Grand Ole Opry Celebrates Dolly Parton’s 80th Birthday With Fourth Annual ‘Opry Goes Dolly’ Show
Opry Members Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson Perform During Opry Goes Dolly. Photo: Chris Hollo
The Grand Ole Opry celebrated Opry member Dolly Parton and her 80th birthday with its fourth annual “Opry Goes Dolly” show at the Opry House last weekend.
The special show highlighted songs from Parton’s iconic 1980s era and other classics from her catalog. Among those appearing were Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson, Rhonda Vincent, Mark Wills, Sierra Hull, Elizabeth Nichols and Trannie Anderson, who made her Opry debut. The night concluded with Gill and Wilson joining forces on Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” as well as her iconic “I Will Always Love You.”
In honor of the “Opry Goes Dolly” celebration, the Opry is partnering with Julien’s to give fans the chance to own a piece of country music history and support the Opry Trust Fund. The exclusive online-only auction runs through Feb. 2 and features a one-of-a-kind, Dolly Parton-signed microphone stand with signature rhinestones and butterflies throughout, including an autographed plaque. The mic stand was presented to Parton in 2025 as part of the Opry 100 celebration. The stand is accompanied by a framed photo of her on the night of her Grand Ole Opry induction at the Ryman on Jan. 4, 1969 taken by award-winning Opry staff photographer Les Leverett.
The Opry Trust Fund provides financial assistance in times of intense need, emergency, or catastrophe to individuals who are or have been employed full-time in a facet of the country music industry. Since its inception, the Opry Trust Fund has distributed more than $5.7 million. Five dollars from every ticket sold from the “Opry Goes Dolly” show will be donated to Parton’s Imagination Library, the book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income.
