Doing it for Dottie

On a dreary Saturday night, the stars shined bright inside the Park Theater as Larry Gatlin, Tess Frizzell and Bobby Tomberlin paid tribute to Warren County native and Country Music Hall of Fame member Dottie West.

During the Park Theater’s fourth annual Dottie West Celebration at the Park, the trio of performers and songwriters led the crowd through a night of memories of the life and career of West through stories and songs.

The show was the fourth annual salute to West, led as it has been for the previous three years by West's granddaughter Tess Frizzell and Bobby Tomberlin. In previous years, Frizzell’s and Tomberlin’s guests have included Linda Davis and her husband Lang Scott, as well as David Frizzell and Mo Pitney.

Saturday’s show featured Gatlin, a country music superstar who credits his career to West. He told the Park crowd of his initial meeting in Las Vegas with West and the encouragement she gave the young aspiring songwriter and the role she played in his arrival in Nashville.

“I wrote eight songs and sent them to her and she sent me a plane ticket,” Gatlin said. “I’d be a very bad lawyer in Houston if it weren’t for Dottie West.”

Gatlin, along with his brothers Rudy and Steve Gatlin, went on to rise to fame as Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers in the 1970s and '80s. Known for hits such as "All the Gold in California," "Broken Lady," "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You," and "She Used to Be Somebody's Baby," Gatlin, who previously appeared at the Park Theater in October 2016, was honored to pay tribute to his mentor in the building where she graduated from high school.

Frizzell was born into country music royalty as the daughter of CMA/ACM winner Shelly West and singer/songwriter Allen Frizzell. Her country music DNA runs even deeper with her grandmother, Dottie West, and uncle Lefty Frizzell, also a Country Music Hall of Fame member. Tess is following in her family's footsteps, writing songs along with hit writers such as Bill Anderson and Michael Farren. Frizzell tours the country singing her music as well as some of her family's hits while sharing the stories behind the songs. She is also an accomplished artist, displaying many of her paintings of country music greats on the Park’s mezzanine during the show.

Grammy, CMA and ACM nominee Bobby Tomberlin began his music career at the age of 11 as a disc jockey in his hometown of Luverne, Ala. During his time as a DJ, he has interviewed music legends including Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Keith Whitley. Tomberlin got his first publishing contract from Mel Tillis and is currently a staff songwriter for Curb Music Publishing in Nashville. Tomberlin performed one of the biggest songs he has written, “One More Day,” a hit for Diamond Rio.

For three years, West's granddaughter Tess Frizzell and Bobby Tomberlin have paid tribute to the country legend alongside special guest stars with A Dottie West Celebration at the Park, an annual show at the Park Theater held near West's birthday, Oct. 11.

In previous years, guests have included Linda Davis and her husband Lang Scott, as well as David Frizzell and Mo Pitney. This year's show is set for Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. Park Theater Manager Joe Harvey and Assistant Manager Ashley Gillentine Wright appeared on The Justin Reed Show on 105.3 WOW Country Monday morning to announce the special guest for 2026. 

An entertaining salute to one of McMinnville’s most famous citizens was brought to a close after approximately two hours with Gatlin’s hit “All the Gold in California.” The emcee for the evening was Raven Young, host of WBMC’s Town Talk with Raven and Rob.