The Church Was Her Stage
As her family was religiously devout and lived in a predominantly Pentecostal area, while her grandfather pastored the church they attended, the Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee.
Music played a vital role in her early life and by the age of six Dolly was already performing in front of the congregation.
At seven she began playing with a homemade guitar. At age eight she was gifted her very first real guitar by her uncle. The talented Parton soon began performing as a child, leading to appearances on local radio and television programs in the East Tennessee area.
Aged ten she appeared on The Cas Walker Show in Knoxville, Tennessee.