Dolly Parton’s first posthumous song released

Dolly Parton’s first posthumous song has been released two weeks after the US country music star’s death.
Parton died aged 80 on August 25 following a “brief battle with cancer”.
“Bound To Ride”, recorded by Parton in 2022, features on “Where The Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years Of The Stanley Brothers”, due for release on October 16.
Parton recorded her vocals for the song, popularised by The Stanley Brothers in 1964, in her private studio during a Covid surge, avoiding the risks of travelling.
Produced by husband and wife Garry West and Alison Brown, the album honours Carter and Ralph Stanley, known for their work in bluegrass, a genre beloved by Parton.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, West said: “I call it the full Dolly. We didn’t know what we would get back and she really did over-deliver.
“We were shocked. We couldn’t have gotten anything better”.
Other performers include Willie Nelson, Steve Martin and Ed Helms.
Across a career spanning more than 60 years, Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide and wrote more than 3,000 songs, including “Coat Of Many Colours” and “Joshua”.
Her business empire included the Dollywood theme park. A pioneering philanthropist, she founded Imagination Library, a book-gifting programme that has given more than 300 million books to children worldwide.
Tributes following her death came from across the music world, with Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé among the biggest names to pay their respects to the country music star. — dpa