How Dolly Parton Reacted To Meeting A Fellow Country Star’s Daughter — Named In Her Honor

How Dolly Parton Reacted To Meeting A Fellow Country Star’s Daughter — Named In Her Honor

Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town has spent years holding onto one particular memory: the day her daughter finally got to meet the woman she was named after.

Since Dolly Parton’s passing on August 25, tributes have poured in from every corner of the music world, along with countless personal stories from people whose lives she touched. Schlapman’s is one of the most touching.

Appearing on TODAY, Schlapman opened up about the moment she introduced her little girl to the country icon — a moment made even more special by the fact that the child carries Parton’s name.

Schlapman and her husband Stephen adopted a baby girl back in 2017. They named her Dolly Grace.

Word got back to Parton, and she wasn’t about to let that slide without a meeting. She had the band brought onto her tour bus so she could finally lay eyes on her tiny namesake.

“That’s the Dolly and my little Dolly,” Schlapman said, holding up a photo from the day. She recalled how Parton lit up around the little girl, always asking after her by name — a habit that never faded over the years.

 

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Eventually, the toddler came up with her own name for her famous counterpart. Bandmate Karen Fairchild remembers it well: the little girl started calling Parton “My Parton,” because in her mind, the name Dolly and the word “my” had simply become one and the same.

Little Big Town Already Has Dollyfest Circled On The Calendar

News broke this week that Parton’s estate is moving forward with Dollyfest in 2027 — a two-day tribute event celebrating her life and career, set to unfold over back-to-back weekends in both Nashville and London.

Details are still thin. No ticket info yet, no lineup announcements. But one thing’s already locked in: Little Big Town isn’t missing it.

“We heard. We’re inviting ourselves,” Fairchild said with a laugh, adding that she’d already reached out to Parton’s team the day before. Dollyfest or not, the band’s making sure they’ve got a seat.