Back in September, the Recording Academy named Dolly Parton the MusiCares Person Of The Year, becoming the first-ever country musician to take home the award. Now in the buildup to the Grammys Sunday night, the Academy honored Parton with a gala and tribute concert, which included performances and tributes from Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Chris Stapleton, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, Leon Bridges, Brandi Carlile, Trisha Yearwood, Yolanda Adams and more.
If that weren’t enough, Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves teamed up to perform a cover of Parton’s 1977 single “Here You Come Again” from her chart-topping album of the same name. The duo originally performed the cover on an episode of CMT Crossroads in 2014, and last night, they brought the cover to the Los Angeles Convention Center, as Stereogum points out.
“We love you, Dolly,” Perry said. “We want to be like you when we grow up.” Later in the night, Miley Cyrus joined Shawn Mendes and Mark Ronson for a cover of her godmother’s song “Island In The Stream.” “This is the best night,” Cyrus later said. “We just get to hear Dolly songs all night long.”
Parton received the Person Of The Year award from Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstandt. “It’s been such a thrill for me tonight to see all these great artists singing songs I’ve written or been part of,” she told the crowd. “Watching them is sort of like watching porn: You’re not personally involved but you still get off on it.” She went on to close out the night with a performance of “Coat Of Many Colors” featuring Linda Perry on acoustic guitar. Watch it all happen below.
https://twitter.com/PKPsite/status/1094120866718404608
Me, @shawnmendes & @MarkRonson perform Islands In The Stream for @dollyparton @MusiCares @RecordingAcad pic.twitter.com/a00cosBDX0
— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) February 9, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt_fCQ63vWY
Chris Stapleton singing Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” at MusiCares gala for Dolly Parton. #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/1o2CDbeUBe
— Alex Dobuzinskis (@Adobreports) February 9, 2019
Dolly Parton performing “Coat of Many Colors,” a song inspired from an episode from when she grew up poor in Tennessee, at the MusiCares gala. #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/MTjZNX1bIj
— Alex Dobuzinskis (@Adobreports) February 9, 2019
