Both Dolly Parton and Peyton Manning qualify as modern folk heroes in East Tennessee. Parton's famously from the Smoky Mountains and gave back to the area with her Dollywood theme park and other business ventures. Manning led the University of Tennessee in Knoxville as its starting quarterback to the 1997 SEC (Southeastern Conference) championship before moving on to an equally Paul Bunyan-eqsue run in the NFL.
Thus, Manning made sense as the ideal escort for Parton last Saturday (Nov. 18) when she sang "Rocky Top" for the Tennessee Vols' annual rivalry game against the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
The Neyland Stadium crowd in Knoxville ate it up as Parton led them in song after the completion of the first quarter.
"It was great, only I couldn't hear because my sound went out and the stadium's so loud!," she told CBS' Jenny Dell during the broadcast. " I couldn't even hear it to sing 'Rocky Top.' But I was so honored to be here, and I love Peyton and I love the crowd, so it's just good to be home always."
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To the delight of "Tennessee Orange" singer Megan Moroney, the Dawgs bested the Vols by the final score of 38-10.
Parton and Manning's rooting interest were aligned after they competed in 2023 as the co-hosts of rival country music awards shows. Back in May, Parton co-hosted the ACM Awards alongside Garth Brooks. More recently, Manning joined Luke Bryan for the second year in a row as the CMA Awards' masters of ceremonies.
The beloved fight song of University of Tennessee athletics, "Rocky Top" was written in 1967 by Country Music Hall of Famers Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and popularized by Grand Ole Opry stars and bluegrass innovators the Osborne Brothers. Bobby Osborne of the Osborne Brothers died on June 27 at age 91.
