The Grand Ole Opry paid tribute to Dolly Parton on Saturday with an entire performance dedicated to the country legend and Opry member’s music following her death at the age of 80.
Carly Pearce — a one-time Dollywood performer who was welcomed into the Opry family in 2021 on Parton’s invitation — opened the tribute with a rendition of “Those Memories of You.” “It only feels right that I get to honor the queen tonight. Dolly, we love you,” Pearce said.
Other performances throughout the night included Kathy Mattea tackling “Jolene,” Ketch Secor and Molly Tuttle singing “Just Someone I Used To Know,” Channing Wilson performing “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” and Parton’s own niece Jada Star playing “The Orchard.”
The final performance of the night featured all the Opry musicians coming together onstage for a rendition of “9 to 5” that included a surprise cameo appearance by Jelly Roll.
Throughout the evening, clips of Parton’s past Opry performances were shown on the video screen, culminating with all the artists involved coming together onstage to watch Dolly perform “I Will Always Love You.”
Proceeds from the sold-out Opry performance Saturday were donated to Parton’s Imagination Library.
“Dolly Parton was first introduced to the Grand Ole Opry audience, and to the world, in 1959. Johnny Cash welcomed out ‘A little girl from East Tennessee,’ and 13-year-old Dolly took the stage. She performed George Jones’ ‘You Gotta Be My Baby’ and earned three encores that night—an early sign of what was to come. The crowds loved her from the first note. And they never stopped,” the Opry wrote on its website this week.
“It’s hard to put into words what Dolly Parton meant to the world—and to the Grand Ole Opry. The legacy she leaves, and the lessons she taught us, have made an indelible mark. Her music revealed a profound belief in the goodness of others and a witty, fiery insistence on remaining true to herself. Dolly had a gift for turning her personal stories into songs that belonged to everyone, leaving us a little wiser, a little kinder, and a lot more willing to be ourselves.”