Carly Pearce was already booked to perform at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night. By the time she stepped into the circle, the show had become a tribute to the woman who had personally helped put her there.
The Opry dedicated its Aug. 29 performance to Dolly Parton following the country legend’s death four days earlier at age 80. Pearce opened her portion of the night with “Those Memories of You,” then returned for a finale built around “9 to 5” with surprise guest Jelly Roll walking onto the stage to join her.
“It felt meant to be,” Pearce wrote afterward. The timing had originally given her another reason to celebrate, her fifth studio album, Honest Woman, arrived Aug. 28, and she had recently passed five years as a Grand Ole Opry member.
Those milestones already carried Parton’s fingerprints. Pearce left high school at 16 to perform at Dollywood, and years later Parton was the person who surprised her with the news that the Opry wanted her as a member. Pearce called Saturday “one of the most special nights of my career.”
Jelly Roll Walked On for the ‘9 to 5’ Finale
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Pearce invited the Opry audience to sing as the tribute moved toward its final number. Jelly Roll appeared during “9 to 5,” drawing a loud response before the rest of the night’s performers returned to the stage for the group finale.
The songbook had belonged to Parton all evening. Pearce began with “Those Memories of You,” which Parton recorded with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris for Trio in 1987. Kathy Mattea performed “Jolene,” while Ketch Secor and Molly Tuttle took on “Just Someone I Used to Know.” Channing Wilson sang “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” and Parton’s niece Jada Star performed “The Orchard.”
Belle Frantz performed “Where No One Stands Alone,” and Dan Tyminski dedicated “Smile When You’re Alone” to Parton. The Opry had announced before the show that a portion of ticket sales would benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Parton Personally Invited Pearce Into the Opry Family
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Pearce’s connection to Parton predates her recording career. She left her Kentucky home as a teenager to work as a performer at Dollywood before eventually moving to Nashville and beginning the long climb toward her own record deal.
In June 2021, Pearce thought she was filming promotional material for Dollywood when Parton unexpectedly walked into the shoot. After joking that Pearce had played the Opry so many times that someone should probably make her a member, Parton delivered the real reason she was there: “And they are!”
The Grand Ole Opry says Pearce had already appeared on its stage 84 times when Parton delivered the invitation. It was also the first time Parton had personally asked an artist to become an Opry member. Pearce was formally inducted on Aug. 3, 2021.
The Opry Let Parton Have the Last Song
The Aug. 29 performance had been on the calendar before Parton’s death, but the Opry announced beforehand that the entire show would honor her life, music and decades-long relationship with the institution.
After Pearce, Jelly Roll and the other performers finished “9 to 5,” they remained gathered around the Opry circle while archival footage of Parton played on the screen. The performance shown was Parton singing “I Will Always Love You” during what became her final Opry appearance. Pearce later wrote that she would never forget standing in the circle and watching Parton sing the song in that same spot.