Emily Ann Roberts brought Dollywood to its feet this week, choking back tears as she closed two emotional tribute shows honoring the late Dolly Parton at the park's Celebrity Theater. The Knoxville native performed on Oct. 14 for the first time at the park since Parton's death in August, and both audiences answered her Dolly medley with a standing ovation.
The moment that broke her came at the end of each show. After singing the final note of Parton's "I Will Always Love You," Roberts had to gather herself — "This is for Dolly," she told herself afterward. Her residency runs through Oct. 18, with 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. shows daily.
An Emotional Homecoming at the Celebrity Theater
Returning to Dollywood felt bittersweet for Roberts. Sitting in what had been Parton's own personal Celebrity Theater dressing room, she told Knox News that the grief was shared by everyone in the room: the crowds, she said, seemed more emotional, more sentimental, and more thankful for the life Parton lived and the music she left behind.
She had not expected the standing ovations that followed the Parton tribute in both Oct. 14 performances. But as the crowd rose to its feet, singing along and cheering, Roberts said she felt as though Dolly herself would have been proud — one East Tennessee girl honoring another on the stage Dolly built.
The Medley That Brought the Crowd to Its Feet
At the center of Roberts' set sits a medley of her favorite Parton songs: "9 to 5," "Here You Come Again," "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" and "Jolene" — a selection spanning Parton's songwriting at its most joyful and most aching.
Fans of Roberts have long noticed the Parton influence in her live shows — the talent, the humor, the sparkling stage presence that turns an hour of songs into a party. Roberts says the comparison means the world to her, because Parton is the artist she looks up to most, and she sees it as a sign she is on the right track.
From The Voice to Her Own Voice: Roberts' Breakthrough Year
The Dollywood residency caps a pivotal 2026 for the Karns High School graduate. Roberts earned her first Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Awards nominations this year, won a rising artist-writer of the year award, and toured with Thomas Rhett. Her five-track EP Thread — on which she co-wrote every song — was released Oct. 16, and Roberts describes it as a more vulnerable, honest chapter in her songwriting.
Her connection to Parton runs deep. Roberts met the legend only once, at 16, when she was a contestant on The Voice and Parton served as a mentor. When the homesick teenager asked Parton what she did when she missed home, Parton told her she sang her family's front-porch songs until she felt the mountain air again. Roberts says that advice has carried her for 11 years, from Nashville to tours across the United States and Europe.
Parton's Legacy Lives On at Dollywood
The sentiment Roberts carries into her performances echoes some of Parton's own last words to Knox News, spoken at Dollywood in March: "Never forget where you came from. And always, kind of, go back home. You can always go back home in your heart and in your mind."
On a stage built by the woman who never forgot her East Tennessee roots, another East Tennessee girl did exactly that — singing Parton's songs back to the people who loved her. Roberts' shows run through Oct. 18 and are included with park admission, first come, first served.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Silly Fun (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: Knox News — Emily Ann Roberts honors Dolly Parton with emotional Dollywood shows (exclusive); RFD-TV — Emily Ann Roberts covers Dolly Parton's "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?"; FitBodyMedia — Emily Ann Roberts is heading back to Dollywood.