After the untimely death of Whitney Houston on February 12, 2012, Dolly said,
“Mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song, and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.’”
Dolly’s song "I Will Always Love You" has been performed by many artists since it was released by her in 1974, but none more memorable than the version recorded by Houston for the soundtrack of the 1992 hit movie "The Bodyguard."
Hearing Whitney’s version of the song played at her funeral was particularly affecting for Dolly,
“I thought my heart was going to stop. It just pierced me like a knife. It’s just - I can’t explain that feeling, to think that was so final for her and that was my words and my feeling - I would forever be so connected to her."
Dolly presented Houston the GRAMMY award she won for singing the song in 1994.
Dolly was among six recipients to receive the honor during an invitation-only ceremony. The ceremony was held the night before the live telecast of the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Due to a family commitment, scheduled months earlier, Dolly was unable to attend the event. In her recorded acceptance speech she said,
“I appreciate all my GRAMMYS, all of my fans, all the folks that work hard to see to it that I’m still out here on the road… I do thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Dolly won her first GRAMMY in 1978. She was awarded Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her song, "Here You Come Again." In addition to her wins, she has earned 39 nominations to date.
The other honorees included Julie Andrews, Roy Haynes, Juilliard String Quartet, Kingston Trio and the Ramones. In the official press release, The Recording Academy President and CEO Neil Portnow said,
“These influential performers and brilliant innovators have been of great inspiration to our culture and industry. Their legendary work has left a lasting impression and will continue to influence generations to come.”
The GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 1962. Bing Crosby was the first to receive this distinction. In 1967, Ella Fitzgerald became the first woman honored.
The Recording Academy’s National Trustees vote on the honorees. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to those who, “during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.” In 1972, the award broadened to include non-performers.
In 2008, Dolly developed a musical version of her 1980 hit movie "9 to 5." Dolly wrote all the music and lyrics herself and the dialog was adapted by Patricia Resnick. The musical had its first table reading in 2007 and did a test run in Los Angeles in 2008.
"9 to 5: The Musical" premiered on Broadway at the Marquis Theater on, April 7, 2009, and ran in New York from April until it closed in September after 24 preview showings and 148 normal performances. During its runs in LA and NY, the musical garnered 15 Drama Desk Award nominations and four Tony Award nominations including Best Original Score. After it closed shop on Broadway the show went on tour in the United States, the United Kingdom, and had several regional productions.
The "9 to 5: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" includes 18 tracks performed by the cast. The soundtrack was released on Dolly Records on, July 14, 2009. It earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Musical Show Album.
Dolly had a specific plan for writing the songs for the Musical,
“I wanted it to be all that it could be…I wanted it to be what the story called for. I wanted each song to fit each character perfectly and fit the story line, as well and to have the songs to be singable and memorable.”
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Her plan worked well enough that she really found her groove,
"Once I got into it, I found I have a little knack for it because I've always loved telling stories… When you write for commercial radio, you have to keep it around three minutes and limit it to a couple verses and a chorus. But writing for the stage, I could just let my mind go."
Dolly’s song "Backwoods Barbie" was performed in the first act and is included on the Musical soundtrack.
The original song, "Travelin' Thru" received a host of awards and nominations. In 2006, it earned a GRAMMY nomination for Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
Dolly performed the song on the soundtrack of, "Transamerica." The director/producer, Duncan Tucker, gave Dolly some direction when he made his request.
"He wanted the song to be about redemption and about people's feelings."
After giving the song and the film some thought, Dolly decided on a spiritual direction with a gospel feel.
Dolly won the 2001 GRAMMY Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her cover of the Collective Soul song "Shine" from her album "Little Sparrow," marking her third win in that category and seventh overall.
Collective Soul lead singer Ed Roland was blown away when he found out Dolly covered the group’s song,
"In all honesty, the first CD, which has 'Shine' on it, basically was a songwriter's demo, trying to get a publishing deal and try to showcase songs. It's the first time ever we've had one of those songs covered, and it's an honor, and really cool... especially coming from someone who's a great songwriter. It's not necessary for her to use anyone's songs except her own."
Dolly explains that the cover comes from a real affinity for the original version of the song.
"When that record came out years ago, my husband and I were riding in the car and heard it...We listened to see who it was and went and got it and played it off and on in the house for years. I've been trying to think of how I can sing it without all the rock stuff; it sounds spiritual and all that, and the melody lent itself well to some bluegrass harmonies. I figured we'd kick it around and if it didn't work, we wouldn't put it on. But it worked out great."
