Aug 28, 2023

Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music Benefit with Dolly Parton Raised Over $1 Million Dollars

With a population of approximately 7,000 people, the small town of Philadelphia, Mississippi, were all on the lookout for country music superstar Dolly Parton. Dolly traveled to Philadelphia on Saturday morning to help Marty Stuart raise funds for his Congress of Country Music Museum, located in downtown Philadelphia. Marty, a native of Philadelphia, started the project to develop the museum as a way of giving back to his community. An avid collector of country music memorabilia and a talented photographer, Marty has one of the largest personal collections anywhere, ranging from photos to musical instruments and everything in between.

Two benefit concerts held at the historic Ellis Theater raised more than $1 million dollars to help bring Marty's dream to life. The 500-capacity theater was sold out, and Dolly performed two 90-minute sets, including many of her country standards, thrilling fans. Among the many songs performed were "Coat of Many Colors, "Dumb Blonde", "Jolene", "Here You Come Again", "9 to 5", and the timeless hit "I Will Always Love You". Marty joined Dolly onstage where they performed the classic Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton hit song, "Last Thing on My Mind". Between songs, Dolly entertained the audience with many stories about her childhood growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee and her ultimate move to Nashville, Tennessee, to fulfill her dream of becoming a country music star.

Dolly Parton at Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music Benefit ©Chris Barnes

Between the two concerts, Dolly and Marty took the time to unveil a new mural directly across from the Ellis Theater, on an adjacent wall of the Porterhouse restaurant. The mural, inspired by one of Dolly's songs "Wildflowers", was created by David Ethridge and painted by artists Marsha Iverson, Leslie Carruth, Cary Haycox, and Kris Gianacos. The mural depicts a scene of colorful wildflowers and also contains the lyrics to her song.

"Wildflowers" Mural Unveiling ©Curtis Hilbun

Fans who weren't able to access the two concerts inside the Ellis Theater were able to purchase tickets for $35 that allowed them to watch the shows on the "Dollytron" outside of the theater. Ticketgoers braved temperatures that exceeded triple digits to see Dolly and Marty dedicate the mural and watch them perform inside the Ellis Theater.