ABC has officially announced the lineup for “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton.”
The two-hour live tribute honoring the late country music icon Dolly Parton will air on ABC and Disney+ on October 21, with the special becoming available on Hulu the following day.
The special will also be filmed before a live audience at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville.
Who Will Perform at the Dolly Parton ABC Tribute Event?
“Good Morning America” unveiled the stars who are set to perform at the upcoming Dolly Parton tribute. These include Ashley McBryde, Béla Fleck, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Ella Langley, and Kelsea Ballerini.
Kristen Bell, Kristin Chenoweth, Lady A, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Lukas Nelson, Molly Tuttle, Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, Sierra Hull, Vince Gill, and Zac Brown are also set to perform.
Amy Grant and Kimberly Williams-Paisley are joining as special guests, while the Belmont University student ensemble will participate in a performance, reflecting the university’s ongoing “Dolly U” program.
Surprise tributes from friends across the entertainment industry are also expected throughout the special.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Receive Tribute Proceeds
The CMA and Belmont University will donate the proceeds from the tribute to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Imagination Library is a childhood literacy program founded by Parton in 1995 through her Dollywood Foundation. The program aims to promote a love of reading by sending free books to children from birth through age 5.
Previously, Parton revealed that the program was inspired by her father, Robert Lee, who left school young to support his family and never learned to read or write.
“That always made me feel bad about my dad, so I started it based on that, just for our county,” Parton told PEOPLE in 2022. “It’s just grown in leaps and bounds ever since then, but it came from a place in my heart to try to help children in their young years, their most impressionable years, to learn how to read and write.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donated $2 million to the Imagination Library in July, ahead of their grand Madison Square Garden wedding.
At the time, Parton responded to the couple’s generous gift and jokingly asked if she could have their firstborn child.
“I’m blown away and overjoyed with that gratitude,” Parton said in the video. “Now, it’s evident that you two have made giving back a key part of your lives. So, hey, when you have your firstborn, can I have it? Because that is going to be one special baby.”
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ABC Reveals Star-Studded Lineup for Dolly Parton Tribute