The stars were out during Tennessee’s game against No. 1 Georgia on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.
Former Tennessee football players Alvin Kamara and Alontae Taylor were in attendance on Saturday, but even the two beloved stars didn’t garner quite the amount of attention that another pair of East Tennessee legends did during the game.
At the end of the first quarter on a sunny Knoxville day, Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning walked Hall of Fame musician Dolly Parton onto the field and in front of a roaring Neyland Stadium crowd. The two interacted with Smokey before Manning left Parton alone on the stage to talk to the fans.
Parton spoke to the crowd for a moment and sang a few lines of a pair of iconic songs before firing up the band for Rocky Top.
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One of the greatest Rocky Top renditions of all time.@DollyParton pic.twitter.com/JA9uhZ1v4H
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 18, 2023
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Peyton Manning and Dolly Parton walk out onto the field together at the end of the first quarter
Parton sings Rocky Top with the Tennessee band. pic.twitter.com/Wb68OSAwjl
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 18, 2023
Parton’s appearance in Knoxville comes just one day after the release of her new rock album titled Rockstar. The 30-song album features several cover songs from different eras with a long list of famous musicians and bands that feature on the album, with nine original songs as well. Parton released a Tennessee-themed special edition of the album that included a bonus track of a live cover of Rocky Top.
In May 2009, Parton received an honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee as only the second honorary Doctorate degree from the school in Humane and Musical letters.
No. 18 Tennessee fell to No. 1 Georgia by a score of 38-10 on Saturday night in Knoxville.
For more on Rocky Top Insider’s coverage of the game, click here.
