Dolly Parton, '80s Rockers Raise Money at Wildhorse Saloon
Last night (Feb. 2), I had the opportunity to see Dolly Parton and Ronnie Dunn, as well as members of Slaughter, Chicago and Night Ranger, plus many, many others performing under one roof at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. These acts were brought together for a benefit concert, called Gift of Music, by the Dustin J. Wells Foundation in hopes of raising money for the W.O. Smith Nashville Community School to fund musical instruments for the less privileged.
Excited for the opportunity to see Dolly Parton perform, I arrived nearly three hours early in order to secure a good seat. I found a small table towards the front and made myself at home, chatting with those around me about what we were most excited to see. "Do you think she will sing ‘Jolene,'?" a lady asked me. "I sure hope so," I told her. But I don't think any of us realized just how many acts we'd be witnessing in one night. Though we knew there were more than a few, we had no idea there would be well over a dozen. We saw country, rock, ‘80s, bluegrass. ... You name it, we probably saw it.
Throughout the course of the evening, I'd have to say I most enjoyed Ronnie Dunn's "Red Dirt Road," and of course hearing Dolly on "I Will Always Love You." Although I was not as familiar with some of the other music, what a nice thought that so many artists and supporters came together to embrace the Gift of Music.
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Kate says:
This is a great event and I’m glad you brought it to our attention, Whitney! Great blog!
Connie says:
Wow I bet that was a great evening.. thanks for the report
Deb says:
Good blog… I’m just wondering why you devoted space to writing about 80s hair bands instead of mentioning Kellie Pickler and all of the country acts that performed? Isn’t CMT a country music site? Why not keep the rock acts on VH1 and MTV sites… If I go to those sites will I see blogs about this concert mentioning Dolly, Kellie, Ronnie and the other country artists that performed and leaving the rockers out? If Taylor performed she would be mentioned… she always is so why wasn’t Kellie mentioned… aren’t you familiar with her music?
RedMaZ says:
The CMT website is not just a Pop Country music site. Far from it.
sunkie says:
What a great time it sounds like last night. To hear all of those artist would have been an opportunity of a lifetime. Thanks for sharing your night with us.
Jonathan says:
I heard that Dolly looked and sounded amazing! Hate I missed it!
Dolly at the Wildhorse says:
I couldn’t make it to the concert so I watched videos of Dolly’s performances on Youtube. There are many videos including 2 of her “9 to 5″ duet with Kellie Pickler! To find them search Youtube for:
Dolly at the Wildhorse
Dolly Parton - 9 to 5 wildhorse
Nine to Five Live -Dolly Parton & Kelli Pickler
At one point Dolly asked Kellie, “Do you want to sing the verse?” (solo). Kellie nailed it and Dolly sounded impressed! For the past 2 years Kellie has always performed 9 to 5 at all of her concerts and she always nails it. Dolly is Kellie’s ‘American Idol’ and this was the first time they performed together! Dolly and Kellie have the most beautiful soprano voices and they are 2 of the best singers in country music! They sound perfect together so I hope they record some duets!
jack says:
I was surely entertained at the Wild Horse Monday night,Most came from watching other people. The venue wasn’t the right place for such a benefit. AS far as I am concerne Dolly, Kelli, and Ronnie were the only ones that you could understand, they were great. I have been a Dolly fan since 1969 and she always gives her fans her best.
Dolly at the Wildhorse says:
I saw a few more clips on Youtube, search for “BNATraveler”
Kim Keelor says:
I love the way you write about your experiences. Very heartfelt and like a true music lover but not a snob. Very nice.
ReiningGraceFarms says:
This was an awesome evening! So many bands - with so much diversity and songs that brought back memories! But the very best part was hearing Dolly stories from people who worked with her - how she made homemade chicken and dumplings for her crew, and knew everyone’s names - she’s an icon, a legend, and an incredible role model! DOLLY ROCKS!!!!! and so did Survivor, Chicago, Nightranger (oh, yeah). We will be back next year to support this worthy cause!!!