On Wednesday night, the Grand Ole Opry celebrated 100 years with a big concert, and it ended with a beautiful tribute to Dolly Parton. Dolly couldn’t be there in person, but the show made sure she was honored in a special way.
About 50 singers who are part of the Opry stood on stage together. In front of them were Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood from the band Lady A, along with Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood. These five led everyone in singing Dolly’s famous song, “I Will Always Love You.” The rest of the Opry members joined in like a big choir behind them.
You can watch the performance below!
They sang, “Good-bye, please don’t cry / ‘Cause we both know that I’m not / What you need / But I will always love you / I will always love you.” It was a sweet and emotional moment that made the night extra special. This was part of a three-hour TV show called “Opry 100: A Live Celebration,” shown on NBC to celebrate 100 years of the Opry’s radio program.
Beautiful ending tribute to @DollyParton who couldn’t be there after passing recently of her husband so the song she wrote “I will always Love You” #Tears #Opry100 pic.twitter.com/yMLYi874Ds
— Connie Carberg (@ConnieScouts) March 20, 2025
The concert happened in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry House and Ryman Auditorium. Lots of big country stars like Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, and the host, Blake Shelton, performed too.
Before the song, a video of Dolly played on a big screen. She said, “Hi, I’m Dolly Parton, and I’m so proud to be part of the Grand Ole Opry. I’m sorry I can’t be there with you, but my heart is with you all. When I was a little kid, I always wanted to be on the Opry because that’s where country singers go. I’ve been a member for 56 years, and the Opry is like my family.”
The song “I Will Always Love You” is extra meaningful right now because Dolly’s husband, Carl Dean, passed away on March 3. He was 82 and had been married to Dolly for almost 60 years. She wrote on social media, “Carl and I had so many happy years together. I can’t even describe how much we loved each other. Thank you for your kind thoughts.”
Even though the song sounds like it’s about losing someone you love, Dolly actually wrote it about leaving a job. She made it in 1974 when she stopped working with a singer named Porter Wagoner after five years on his show. After she left, her songs like “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” became super popular, and Porter helped make them.
Years later, in 2007, Dolly sang the song for Porter at the Opry to celebrate his 50 years as a member. He passed away that same year, and Dolly sang it for him one last time when he was very sick.
This tribute at the Opry’s 100-year celebration showed how much Dolly means to country music and how her songs touch so many hearts.
