Dolly Parton, the legendary country singer who died on Tuesday 25 August aged 80 after a “brief battle with cancer”, maintained a long-standing love affair with London, a connection that began more than 50 years ago with her first-ever trip abroad.
In 1975, one year after the release of “I Will Always Love You”, Parton performed in the UK for the first time at the Festival of Country Music at Wembley Arena. The singer revealed in a 2023 interview that it was a special experience as it was her first trip overseas.
A first taste of the capital
“I went to Wembley in London in the 1970s,” she told High Life. “They had a wonderful country music festival over there.”
Parton explained that she “loved England”, saying: “I couldn’t believe that there was a world like that. Imagine, we used to read about the kings and queens in books. I loved all that royalty stuff. I was always impressed by the robes and jewellery – the stories were like fairy tales to me.”
“But then, when I actually saw castles and churches and all the stuff I had in my mind, it was amazing. We don’t have stuff like that in the United States.” She continued: “I took the tour of Buckingham Palace and all those places where they tell you the stories of dungeons and things like that. To see it for real, all the history and buildings that are hundreds of years old, was fascinating to me. It was all so beautiful.”
1983 Dominion Theatre show
In March 1983, Parton performed a legendary show at the Dominion Theatre, broadcast as a televised special on HBO. Dolly In Concert saw her perform hits including “Baby I’m Burning”, “Jolene”, and “9-5”.
Welcoming the bustling crowd, Parton said: “The most exciting and beautiful city in the world and the sweetest people I’ve ever known.” The special also showed Parton taking in London sights, including a ride on a red double-decker bus, meeting the Horse Guards, and planting a kiss on a police officer’s cheek.
In a press conference broadcast as part of the special, Parton explained why country music appealed to Brits: “I think it’s probably the same reason as the US. It tells a real story about ordinary people, and I’d like to think in my case, told in an extraordinary way.” Just two months before her death, Parton shared footage of the show on social media, writing: “Dolly in Concert wasn’t only a success, it was as fun for me as it looked!”
Philanthropy and later London visits
Parton’s Imagination Library programme, which gifts books to pre-school children around the world, launched in the UK in 2007. Parton came to London to meet children at the Savoy Hotel at the time. The programme has operated in Southwark since 2016 and was extended to cover Wandsworth last year, with thousands of children under five receiving books monthly.
Parton last played a London tour date in 2014, performing two nights at the O2 Arena on her Blue Smoke world tour, days after her Legends slot at Glastonbury. Festival organiser Emily Eavis described Parton as an “absolute delight”: “I will never forget her coming here in 2014 and bringing her incredible songs, overflowing joy and wonderful spirit to Worthy Farm.”
Parton returned to the UK in 2019 for the opening night of 9 to 5: The Musical, a stage production of her 1980 comedy film. The production ran at the Savoy Theatre, and Parton said the show was finding a “new life and a new reason and a new purpose” in London. The musical is currently touring the UK, with audiences at a show in Worthing on Tuesday audibly gasping as they learned of her death moments before it began.
