Historic RCA Studio B
Music Row, Nashville
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Parton records Coat of Many Colors at RCA Studio B
1971
Dolly Parton made her recording of Coat of Many Colors at RCA Studio B in Nashville in 1971. [2]
1971 · song
Coat of Many Colors: a memory becomes a record
A childhood memory takes written form on a touring bus and becomes a 1971 recording at Nashville’s RCA Studio B.
The geography of Coat of Many Colors begins with a distinction between a remembered childhood and the making of a record. Dolly Parton’s own account follows the words onto a touring bus; the recording studio’s operator places the finished song at RCA Studio B in Nashville. The bus has no established stop in this account. Studio B is the documented physical anchor for the recording.
Explore the places
Markers identify buildings or documented location references. They do not mark an exact recording room, stage position or camera angle.
The words arrive on the road
In her February 2016 Library of Congress interview, Parton recalled the words coming together while she was on a bus. Without paper to hand, she took a dry-cleaning tag from one of Porter Wagoner’s outfits and wrote on it. She said she still had the receipt at her Dollywood museum. Her recollection identifies a writing surface and a travelling setting, without supplying a town or a precise route. [1]
Making a record on Music Row
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which operates Historic RCA Studio B, identifies the studio as the place where Parton made Coat of Many Colors in 1971. The connection runs from a private recollection carried on the road to a fixed place where it became a record. Parton’s song and the album bearing the same title are distinct works; this studio connection follows the song itself. [2]
A studio with a wider history
Built in 1957, Studio B became associated with the Nashville Sound and its use of background vocals and strings. Its operator situates Parton among the country and pop performers who recorded there during RCA’s years of operation, principally 1957–1977. Parton’s recording belongs to that long succession of sessions, rather than to a studio created for this one story. Today the same building serves as a classroom and a cultural attraction. [2]
What writing changed
Parton told the Library of Congress that writing the song released her from the hurt of the original experience. She described turning it into a message of understanding and acceptance. She also recalled teachers using it to address bullying. Her account connects the process of making the song with what listeners later found in it. The record carries a personal experience into classrooms and other lives. [1]
The story in real places
Reading the place today
Studio B operates as a historic studio attraction. Check its operator’s current arrangements for guided visits; the recording connection does not promise access to original equipment or a recreation of the session.
Sources
- Dolly Parton interview, 19 February 2016 — Library of Congress. Checked 2026-10-17.
- Historic RCA Studio B: songs and artists — Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Checked 2026-10-17.