Dolly Parton Honoured at Grand Ole Opry Tribute With Carly Pearce, Jelly Roll & More

The Grand Ole Opry is remembering Dolly Parton.

On Saturday (Aug. 29), the Nashville landmark brought together Carly Pearce, Jelly Roll and a host of other artists to celebrate the life and legacy of the late country icon.

“There are artists who make country music. And then there are artists who become part of its very heart. That’s Dolly Parton,” the Opry wrote on Instagram alongside photos from the concert. “Dolly, thank you for making the Opry, and country music, richer, brighter and unmistakably your own. You will forever be a cherished member of our Opry family.”

The Opry dedicated its regularly scheduled Saturday night show to Parton, who was inducted into the legendary Nashville institution in 1969 and remained an Opry member for more than five decades.

The sold-out tribute opened with Pearce — who launched her career at Parton’s Dollywood theme park — performing “Those Memories of You.” Parton surprised the Grammy-winning artist with an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry as a member in 2021.

“It only feels right that I get to honour the queen tonight. Dolly, we love you,” Pearce told the audience, according to Rolling Stone.

The evening also featured Kathy Mattea performing “Jolene,” Ketch Secor and Molly Tuttle delivering “Just Someone I Used to Know,” Channing Wilson singing “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” and Parton’s niece Jada Star performing “The Orchard.”

The emotional concert closed with the Opry musicians joining one another onstage for a powerful rendition of “9 to 5,” which featured a surprise appearance from Jelly Roll.

The tribute also included video clips from Parton’s past performances. The concert concluded with the musicians gathered onstage to watch the late singer-songwriter perform “I Will Always Love You” on a large screen.

Saturday’s show also featured appearances by Belle Frantz, Dan Tyminski, T. Graham Brown and the Opry Square Dancers.

A portion of the proceeds from the performance will be donated to Parton’s Imagination Library, the literacy program that provides free books to children.

Parton died on Aug. 25 following a “brief battle with cancer,” according to her team. Following her passing, the Opry’s marquee lit up with a message honouring the Queen of Country.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.