family onstage for a massive, Hollywood-style production number, the performance feels like an extension of the music-making she experienced as a child, giving fans a genuine snapshot of the people and the songs that shaped Dolly Parton into the performer the world would come to know and adore.
Dolly’s father jokes with her. Her mother harmonizes with her. Her siblings join in. In this moment, Dolly Parton seems less like a global country icon and more like a daughter sitting among her family.
Related: 1973 Country Classic Written the Same Day as ‘I Will Always Love You’ Named Dolly Parton’s Best Ever by Rolling Stone
The Parton Family Harmonies Were the Real Star
@leslieb1977 Dolly watching her parents on video 🥹 #dollyparton #familystorytime #fypシ
♬ original sound – Les
Instead of making herself the star of the family’s performance, Dolly showcases the real star—the harmonies.
The Partons’ voices blend together with the kind of seamlessness that comes from performing together since childhood. Avie Lee and Robert Lee weren’t polished performers. This performance feels authentic and memorable because it doesn’t appear overproduced or manufactured.
It’s as if Dolly Parton brought her fans home to the Smoky Mountains and her family started singing.
Dolly Parton Never Lost Her Roots
@adamnicholas84 Dolly With Her Mom & Dad! #dollyparton #homeforchristmas #stellaparton #dolly #dollywood #countrymusic #country #queen #icon #happyholidays #holiday #holidaytiktok #queenofcountrymusic #holidayseason #makeup @Dolly Parton #90s #tistheseason #pigeonforge #tennessee #home #retrochristmas #1990s #fyp #momanddad
♬ original sound – adamnicholas84
That authenticity and connection to her roots was part of what made Dolly Parton such a beloved performer and enduring celebrity. Even as she became a crossover sensation, Dolly Parton was proud of her upbringing and never shied away from showcasing her family despite her fame.
Even at a time when Dolly Parton was breaking out of country music and becoming a crossover superstar, she always celebrated her upbringing in rural Tennessee. Her stories of life with 11 siblings, growing up in a one-room house in the mountains of Tennessee, became part of Dolly Parton’s mythology.
No matter how famous she became, she always celebrated where she came from and proudly shared the stage with the people who raised her.
Related: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt Delivered One of the Most Flawless Harmonies Ever Covering a Neil Young Classic
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