Rolling Stone reports that country music legend Dolly Parton will be this year’s recipient of the Willie Nelson Award for lifetime achievement at the CMAs. The singer-songwriter—whose achievements include “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “9 To 5,” and surviving 60 years in the music industry with a smile on her face and a self-effacing pun on her lips—will be the first woman to receive the honor, previously given to Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, and Nelson himself.
Parton learned she was being honored last night, just before an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! ( “I feel like Willie Nelson could just as easily be getting the Dolly Parton Lifetime Achievement Award,” Kimmel noted.) She was on his show to promote her 43rd solo album, Simple And Pure, which is currently performing well on Billboard’s country music charts. The pair also discussed Parton’s gay following, the time Hillary Clinton dressed up as her, and her history with Nelson himself.
The 50th Annual CMA Awards telecast will be broadcast on November 2.