P!NK, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Shawn Mendes and More Honor Dolly Parton at Musicares Person Of The Year Tribute Event

Last night, the Recording Academy™ and MusiCares® paid tribute to living legend Dolly Parton at the annual MusiCares tribute for her significant creative accomplishments and longtime support of many charitable causes. The event, hosted by Little Big Town, raised approximately $6.7 million for MusiCares’ essential support for music people who turn to the…

Music Mayhem

Posted on February 9, 2019

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 08: President/CEO of the Recording Academy and President/CEO of MusiCares Neil Portnow (L) presents the MusiCares Person of the Year award to Dolly Parton onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for NARAS)

Last night, the Recording Academy™ and MusiCares® paid tribute to living legend Dolly Parton at the annual MusiCares tribute for her significant creative accomplishments and longtime support of many charitable causes. The event, hosted by Little Big Town, raised approximately $6.7 million for MusiCares’ essential support for music people who turn to the organization for financial, medical, and personal assistance. The MusiCares Person of the Year tribute is one of the most prestigious events held during GRAMMY® Week.

The night launched with a show-stopping performance by P!NK, singing Parton’s classic song, “Jolene.” Performances and standing ovations continued throughout the night as a catalogue of Dolly’s most well-known tunes were sung by artists including Katy Perry & Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson & Brandi Carlile, Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood, Miley Cyrus & Shawn Mendes, Mark Ronson, Leon Bridges, Lauren Daigle, Vince Gill, Don Henley, Norah Jones, Linda Perry, Mavis Staples, Chris Stapleton, Yolanda Adams, Jon Batiste, Cam, Jennifer Nettles, and Margo Price. The night concluded with MusiCares’ first-ever country music honoree, Dolly Parton herself, taking the stage with Linda Perry to perform “Coat of Many Colors,” bringing the audience through a nostalgic journey of her life and career.

“To say Dolly is beloved as an artist and admired as a philanthropist is an understatement that doesn’t come close to representing her iconic status,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares. “When Dolly said that she would be our 2019 Person of the Year, we knew we would be collaborating with someone who would help create a truly memorable evening filled with great performances, glimpses into her creative world, and an underlying thread of giving back.”

Parton accepted the honor by reflecting on her career, saying “I have been in music for a long time, but it has been in me a lot longer. I used to stand out on the porch, my Tennessee mountain home, put a tobacco stick down in the crack of the floor, put a tin can on top of it, and pretend that I was singing on the Grand Ole Opry.” Parton continued, “It was my dream, and it was a long long way from the hills of Tennessee to the Hollywood hills, but it has been a wonderful journey.” Parton spoke about being a woman in the music industry at an early age and the supportive men that she collaborated with during those times. She interspersed her speech with heartfelt stories of her family and the strong influence they had in shaping her character.

GRAMMY Week culminates with the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards® at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. The telecast will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.