Sometimes, serendipity strikes like a tiny and beautiful lightning bolt.

Dolly Parton has been magnetic since she could walk. Already a proficient songwriter, she was singing on Tennessee radio shows as a child and even performed at the Grand Ole Opry at just 13. In 1967, she joined The Porter Wagoner Show, becoming a popular country duo with Wagoner himself.

After a few hits on her own, she was ready to spread her wings into a solo career. So, in hopes of giving it a little boost, she joined country legend Willie Nelson’s tour in January of 1977. One of those shows was in Waco, Texas.

In that exact month, in that exact year, I was a precocious six-year-old with pigtails and thick Coke-bottle glasses, also living in Waco, Texas. My dad was the General Manager of an AM country station called K-K-I-K (K-Kick) at the time, and quite frequently, country stars would stop by to promote their new records, sign albums and headshots, and just overall meet the radio crew.

When Dolly came to the tiny station (which incidentally sat above the ballet studio where my mother taught and I danced), I........

© Upworthy