Dolly Parton’s first posthumous song, Bound To Ride, will appear on a tribute album marking 80 years of bluegrass duo The Stanley Brothers.
Parton recorded the track in 2022 at her private studio, during a surge in Covid-19 cases. She chose not to travel because she did not want to take any chances.
The song will feature on Where The Soul Never Dies, produced by husband-and-wife team Garry West and Alison Brown as a tribute to Carter and Ralph Stanley.
Bluegrass was a genre particularly loved by Parton, who died aged 80 on 25 August after a brief battle with cancer.
West said Parton’s contribution had exceeded expectations after the recording was returned to the production team.
“I call it the full Dolly. We didn’t know what we would get back, and she really did over-deliver,” he said.
“We were shocked. We couldn’t have gotten anything better.”
Other performers on the album include Willie Nelson, Steve Martin and Ed Helms.
Parton’s career lasted more than 60 years, during which she sold more than 100 million records worldwide and wrote more than 3,000 songs.
Tributes followed her death from major names including Miley Cyrus, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
