Dolly Parton’s voice has returned with a song recorded years before her death. The country music legend’s first posthumous release, Bound to Ride, arrived on Sept. 9. The track brings Parton back to a song the Stanley Brothers helped popularize with their 1964 recording.
Dolly Parton appears on Stanley Brothers tribute album with ‘Bound to Ride’
Parton is featured alongside the First Ladies of Bluegrass on “Bound to Ride.” The song is part of the upcoming all-star tribute album “Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of The Stanley Brothers.” The album is scheduled to arrive Oct. 16 through Compass Records, as per The Mercury News.
Rolling Stone reported that the recording itself was made in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of health and safety concerns, Parton recorded her vocals separately at her own studio. The First Ladies of Bluegrass had already prepared the backing track for her.
As a result, Parton’s vocals were not recorded in the same studio session as most of the album. Still, the finished track became her first new release following her death.
The tribute record brings together several major names from country, bluegrass and Americana. Willie Nelson and Sierra Ferrell, Dierks Bentley with Della Mae, Steve Martin and Ed Helms, among others, are also featured on the album.
The project also carries added significance for the Stanley Brothers. Carter and Ralph Stanley helped shape bluegrass music through their work with the Clinch Mountain Boys. The brothers are scheduled to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Oct. 18, two days after the tribute album’s release.
Parton died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 after a “brief battle” with cancer. However, her music will continue to reach fans through projects she completed before her death. Parton’s longtime manager Danny Nozell has also revealed that she was working on several projects before she died.
“Bound to Ride” now gives fans another chance to hear Parton’s voice. It also connects her final musical work to the bluegrass traditions that were central to her career.
Leave a Reply