Knoxville in Knox County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Dolly Parton
Cradle of Country Music Tour
Photographed by Tom Bosse, April 15, 2023
1. Dolly Parton Marker
Globally influential singer-songwriter Dolly Parton began her broadcasting career in 1956 nearby at 319 North Gay Street, which was then the site of WIVK's AM studio. She was a 10-year-old girl from nearby Sevier County whose uncle Bill Owens would drive her to Knoxville to perform.
"I started out singing on the radio", Dolly Parton wrote in her autobiography. "The show was broadcast live in the middle of the day from a little auditorium there at the radio station, WIVK in Knoxville. There was room for an audience of about 60 or so, and people would crowd in off the street." After she sang, she recalled, "the crowd exploded with approval. They cheered and clapped and stomped their feet...At that moment, I fell in love with the public."
WIVK-AM was then an independent, low-wattage radio station but featured popular grocer / promoter Cas Walker who nurtured Parton's career with his live show. WIVK studio remained here until a move to Bearden in 1959.
Erected by Visit Knoxville Tennessee. (Marker Number 13.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Communications
this page online
Location. 35° 58.203′ N, 83° 55.336′ W. Marker is in Knoxville, Tennessee, in Knox County. It is at the intersection of North Gay Street and West Depot Avenue, on the left when traveling north on North Gay Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11a N Gay St, Knoxville TN 37917, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Charlie Oaks (within shouting distance of this marker); The Southern Railway Station (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hubris Building (about
Photographed by Tom Bosse, April 15, 2023
2. Dolly Parton Marker
RCA Records [Public Domain] - courtesy Wikimedia Commons, March 22, 1977
3. Parton in 1977
Publicity shot of American singer Dolly Parton, 1977
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Credits. This page was last revised on August 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 20, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 532 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 20, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. 3. submitted on August 26, 2026. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
