Real Live Woman

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Plans for this live recording were first announced in the February 28, 1970 issue of Billboard. The article detailed that April 25 would mark the second annual Dolly Parton Day in Sevierville, where Parton intended to give a benefit show at her alma mater. RCA Victor planned to record the performance specifically for this album. To ensure a lively atmosphere, two busloads of artists were scheduled to travel from Nashville to Sevierville to participate in the event. The recording took place on April 25, 1970, at Sevier County High School. However, not every song performed that day made the final cut; eight specific tracks were excluded from the original release: "Just Because I'm a Woman", "In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)", "Daddy Come and Get Me", "He's a Go-Getter", "Just the Way I Am", "Coat of Many Colors", "Chicken Every Sunday", and a reprise of "Tall Man". The album was originally released on both LP and 8-track formats.

In Their Own Story

On April 25, 1970, the atmosphere at Sevier County High School was electric as Dolly Parton returned to her roots for a benefit concert. Special guest Porter Wagoner joined her on stage, and together they performed noted duets that delighted the hometown crowd. The performance included hits like "Wabash Cannon Ball", "Two Sides to Every Story", and "How Great Thou Art". A July 11, 1970 review in Billboard praised the recording for its "very homey quality," noting how Dolly was captured live doing a show exactly where she grew up. Cashbox echoed this sentiment in their own July 11 issue, highlighting that Parton returned to be feted by local folk while establishing the Dolly Parton Scholarship Foundation. They noted the album featured Wagoner in four duets with the songstress and predicted "big action" for the release. Record World added to the praise, stating simply that "Dolly's a dilly with the hometown Sevierville, Tennessee, crowd." Despite eight songs being cut from the initial vinyl pressing due to space constraints, the core performance successfully documented the scholarship drive and the artist's connection to her community.

Reader's Guide

The original album was released on June 29, 1970. It debuted at number 34 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and climbed to a peak of number 32 the following week, spending four weeks total on that chart. On the US Billboard 200, it debuted and peaked at number 154, remaining there for two weeks. Decades later, the album saw a significant reissue in October 2009 as a bonus disc with pre-orders of Parton's career-spanning box set, Dolly. This expanded version included four previously cut tracks from the April 25, 1970 performance: "Just Because I'm a Woman", "Daddy Come and Get Me", "He's a Go Getter", and Parton's first live performance of "Coat of Many Colors". Fans can access this expanded edition as a digital download, which was made available on March 23, 2010. AllMusic later rated the album 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Did You Know?

• The album was recorded on April 25, 1970, at Parton's high school alma mater to benefit a scholarship fund.
• Eight songs performed that day were cut from the original release, including "Coat of Many Colors" and "Chicken Every Sunday".
• Two busloads of artists traveled from Nashville to Sevierville specifically for this benefit show.
• The expanded version released in 2010 added four bonus tracks recorded during the original performance.
• Porter Wagoner appeared as a special guest, performing four duets with Parton on the album.