Pilgrimage to Dollywood: A Country Music Road Trip through Tennessee

Dolly Parton is a country music legend, a cultural phenomenon, and the only female star to have her own themed amusement park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Helen Morales' book, "Pilgrimage to Dollywood," explores Parton's Tennessee and compares it to the real Tennessee where she grew up, looking at the essential connections between country music, the land, and a way of life. The book is a personal pilgrimage for Morales, who seeks to understand America and American values through the celebrity sites and attractions of Tennessee.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 172 pages
Publication date: 26 April 2021
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Dolly Parton, a true star par excellence, is one of the most endearing personalities in country music. Her songs, such as "Jolene" and "9 to 5," have a universal appeal that can bring a smile to even the hardest-rocking punk or orchestral aesthete. Beyond her musical talents, Parton is a cultural phenomenon, instantly recognizable and beloved for her talent, tinkling laugh, and steel magnolia spirit. She is also the only female star to have her own themed amusement park: Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Every year, thousands of fans flock to Dollywood to celebrate the icon, and Helen Morales is one of them.

In her book, "Pilgrimage to Dollywood," Morales sets out to discover Parton's Tennessee. Her journey begins at the top celebrity pilgrimage site of Elvis Presley's Graceland, then takes her to Loretta Lynn's ranch in Hurricane Mills; the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville; to Sevierville, Gatlinburg, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and finally to Pigeon Forge, home of the "Dolly Homecoming Parade," featuring the star herself as grand marshall. Morales's adventure allows her to compare the imaginary Tennessee of Parton's lyrics with the real Tennessee where the singer grew up, looking at essential connections between country music, the land, and a way of life. It is also a personal pilgrimage for Morales. Accompanied by her partner, Tony, and their nine-year-old daughter, Athena (who respectively prefer Mozart and Miley Cyrus), Morales, a recent transplant from England, seeks to understand America and American values through the celebrity sites and attractions of Tennessee.

This celebration of Dolly and Americana is for anyone with an old country soul who relies on music to help understand the world. It is guaranteed to make a Dolly Parton fan out of anyone.

Weight: 234g
Dimension: 139 x 217 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226796680