Ella Langley Wows Crowd During Dolly Parton Tribute With Performance of “Jolene”
Developed over time first seen 1 day ago
Ella Langley performed Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” at a Nashville tribute event, bringing her interpretation of the country classic to a programme celebrating Parton’s music and legacy. The performance matters in the context of Langley’s public tribute to Parton, whom she credited with helping women in the music industry pursue their own creative paths.
The two-hour event, *I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton*, was held at Belmont University and featured a wide range of performers, including Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson and Brad Paisley. Belmont students from its Dolly U programme also took part; the article says the programme teaches students about Parton’s career and legacy. The special aired on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
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In short
- Ella Langley sang “Jolene” at a Nashville tribute to Dolly Parton.
- The two-hour special featured performers including Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire.
- Belmont students from the Dolly U programme also performed.
How this story developed
- 1 day ago Ella Langley performed Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” at a Nashville tribute event, bringing her interpretation of the country classic to a programme celebrating Parton’s music and legacy.
- American Songwriter Brad Paisley and Sierra Hull Give “When I Get Where I’m Going” New Meaning During Dolly Parton Tribute
- American Songwriter Ella Langley Wows Crowd During Dolly Parton Tribute With Performance of “Jolene”
- American Songwriter Zac Brown Performs “Butterfly” With a Special Guest During Dolly Parton’s CMA Tribute
Full account
Ella Langley performed Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” during I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, a two-hour tribute staged at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville. Langley, known for “Choosin’ Texas”, was among a large group of artists interpreting songs associated with Parton. The special was shown on ABC and Disney+, with streaming on Hulu scheduled for the following day.
The tribute followed Parton’s death on 25 August, as reported by all three accounts. For Langley, “Jolene” was already part of her response to the news. The first report says she performed it in her home state of Alabama a few days after Parton died, telling the audience that she felt the occasion called for a tribute. She also posted a message thanking Parton for making space for women to assert themselves as artists and for encouraging others to be themselves.
Langley’s performance sat within a programme spanning several generations of country music. The reported line-up included Ashley McBryde, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill and Zac Brown, among others. Students from Belmont’s Dolly U programme, which explores Parton’s career and legacy, also took part.
Other performers drew on their own connections to Parton’s music. Paisley, who recorded “When I Get Where I’m Going” with her, performed the song with Sierra Hull. Its themes of death, faith and reunion gave it particular resonance at a memorial concert. Brown’s rendition of “Butterfly” incorporated Parton’s recorded voice, bringing her singing into the performance.
The evening also reflected an aspect of Parton’s work beyond the stage. The third report says the Country Music Association and Belmont University directed a portion of the event’s proceeds to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, her children’s reading initiative. Across the performances, artists approached the tribute through familiar songs, personal collaborations and Parton’s wider legacy.
The reports offer different windows onto the same event. The first concentrates on Langley’s “Jolene” and the tribute she had paid to Parton earlier; the second follows Paisley’s musical connection with her; and the third focuses on Brown’s performance and the Imagination Library contribution. None provides a detailed account of the crowd’s response to Langley’s appearance, despite the headline’s claim that she wowed the audience.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The first report centres Langley and lists a broad range of performers; the second centres Paisley and Sierra Hull; the third centres Zac Brown and the event’s charitable element.
The second report says Parton died after a brief battle with cancer. The other two reports mention her death without giving a cause.
The third report names Amy Grant among those appearing in connection with the tribute, while the first report’s performer list does not include her.
Coverage · 3 sources
- American SongwriterElla Langley Wows Crowd During Dolly Parton Tribute With Performance of “Jolene”
- American SongwriterBrad Paisley and Sierra Hull Give “When I Get Where I’m Going” New Meaning During Dolly Parton Tribute
- American SongwriterZac Brown Performs “Butterfly” With a Special Guest During Dolly Parton’s CMA Tribute
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