Twin sisters Annie and Amy Smith, who grew up in Cheyenne dreaming of being country music singer-songwriters, say they can’t imagine having a better career role model than Dolly Parton.
Parton, 80, died Tuesday at a Nashville, Tennessee, medical center.
It sparked a lot of memories for the Smiths, whose lives crossed paths with the legendary entertainer several times.
They first met her when they were 14, when their mother took them to see Parton perform at Cheyenne Frontier Days in the late 1970s.
They saw how moved their mother was when the band left the stage and Parton was alone sitting in a chair playing one of her favorite songs, “Coat of Many Colors.”
For most of the audience, that was the end of the show and they filed out of the arena. But for the Smith twins, the night was just getting started.
“Our uncle, Ned Murray, was on the Frontier Days Committee, and he always invited the performers to his ranch in north Cheyenne after the show,” Annie recalled. “We knew Dolly was going to be there.”
And she was, and it was an unforgettable evening for the family and friends who were invited to Murray’s party in the barn, named “Peppermint City” because it was painted with pink and white stripes.
The sisters said all of the children would introduce themselves and “just hang out with Dolly” as if she was a member of the family.
'BIg Part Of Our Lives'
At the time, Annie said, she and Amy were just starting to sing and write songs together. They hoped they could do it their entire lives, but she also said they weren’t taking it too seriously back then.
They performed at the Kiwanis’ “Stars of Tomorrow” talent show in Cheyenne.
Two years later they appeared before a national TV audience on “The Gong Show,” where dreadful performers literally got the hook and were led off the stage. That didn’t happen to Annie and Amy, of course — they won the weekly competition.
The sisters signed with Warner Brothers Records after they graduated from Stanford University.
“Dolly was a big part of our lives, as a person and as an icon,” Annie said. “She brought so much joy and spirit to young children. She’s reached all ages for so many years, and I’m devastated that she’s gone."
Amy said she feels the same. While she wishes they could have performed with Parton, the moments they did spend together were meaningful.
Amy speaks fondly of a conversation they had when they flew cross-country one time.
“I remember telling her how very nervous people were because she was on the plane,” she said.
Parton’s response, she said, was precious.
“I don’t know why people would be so nervous about little ol’ me,” Amy said, imitating the singer’s southern drawl and laughing. “She was very kind and gracious.”
'How're y'all doing?'
Amy still lives in Cheyenne with her husband, Scott Meier. Annie and her husband, Edward Jackson, moved to Nashville.
“I remember seeing Dolly walking at the Nashville airport all the time,” Annie said. “She’d be trotting down in high heels, greeting everybody with a friendly, ‘How’re y'all doing?’”
Annie said she and her husband are friends with Bob Doyle, Garth Brooks’ manager.
“A year ago Bob had tickets for the opening night of the play, ‘The Story of Dolly,’ at this small, intimate theater in Nashville. We didn’t know it was going to happen, but at the end of the show Dolly came out on stage.”
Annie said Parton went to the lobby and greeted every person. She never stopped entertaining people.
To Annie, Parton’s warm personality and her compositions embody “a different era of strength, beauty and love —
a wonderful spirit that I don’t know if anyone else can emulate.”
Annie noted she thinks Parton’s loss of her husband, Carl Dean, last year as well as the death of longtime singing partner Kenny Rogers “must have really taken a toll on her.”
Taught By Example
The Smith sisters are still performing together at selected shows, writing songs — they have at least 700 — and producing other artists.
Their most recent musical appearance was at the nation’s 250th birthday celebration in Cheyenne. While the fireworks were set off near the Capitol, the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra played live.
“People were just really glad to be there, to celebrate America,” Amy said. “It was a wonderful feeling to have, and we were happy to be invited.”
Amy said from a business sense, Parton showed them and several generations of performers how not to get ripped off by people who wanted to profit from their publishing royalties.
“I learned from her as a little girl that you do not give your song rights away,” Amy said. “She wanted Elvis (Presley) to do a duet on her ‘I Will Always Love You,’ but said, ‘I just can’t give you half of my publishing.’ She owned all her songs.”
She remembered that when she and Annie were working in Hollywood and Los Angeles and a record label would offer them something, “We said no, no, we’re not going to take a piddly, weekly little stipend for writing.' If you wait long enough, other things happen.”
Annie said Parton also taught them by example that entertainers have to just be themselves in front of an audience.
“Dolly just talked so real. That made an impression on us,” she said. “Amy and I would just start talking onstage and people were laughing at us because we were just razzing each other as sisters, and I think they liked that.”
Kerry Drake can be reached at: Kerry.Drake33@gmail.com
