The Recording Academy® and the U.S. Department of State announced that Dolly Parton is the 2024 recipient of the Peace Through Music Award, which honors an American music industry professional, artist or group who has played an invaluable role in cross-cultural exchanges and whose music work advances peace and mutual understanding globally.
Dolly was celebrated at the GRAMMY Museum® in Los Angeles, at an event hosted on Oct. 25 by the Recording Academy and the Department of State. Generously supported by Coke Studio and the Wasserman Foundation, the event also recognizes the first-ever cohort of the American Music Mentorship Program, which took place in Los Angeles from Oct. 15-25.
“To say that I was honored to accept the Peace Through Music Award from the Recording Academy and the U.S. State Department would be putting it mildly. I was very touched and moved by that," Dolly shared. "If I have been an inspiration in any way through some act of kindness or through some music that I have written, well, that makes me feel like I have done my job properly. Thanks again for such a great honor.”
An icon and force across the music industry, having reached audiences at home and abroad for generations – with future generations to engage still – Dolly embodies all that the Peace Through Music Award represents: understanding, peace, inclusion, and unity. While her selection as this year’s awardee is grounded in her music and public persona, Dolly’s commitment to serving others is unparalleled. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides underserved children the opportunity to learn through reading, stretches from the hills of Appalachia to the outback of Australia. She has been a champion of public health, most recently around the COVID-19 vaccine, which not only reached millions of Americans, but also people worldwide.
“Over the course of her career, Dolly Parton has been committed to enriching communities across the globe, and it’s a privilege to celebrate her dedication to service with the Peace Through Music Award today,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “We are grateful to partner with the Department of State on the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, which represents an important part of the Academy’s work to support music people across the globe.”
“Dolly Parton represents the best of America – her excellence in music, her servant’s heart in giving back to those in need, and her unique ability to always bring people together,” said Lee Satterfield, Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. “On behalf of the American people and Secretary of State Blinken, we are honored to celebrate all of her contributions to people around the world with the Peace Through Music Award in partnership with the Recording Academy.”
The Peace Through Music Award is determined through a nomination process, with U.S. embassies from around the globe submitting nominations to be considered by a selection committee created jointly by the State Department and Recording Academy. The selection committee is represented by Recording Academy members, U.S. Department of State leadership, music industry professionals, and academia. The recommended honorees are approved by the CEO of the Recording Academy, then presented to the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, who makes the final determination.
The award is an important part of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, which was announced by the Recording Academy and the State Department in 2023 to elevate music as a global diplomatic platform that promotes peace, expands economic equity, elevates creative economies, ensures societal opportunity, and increases access to education worldwide. The initiative was developed pursuant to the PEACE Through Music Diplomacy Act, which was championed by the Recording Academy and its members in 2022 at its annual GRAMMYs on the Hill® and Music Advocacy Day events, resulting in the legislation being passed into law in December 2022.
To learn more about the Recording Academy’s work to support global creators, visit here. To learn more about the Department of State’s music diplomacy efforts, visit state.gov/music-diplomacy or email eca-press@state.gov.
