When Dolly Parton Met Johnny Cash at 13, She Took a Gutsy Swing for Her Career
Dolly Parton started pursuing stardom when she was about 10 years old. Her Uncle Bill would take her all over to perform at and audition for various venues. Even as a young girl, the “Two Doors Down” singer had a passionate drive to ensure her dreams came true. That’s why when she met Johnny Cash at the age of 13, she couldn’t help but take her shot.
Dolly Parton met Johnny Cash after a show
One night, Parton and her Uncle Bill went and watched Cash perform at the Ryman in Nashville. After the show, the two waited for him in the parking lot, hoping to introduce themselves to the star.
“It was late and I was getting sleepy,” Parton wrote in her 1994 memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “I kept saying to Bill, ‘Come on, we can meet him some other time.’ Then a man stepped out the stage door and walked over to us . . . and there was no other time. There was only this moment. There was only me and Johnny Cash.”
Parton was immediately overtaken by Cash’s magnetism. It was easy for her to see why he was a star.
“I had never seen a man with such a presence–tall, lanky, and sexy, with that trademark voice that cut through me like butter,” she wrote. “Now I knew what star quality was. He had it. It was a combination of personal charisma and intense sex appeal. The way he walked, the way he looked at you, everything about him was special. I was blown away. I was just a thirteen-year-old girl from the Smokies, but I would have gladly given it up for Mr. Cash right there in the parking lot.”
Parton asked Cash for a chance to perform at the Grand Ole Opry
When Parton’s uncle introduced her to Cash, she didn’t know if she’d be able to speak. Then she blurted out: “Oh, Mr. Cash, I’ve just got to sing on the Grand Ole Opry.”
While Parton was sure her plea was something Cash was used to hearing, she was surprised to see him consider her.
“He looked at me as if he was thinking, ‘You know, this kid is really serious.’”
How Parton got a slot at the Grand Ole Opry
Parton did end up getting the chance to perform at the Grand Ole Opry that year, but it wasn’t Cash who got her the slot.
“You had to have a slot on the program to sing on the Opry, and there was no way I was going to get one,” she wrote. “But finally, Jimmy C. Newman, who had a spot one Saturday night, agreed to let me go on in his place. I will always be grateful to him for that chance.”
When the night came, it was Cash who introduced Parton on stage. She sang her heart out to the audience of two thousand and everyone listening along to the radio at home. She was one step closer to becoming a star.
