Dolly Parton is set to receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the CMAs.
The 70-year-old country legend will be given the prestigious prize at the ceremony next month in an honour bestowed upon her by the Country Music Association during the 50th Annual CMA Awards.
In a description of the accolade, the CMA said: "[The award goes to] an iconic artist who has attained the highest degree of recognition in Country Music… an artist who has achieved both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, record sales, and public representation at the highest level."
The prize is named after the ‘Always On My Mind’ hitmaker, who was the first recipient of the gong in 2012.
Since then, Kenny Rogers has been honoured in 2013, and in 2015 the accolade went to Johnny Cash.
TV host Jimmy Kimmel broke the news to the ‘Jolene’ singer, who recalled the first time she met the 83-year-old country rocker.
She said: "Willie and I go back all the way to 1964, when I moved to Nashville. [We] got to town about the same time. We both wrote for Combine Music. He looked like a schoolteacher."
And the ‘9 to 5’ hitmaker also recounted the time they worked together on ‘From Here to the Moon and Back’, which featured on Willie’s 2013 duets LP ‘To All the Girls…’.
She said: "We did a duet of a song I wrote, ‘From Here to the Moon and Back’. He put his vocal down first, sent it to me to go in the studio in Nashville to do my part. Trying to sing with him? I was everywhere! I called him up and said, ‘Willie, send me a sack of that grass you’re smokin’, ’cause I can’t follow you.’"
The 50th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville on November 2.
Dolly Parton to receive Lifetime Achievement award at CMAs
