Dolly Parton's first posthumous song has been released, just two weeks after the country icon's death. The track, titled "Born to Ride," features Parton's distinctive vocals alongside music from the First Ladies of Bluegrass band.
According to Rolling Stone, Parton recorded her vocals for the cover song four years ago, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The song came out on Wednesday and will appear on the upcoming tribute album "Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of The Stanley Brothers," which is due in stores next week.
In the recording, Parton introduces each member of the First Ladies of Bluegrass before they each perform an instrumental solo.
Producer says Parton 'over-delivered'
Music producer Garry West, who worked on the album, told Rolling Stone that Parton gave the team "the full Dolly" for the recording.
"We didn't know what we would get back, and she really did over-deliver," West told the outlet. "We were shocked. We couldn't have gotten anything better."
The all-star tribute album to the Stanley Brothers also features Willie Nelson with Sierra Ferrell, Billy Strings with Drew Emmitt, Jamey Johnson with Shawn Camp, Dierks Bentley with Della Mae and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, among many others.
Tributes continue two weeks on
Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80 and has been receiving tributes from celebrities and fans continuously over the past fortnight.
On Monday, as fans continued mourning her loss, Parton's official Instagram page shared a lyric from her 1977 song "Light of a Clear Blue Morning," from her album "New Harvest... First Gathering." The post read: "I can see the light of a clear blue morning... everything's gonna be alright, it's gonna be okay," written over a plain pink background. The caption featured only a blue butterfly emoji, representing the star's personal emblem.
Cancer battle and final days
Parton's death shocked the world and came after months of health troubles that saw her pull out of a string of public appearances, fueling concern among fans about her wellbeing.
Her representatives told People she died following a "brief battle with cancer," though they did not disclose what type of cancer it was. Her death was first confirmed in an Instagram video posted more than two weeks ago by her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver.
She passed away after being admitted on August 21 to Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center with autoimmune and kidney issues, according to TMZ.
Four days before her death, Parton told People she had "so many things I want to achieve," including launching a new hotel and museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
