ACM Awards - Tex Ritter Award, Katy Perry Performance

April 27, 2016
Dolly Parton Receives Tex Ritter Award at the 51ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS®

Dolly Parton and Katy Perry will join forces for a can't-miss performance at the 51ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS® and the Academy will honor "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" with the Tex Ritter Award!

Country Music’s Party of the Year® just got bigger with music superstars Dolly Parton and Katy Perry added to the epic line-up of performers taking the stage at the 51ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS! This can’t-miss duet will mark their first-ever live performance together.

Additionally, the Academy will honor 10-time ACM Award winner Dolly Parton with the Tex Ritter Award for her television movie, "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors." Dolly talks about the upcoming performance with Katy and what receiving the award means to her.

The Tex Ritter Award is given to a movie released and/or receiving major exposure during the preceding calendar year, featuring or utilizing country music. It's named after America's Most Beloved Cowboy and Country Music Hall of Fame member, Tex Ritter. Dolly shares her thoughts on Tex and how special this award is to her, she said,

"This is a great honor, to be able to accept something that's so personal to me like 'The Coat of Many Colors,' a true story from my childhood."

The 51st Academy Of Country Music Awards, co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Sunday, April 3 at 8:00PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

"Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors" aired on NBC in 2015, inspiring millions of viewers with its story of faith and family. Set in 1955 in the Great Smoky Mountains, the film showcases a poignant time in Dolly’s childhood, as her family struggles with loss, grapples with religion and ultimately triumphs with the healing power of love. Alyvia Alyn Lind stars as the nine-year-old singer who was given a patchwork coat made by her mother, played by Jennifer Nettles. Ricky Schroder portrays Parton’s father, along with Gerald McRaney as her grandfather. The movie was watched by more than 16 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched TV movies of all time.

Past recipients of the Tex Ritter Award include "Beer For My Horses," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," "Country Strong," "Crazy Heart," "O Brother, Where Art Thou," "Sweet Dreams" and "Walk the Line," among others.

Dolly and Katy join previously announced performers, including Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Cam, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Sam Hunt, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Chris Young with Cassadee Pope and Florida Georgia Line. Additional acts and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information on the ACM Awards and all ACM events, visit www.ACMcountry.com.

About the Academy of Country Music Awards:
The 51st Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will broadcast LIVE from MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan, R.A. Clark, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are executive producers. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.