Remembering Dolly Parton on The Acoustic Highway

WHRO | By Barry Graham

Published August 28, 2026 at 6:28 PM EDT

Valerie Macon/Getty Images — Singer Dolly Parton Performs at Agua Caliente Casino on January 24, 2014 in Rancho Mirage, California.

The Acoustic Highway remembers the Queen of Country Music Dolly Parton on this week's program. Her sudden passing leaves behind a legion of fans, many who remember her early days as a part of the Porter Waggoner television show to her emergence as one of the most powerful icons in the world of business, movies, and of course, music. Her contributions to countless causes including literacy programs for children earned global acclaim. She was honored at The Kennedy Center and inducted into the Rock and Roll and Country Music Hall of Fames. She, along with artists like Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells, and Tammy Wynette, help revolutionize country music for female performers. Tune in for this remembrance of Dolly Parton. Sunday at 9 on WHRV.

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Barry Graham

Barry Graham used to arrive at WHRO with a briefcase full of papers and lesson plans. For 32 years he taught US and Virginia Government in the Virginia Beach Public Schools. While teaching was always his first love, radio was a close second. While attending Old Dominion, Barry was program director at WODU, the college radio station. After graduating, he came to WHRO as an overnight announcer. Originally intending to stay on only while completing graduate school, he was soon hooked on Public Radio and today is the senior announcer on WHRV. In 2001, Barry earned his Ph.D in Urban Studies by writing a history of WHRO and analyzing its impact upon local education, policy and cultural arts organizations.

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