CMA Taps Ella Langley, Reba McEntire

The Country Music Association has announced an all-star lineup featuring Ella Langley, Brad Paisley, Reba McEntire, and more for its Dolly Parton tribute show, I Will Always Love You. 

The two-hour special will take place Oct. 21 at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville. It’ll air live on ABC and Disney+ at 9 p.m. ET and be available to stream on Hulu the next day. 

Other artists set to appear on the show include Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Ashley McBryde, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Lukas Nelson, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Lady A, and Zac Brown Band. But I Will Always Love You won’t just feature country luminaries: Speaking to Parton’s vast influence, there will be appearances from bluegrass great Béla Fleck, Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, and actress-singer Kristen Bell. 

The show will also feature songwriter Amy Grant and actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley as special guests. And an ensemble of music students from Belmont will deliver a performance in recognition of the university’s “Dolly U” program, which encourages students learn from Parton’s career, both as a musician and entrepreneur. Additional surprise guests are expected to appear. 

I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton will be one of the biggest full-show, multi-artist tributes to the country legend, who died in late August at the age of 80. Of course, many musicians covered Parton’s classic songs live after her death, and the Grand Ole Opry dedicated an entire show to her, with performances from Carly Pearce, Kathy Mattea, Molly Tuttle, and Parton’s own niece, Jada Star. More recently, Kacey Musgraves led a tribute to Parton at the MTV Video Music Awards.