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Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and a Star-Studded Lineup Pay Tribute to Dolly Parton Tonight on ABC
"CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" airs live from Nashville tonight, two months after the country icon's death at 80, with proceeds benefiting her Imagination Library literacy charity.
NASHVILLE — Country music's biggest names gather on ABC tonight for a two-hour tribute to Dolly Parton, the icon who died Aug. 25 at age 80.
"CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" airs from 9 to 11 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with Hulu picking up the special the following day, according to Pollstar. The show was taped before a live audience at Belmont University's Fisher Center in Nashville.
Who's On the Bill
The lineup, first announced in early October and detailed by TVLine, includes Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, Vince Gill, Kristin Chenoweth, Carly Pearce, Lady A and Zac Brown, among others. Special guests Amy Grant and Kimberly Williams-Paisley are also set to appear, with a Belmont University student ensemble rounding out the performances, per Good Morning America.
A TWO-HOUR, LIVE TRIBUTE TAPED BEFORE A NASHVILLE AUDIENCE.
The Country Music Association, which organized the special with ABC, says several "surprise tributes" are planned beyond the announced lineup, according to Whiskey Riff's earlier report on the show's announcement.
Proceeds from the special will go toward Parton's Imagination Library, the childhood literacy nonprofit she founded in 1995 that mails free books to children until age five. The CMA and Belmont University are donating a portion of the special's proceeds directly to the program, with Disney also supporting the effort.
Parton, who built a six-decade career spanning country, pop and film, remains one of the best-selling and most honored artists in music history. Tonight's special marks one of the first major televised tributes since her death in August.