--- title: Dolly Parton: A Dispatch From Her 1977 Tour description: The country superstar was born on Jan. 19, 1946 canonical: https://time.com/4178217/dolly-parton-1977/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-19T12:00:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-25T23:23:27.438Z article:section: History og:title: Dolly Parton: A Dispatch From Her 1977 Tour og:description: The country superstar was born on Jan. 19, 1946 og:url: https://time.com/4178217/dolly-parton-1977/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34c4837f1f951081/698878dfa988ca05616b6175/dolly.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Dolly Parton In Detroit og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dolly Parton: A Dispatch From Her 1977 Tour twitter:description: The country superstar was born on Jan. 19, 1946 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34c4837f1f951081/698878dfa988ca05616b6175/dolly.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read a Dispatch From Dolly Parton's 1977 Tour > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription.  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jan 19, 2016 12:00 PM UTC  Dolly Parton poses for a portrait by her tour bus before performing in September 1977 in Detroit Dolly Parton poses for a portrait by her tour bus before performing in September 1977 in Detroit Donaldson Collection—Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jan 19, 2016 12:00 PM UTC In 1977, TIME sent correspondent Jean Vallely out on the road with Dolly Parton, as the country star—who turns 70 on Tuesday—made her way around the nation. Parton had swapped out her Travelin’ Family Band for the more rock-friendly Gypsy Fever Band, and was aiming for crossover stardom. She traveled in a bus with two bathrooms and 11 berths, plus a closet for 20 costumes and four wigs. But, as the dispatch made clear, she hadn’t left her country roots behind. As Parton said back then, “I don’t want to leave the country. I want to take the country with me.” Here’s what Vallely had to say about one concert in Battle Creek, Mich.: --- “A Dolly Parton concert is a treat, like a hot-fudge sundae after a month of dieting. As the lights come up, the band tears into Jackie Wilson’s old rhythm-and-blues specialty _Higher and Higher_. Dolly is backstage strutting about, slapping her thighs, her hands, an amplifier, anything. Suddenly, on cue, she leaps onstage and takes _Higher and Higher_ even higher. “Those who have never seen Dolly gasp. That mountain of a teased blond wig and the hot-pink, jeweled jumpsuit are spectacular. Only five feet tall, she totters atop five-inch gold heels. Swinging into _All I Can Do_, she catches the eyes of the people in the front rows and plays to them, talking, teasing. “Next comes _Jolene_, which has a haunting _Ghost Riders in the Sky_ flavor. People recognize this song, a big hit for Dolly in 1973\. “This is about a woman who tried to steal my man,” Dolly cries out. “She pulled my wig off and almost beat me to death with it. I fought that woman like a wildcat. I had another wig, but I didn’t want another man.” People love it. The flash of Instamatic cameras is almost as blinding as Dolly’s finery. It is not a Nikon crowd. “To change the beat, Dolly heads for a tall stool. Hoisting a leg, she pauses. “You know, these britches weren’t always this tight—only since I got into them.” That draws whoops but she cries out, “Let’s hear it for the britches that held up!” The folks let her hear it. --- Reflecting on her career, Parton remarked that, “When I sit back in my rocker, I want to have done it all.” Nearly four decades later, she’s still at it–and that rocking chair remains empty. **_Read the full story, here in the TIME Vault:_** [On the Rock Road With Dolly Parton](http://time.com/vault/issue/1977-04-18/page/74/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4178217/dolly-parton-1977/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4178217/dolly-parton-1977/"},"headline":"Read a Dispatch From Dolly Parton's 1977 Tour","datePublished":"2016-01-19T12:00:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-25T23:23:27.438Z","description":"The country superstar celebrates her 70th birthday on Tuesday","url":"https://time.com/4178217/dolly-parton-1977/","keywords":["Music","People"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34c4837f1f951081/698878dfa988ca05616b6175/dolly.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34c4837f1f951081/698878dfa988ca05616b6175/dolly.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Dolly Parton In Detroit","caption":"Dolly Parton In Detroit","creditText":"Donaldson Collection—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4178217/dolly-parton-1977/","name":"Read a Dispatch From Dolly Parton's 1977 Tour"}}]}] ```