CMA to Honor Dolly Parton With a Two-Hour Live Television Special on October 21
Country music is coming together for one of its most emotional celebrations yet.
The Country Music Association has announced a major two-hour television event dedicated to the life, music, and legacy of Dolly Parton. Titled “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton,” the special will bring together some of the biggest names in country music and entertainment for an evening filled with performances, memories, and stories about the legendary singer-songwriter.
The live special is scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, from 9 to 11 p.m. ET, airing on ABC and Disney+. It will also be available internationally on Disney+, with a next-day release on Hulu. The event will take place before a live audience at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville.
A Star-Studded Celebration of Dolly Parton
The CMA has already revealed an impressive lineup of performers.
The evening will feature Ashley McBryde, Béla Fleck, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Ella Langley, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Lukas Nelson, Molly Tuttle, Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, Sierra Hull, Vince Gill, Zac Brown and many more.
The special will also include appearances from Kristen Bell, Kristin Chenoweth, Amy Grant, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, while a Belmont University student ensemble will take part in the celebration as well.
According to the CMA, additional surprise tributes from friends across the entertainment world are also expected during the broadcast.
With artists representing different generations and corners of the entertainment industry, the program is expected to reflect just how far Parton’s influence reaches.
From traditional country and bluegrass to pop culture, Broadway, television, and philanthropy, her career has touched audiences far beyond Nashville.
The Meaning Behind “I Will Always Love You”
The title of the special carries an especially powerful meaning.
“I Will Always Love You” is one of Dolly Parton’s most famous songs and one of the most recognizable compositions in American music.
Parton originally wrote the song in 1973 as a farewell to Porter Wagoner, her longtime mentor and business partner, as she prepared to pursue her own career. She recorded it at RCA Studio B in Nashville that same year.
The song would eventually become one of the defining pieces of her career, taking on an entirely new life when Whitney Houston recorded her famous version for The Bodyguard.
Parton herself later performed the song with Vince Gill at the CMA Awards in 1995, creating another memorable moment in the song’s long history.
Now, decades later, the title will once again take center stage as the country music community gathers to celebrate Parton’s extraordinary legacy.
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More Than a Singer and Songwriter
The CMA says the special will explore the full arc of Parton’s career—not simply her accomplishments as a performer.
The program will highlight her work as a singer, songwriter, entertainer, humanitarian, and businesswoman, showing the many ways she has influenced generations of fans and artists.
That influence is also reflected in the choice of venue.
The special will be filmed at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville. Belmont has developed a longstanding connection with Parton’s work, including its involvement with DOLLY U, an educational program created to give students hands-on experience in entertainment and media while learning from artists and industry professionals.
Belmont University President Dr. Greg Jones described Parton’s influence as extending far beyond music, pointing to her creativity, generosity, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to helping others.
Her Legacy of Giving Will Continue
Perhaps fittingly, the celebration will also support a cause that has become one of the most important parts of Parton’s legacy.
A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the children’s literacy initiative established through the Dollywood Foundation.
Parton launched the program in 1995, inspired in part by her father, who could not read. The program provides enrolled children with a free book every month from birth until they begin kindergarten.
The CMA and Belmont University will make a donation from proceeds, while Disney will also support the Imagination Library’s mission.
An Evening Country Music Fans Won’t Want to Miss
The upcoming special promises to be much more than a collection of performances.
It will bring together artists who were influenced by Parton’s music, friends and colleagues who knew her personally, and a new generation of performers who continue to carry her songwriting and storytelling traditions forward.
The CMA has described the event as a way for the country music industry to express its gratitude for everything Parton has given to the genre and to the countless people who have been touched by her work.
For country music fans, October 21 will be an opportunity to hear some of the genre’s biggest stars perform while remembering the songs and stories that made Dolly Parton an enduring cultural icon.
And with surprise tributes still expected, there may be plenty of emotional moments waiting for viewers when the cameras go live.
“CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton” airs Wednesday, October 21, from 9 to 11 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+
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