Country music is preparing a farewell fit for its queen. The Country Music Association on Monday revealed the performers for CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, a live two-hour tribute to the late singer airing later this month on ABC.
The lineup, announced on Good Morning America, includes Ashley McBryde, Béla Fleck, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Ella Langley, 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. Amy Grant and Kimberly Williams-Paisley will appear as special guests, according to the CMA and ABC.
When and where to watch
The special airs live Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern, which is 6 to 8 p.m. in Arizona, on ABC and Disney+. It will stream on Hulu the next day.
It will be filmed at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville, which hosted the premiere of Parton’s Dolly musical in 2025, GMA reported. A Belmont University student ensemble will also perform. Robert Deaton is executive producer, according to the CMA.
A tribute with a purpose
The CMA and Belmont will donate a portion of the special’s proceeds to Parton’s Imagination Library, the book-gifting program she founded in 1995 that has given away nearly 308 million books to children, GMA reported.
“Dolly Parton belonged to the whole world, but she was born of this industry, and this industry owes her a debt of gratitude that words alone cannot repay,” CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said. “This special is our way of saying thank you, on behalf of every artist, industry member and fan who found a piece of themselves in her music.”
Remembering Dolly
Parton died Aug. 25 at age 80 after what her family described as a “brief” battle with cancer. Beyond a catalog that includes “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “Coat of Many Colors,” she was known as much for her philanthropy and business ventures as for her music.
The special takes its title from “I Will Always Love You,” the song Parton wrote and first recorded in 1974 and that Whitney Houston later turned into a global smash for The Bodyguard. The lineup mixes veterans who rose alongside Parton, such as Reba McEntire, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs, with bluegrass virtuosos Béla Fleck, Sierra Hull and Molly Tuttle and a newer generation of stars including Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley and Kelsea Ballerini.
The tribute arrives ahead of the 2026 CMA Awards, where Taylor Swift and Ella Langley lead the list of nominees, GMA reported.
Arizona doesn’t observe daylight saving time, so Valley viewers should tune in at 6 p.m. local time, three hours behind the East Coast start.
Photo: Tech. Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby, U.S. Air Force, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Dolly Parton at the Grand Ole Opry, 2005.
Sources: Country Music Association (via Visit Music City); Good Morning America.
This article was produced with AI assistance and is based on reporting from Country Music Association (via Visit Music City) and Good Morning America.