Country Music Royalty Takes Over Primetime Tonight
“CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton” brings six of country’s biggest names together for a two-hour live tribute, with proceeds supporting her Imagination Library.
The country music world comes together tonight, October 21, for a major television event. ABC and Disney+ are broadcasting CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, a two-hour tribute built around live performances, archival footage, and personal stories honoring her career.
The Event Details
| When | Tonight, October 21, 2026, at 8:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CT |
| Where to watch | ABC, with global streaming on Disney+ at the same time |
| Length | Two hours |
| Venue | Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee |
The special was filmed live in front of a sold-out crowd at the Fisher Center, the state-of-the-art performing arts venue on the Belmont University campus. Setting the night in Nashville ties it to the city where Parton built her career and where country music’s biggest stars are most at home.
The All-Star Lineup
The tribute brings together a cross-generational roster of country, bluegrass, and pop names, each performing live covers of Parton’s most iconic songs. The performers include:
- Brad Paisley
- Amy Grant
- Ricky Skaggs
- Ashley McBryde
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Little Big Town
The mix is part of the appeal. Paisley, Grant, and Skaggs represent the veteran side of Nashville, with Skaggs bringing a bluegrass pedigree, while McBryde, Ballerini, and Little Big Town carry the current generation. Together, they reflect how far Parton’s songwriting has reached across styles and decades.
More Than Performances
Between the songs, the production promises a sweeping and emotional retrospective of her career. Rare archival footage and personal stories fill out the broadcast, celebrating her legacy as a songwriter, a global icon, and a philanthropist. The title borrows from “I Will Always Love You,” one of the best-known songs she has ever written.
The Cause
In keeping with Parton’s own approach to giving back, a portion of the proceeds from the broadcast will go directly to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The program is her global book-gifting foundation, and it has distributed more than 200 million free books to children.
The special starts at 8:00 PM ET tonight, so viewers can tune in on ABC or stream it on Disney+ as it airs.
