Dolly Parton Posthumously Accepts Lifetime Achievement Award

Dolly Parton is still the same gracious, kind, and warm presence she was in life. At this year’s Americana Music Honors & Awards, Parton received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Instead of a family member accepting on her behalf, which so often happens with posthumous awards, Parton recorded an acceptance speech before she died in August. In her speech, Parton not only accepts the award but explains why Americana and bluegrass music have meant so much to her, both in her career and just personally.

“Roots music, or what is now called Americana music, is what I grew up playing back in the Smoky Mountains,” Parton says in the video. “It’s that same music that drew me back to East Tennessee back in 1997 to write and record my album Hungry Again. And that project really opened the door to a series of bluegrass and acoustic albums that changed the course of my career in so many ways. Now, new fans discovered these albums, new Americana music communities embraced them, and now, looking back at it all, I see this era of my career as a musical renaissance of sorts. I want to thank everybody at the AMA for recognizing me with this award. It’s a great honor, truly. And just know that I will always love you.”

There is no confirmation of when Parton recorded the speech; the Americana Music Association announced the award prior to her death and confirmed at the time that she would accept via video. During the show, Parton was introduced by Emmylou Harris, and Brandi Carlile performed a tribute, per Variety. How many Parton tributes will happen this year? Probably countless, and that still might not be enough.