Dolly Parton’s voice has returned to the airwaves with the release of her first posthumous song, just two weeks after the country music icon’s death.
Parton died aged 80 on 25 August “after bravely facing a brief battle with cancer”.
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Bound To Ride was recorded in 2022 and will appear on a Stanley Brothers tribute album scheduled for release on 16 October.
Parton laid down her vocals in her private studio during a surge in Covid cases, choosing not to risk travelling. The song was popularised by The Stanley Brothers in 1964.
Produced by husband-and-wife team Garry West and Alison Brown, the album celebrates Carter and Ralph Stanley, whose influential work in bluegrass reflected a genre Parton cherished.
West told Rolling Stone that Parton’s performance delivered more than the producers had expected. “I call it the full Dolly. We didn’t know what we would get back, and she really did over-deliver.
“We were shocked. We couldn’t have gotten anything better.”
The record also features performances from Willie Nelson, Steve Martin and Ed Helms.
Parton’s career lasted more than six decades, during which she sold over 100 million records worldwide and wrote more than 3,000 songs. Her enduring hits include Coat Of Many Colours and Jolene.
Beyond music, she built a far-reaching business empire that included Dollywood, the theme park named in her honour, while establishing herself as a pioneering philanthropist.
Through her Imagination Library, a book-gifting programme created to foster a lifelong love of reading, more than 325 million books have been delivered to children worldwide, including over 200,000 youngsters in Ireland.
Following her death, tributes arrived from across the globe. Elton John, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé were among the major music figures to honour her legacy.
Source: Press Association
