McMinnville To Celebrate The Life Of Dottie West Saturday

McMinnville will celebrate the life of Dottie West Saturday at The Park Theater with a show featuring award-winning musicians.

The McMinnville native was a staple of country music through the 1960s and 1970s. Park Theater Assistant Manager Ashley Wright said that West’s legacy is still felt in the McMinnville community.

“It means a lot to us to have her,” Wright said. “The fact that even though she didn’t live here toward the end of her life, or she didn’t live here for many years as an adult, the fact that she still claimed McMinnville and came back as often as she could.”

West’s granddaughter Tess Frizzell will lead the event and perform some of West’s music. Grammy winners Linda Davis and Lang Scott will also perform. Wright said that she hopes to see the celebration of West’s life become an annual event.

“It was super easy because once Tess said she was ready for it, we were more than happy to get on board and support the event,” Wright said.

West passed in 1991 at the age of 58. Wright said that McMinnville locals came together to ensure that West’s status in the music industry was cemented.

“There were several in our community who lobbied hard for many years to get Dottie into the Country Music Hall of Fame posthumously and that happened a few years ago, so we were really excited about that—another way to honor her,” Wright said.

West received a music scholarship to attend Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, now known as Tennessee Tech. There she met her husband Bill with whom she had four children including Shelly West, Tess Frizzell’s mother.