Thank You, Dolly.

I’m not a Tennessean.

I didn’t grow up loving country music, either. My taste in music evolved over the years, and country became something I learned to appreciate more as I got older.

But growing up just outside of Helotes, Texas, there was one country artist I always knew: Willie Nelson.

Willie and John T. Floore’s Country Store are practically inseparable from Helotes, Texas. In that dancehall, I remember seeing an old photograph of Willie standing next to this woman with huge blonde hair and, well, huge…. you know the rest.

I said, “Who the hell is that??”

It was Dolly Parton!

Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton picture on the walls at John T. Floore’s Country Store.

Little did I know that years later I'd be living in her home state — and finally understand just how much Dolly Parton meant to Tennessee.

Learning to Love Dolly

My appreciation for Dolly didn't happen all at once. It grew with me.

First came “Jolene.” Then I learned about the songwriter behind it. Then came the interviews, the stories, the humor and then Dolly’s personality.

Eventually you realize the hair, rhinestones and larger-than-life image were only the surface. Underneath it was one of the greatest songwriters ever.

And despite becoming one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world, Dolly never seemed to lose the Tennessee girl underneath it all.

Dolly Parton’s Heart Breaker Record.

The Queen of Tennessee

You really don't understand what Dolly Parton means to this state until you live here!

And forget just Nashville.

“Dolly Parton is Tennessee.”

East Tennessee. Nashville. Dollywood. The Smoky Mountains. Country music. Songwriting!

She spent her life giving back to this state. That's why I'm happy Nashville International Airport will carry her name.

Dolly Parton Really Was That Nice

Since creating Heart of the Gulch, I've interviewed and covered a lot of people in country music.

Dolly's name comes up constantly!

Artists talk about meeting her. Songwriters talk about being inspired by her. People tell stories about crossing paths with her.

And somehow, everybody says basically the same thing:

“Dolly Parton really was that nice.”

Dolly Parton Nashville Mural Memorial

Watch enough Dolly interviews and you understand it. She was quick, hilarious, thoughtful and usually willing to make herself the punchline.

Maybe that's why millions of people who never met Dolly still felt like they knew her.

Our Generation's Elvis

I think it's fair to say Dolly Parton's passing feels like our generation's modern-day Elvis death.

Both were born and raised in Tennessee and became superstars. You didn't have to love country music to know Dolly Parton, just like you didn't have to own an Elvis record to know Elvis.

Tennessee has lost another one of its giants.

Thank You, Dolly

“It took a couple of days for Dolly's passing to really hit me.”

Maybe because Dolly Parton seemed like one of those people who would just always be here.

Then I started seeing the murals differently. The tributes around Nashville. Artists singing her songs. Old interviews resurfacing. Thousands of people sharing their Dolly stories.

Dolly Parton Knoxville Tennessee Mural Memorial

Long before her passing, Nashville had already decided Dolly belonged on its walls.

Now those murals mean something different.

I wasn't raised on Dolly Parton records. I discovered her later — the songs, the songwriter, the personality, and eventually what she meant to the state I've come to call home.

I'm proud of how Tennessee is remembering one of its greatest treasures.

“The murals will stay. The songs aren't going anywhere. Neither are the stories.”

Thank you for the music. Thank you for the laughs. Thank you for everything you gave Tennessee.

Thank you, Dolly.

We'll always love you.

Dolly Parton Mural at Skinny Dennis Nashville.