“Tonight’s show didn’t feel right without doing something like this,” singer says before her rendition of Dolly’s 1974 hit
Ella Langley paid tribute to Dolly Parton at her Auburn, Alabama concert, delivering a rendition of the country legend’s “Jolene.”
“Tonight’s show didn’t feel right without doing something like this,” Langley told the Neville Arena crowd before launching into the oft-covered 1974 classic that might take Number One on the singles chart for the first time next week.
Langley, like all of country music and the world at large, previously honored Parton with a statement posted on social media following the death of the global icon at the age of 80 earlier this week.
“Dolly, thank you for standing up for yourself as an artist, a songwriter, a musician, a producer, an author, a creative, and most importantly a woman in this industry. You paved the way for so many to be brave,” Langley wrote.
“Thank you for being unafraid to show your most authentic self. The world needed Dolly and will never see another like it. The gates of heaven just welcomed home a beautiful soul.”
Following Parton’s death, artists like John Mayer, Jack White, and Kesha have all paid tribute to her onstage, while the likes of Vin Diesel remembered her in other ways.