By Lisa Hobbs:
A 400-page hardback book chronicling the life of Dottie West has been written by Monty Wanamaker, a local artist and author. “Born A Country Girl: The Life & Legacy of Dottie West” features rarely seen pictures and hundreds of interviews with those closest to the singer.“She is such a fascinating person,” said Wanamaker. “From what she came from to what she accomplished, she achieved super stardom. I wanted to tell the whole story, because she was a remarkable woman.” His book took almost five years to write, as it details information gathered by Wanamaker in West’s divorce records and the hundreds of interviews she gave during her life, as well as approximately 150 interviews Wanamaker had with business associates and personal acquaintances of West such as Dolly Parton, Larry Gatlin, Kenny Rogers and Charlie Dick, the husband of Patsy Cline.“I let her tell her own story as much as possible,” said Wanamaker. “The book takes you from her birth in 1932 to her death in 1991. Dorothy Marie Marsh was born Oct. 11, 1932, in Frog Pond near McMinnville. The oldest of 10 children, she grew up playing guitar and fronted a band with her fellow high school students. She married Bill West in 1952. For more about her life you can pick up a copy of Wanamaker’s book at Southern Museum & Galleries, located at 210 E. Main Street. For more information, call 931-507-8102 or email southernmuseum@frontier.com

Tennessee Main Street Program Holds Winter Meeting in Nashville

The Tennessee Main Street Program recently held its winter meeting at the Nashville Public Library. Program directors from Cleveland, Collierville, Cookeville, Dandridge, Dayton, Dyersburg, Fayetteville, Franklin, Gallatin, Greeneville, Jackson, Kingsport, McMinnville, Morristown, Murfreesboro, Ripley, Rogersville, Tiptonville and Union City gathered for two days exchanging information, ideas and program updates.

For more information, contact Kimberly Nyberg at Tennessee Main Street Program www.tennesseemainstreet.org.

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