National Geographic Travel debuted an interview in advance of Earth Day with Country icon Dolly Parton where Parton dished about the mountain music in the Smokies (comparing it to country music) and even sang to Alipio “My Tennessee Home,” which was recently unanimously voted by TN legislature to be the latest state song of Tennessee.
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Parton on Smokies Music: “We always had our own mountain music in the Smokies, and we still have that. And I think we’ll always have that. It’s just like country music; there’s a certain type of country music: the old, country music. There’ll always be that someone that’s doing it. But look, now, what country music has done. You know, it’s a new sound, but it’s still country music. And it’s just like all the things around here. There’s different music; but it’s still part of the Smokies. If nothing else, because it’s done here IN the Smokies … There’s still a certain feeling by doing it in the Smokies that you just feel like you’re on sacred ground. So you respect the land, and you respect what you’re doing.”
From a conversation with National Geographic Travel’s Amy Alipio
Video clip HERE.
Parton on Tennessee’s New State Song: “I have a song that’s going to become one of the songs of Tennessee, the song of Tennessee. It’s called ‘My Tennessee Mountain Home.’ And it talks about that..” **Parton begins singing: “In my Tennessee mountain home, life is as peaceful as a baby’s sigh. In my Tennessee mountain home, the crickets sing in the fields nearby.” **Parton singing ends** “And it just talks about the kids being out in the yard catching junebugs, you know, on a string, and all the things that you do here in the Smokies. And just like my other songs, ‘these are my mountains, my people, my valleys, my streams.’… These are my mountains, this is my home…”
From a conversation with National Geographic Travel’s Amy Alipio
Video clip HERE.
