'Puppy Love': Dolly Parton's first recorded song, made at age 13, draws mourners to UNC-Chapel Hill
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Flags across the state are flying at half-staff as fans mourn country music icon Dolly Parton.
At UNC Chapel Hill, her very first recorded song, cut when she was just 13, is now on display as part of a public exhibit.
Wilson Library Curator Steven Weis showed the record that launched Parton's career, a track titled Puppy Love. The university owns the original recording.
Dolly even wrote a letter of support on our behalf for that grant.Steven Weis
Parton recorded the track in 1957, and it was released two years later. The university acquired the record from Gold Band Records.
According to the curator, the school paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for it in 1995. He said Parton advocated for UNC to receive the piece.
"Dolly even wrote a letter of support on our behalf for that grant," Weiss said.
The record was already on display when Parton died.
"It's really sad to see, you know, sad that she's gone," Weiss said. "These materials will be around for the ages."
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Country singer and fan Julia Gordon said Parton shaped her life and career.
"When you think Dolly, she seems so immortal, like you don't think that Dolly can leave this earth because this earth just isn't the same without her. And so it's still a shock," Gordon said. "I don't think that there's anyone that will be able to fill those shoes. Dolly is up there with the greats, both as musicians, artists and as a human being. And I think that we can all strive to be a little bit more like Dolly."
Parton's influence extended far beyond music
North Carolina was the first state outside Tennessee to expand the Imagination Library statewide. She donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support development of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, and another $1 million after Hurricane Helene devastated Appalachian communities.
Last spring, the North Carolina Symphony hosted two sold-out tribute concerts at the Martin Marietta Center. Parton personally selected the three singers who performed her work.
"While it was a concert, it felt more like a celebration," symphony spokesperson Maggie Pate said. "She's a national treasure. I mean she taught people how to be gracious and, and to be themselves."
Anyone can view Parton's first record at UNC Chapel Hill. The exhibit is free and open to the public through October 2.
Weiss said the recording remains a powerful reminder of her legacy.
"It's just such a wonderful piece of history. I mean, Dolly is so important to not only country music, but American music and American culture."
Gordon, who performed "9 to 5" in Apex earlier this year, said Parton's example will continue to guide her.
"She always prioritized other people over herself and approached every situation with humility and humor," Gordon said. "And it's something that I hope that myself and everyone else in the world takes with us as we remember her."
