Dolly Parton's voice is being heard again in a newly released recording just weeks after her death.
The newly released song "Bound to Ride,
" by Parton and the First Ladies of Bluegrass, was released Sept. 9, marking the country music icon's first posthumous song. The track was announced by Rolling Stone and is the first single from the upcoming tribute album "Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of The Stanley Brothers."The album is set to release Oct. 16 through Compass Records.
Parton recorded her vocals for the traditional song around 2022, during a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to Rolling Stone. Rather than gather with the musicians in person, she worked alone from her own studio after the First Ladies of Bluegrass recorded the instrumental
track separately.
The song features Alison Brown on banjo, Becky Buller on fiddle, Sierra Hull on mandolin, Missy Raines on bass and Molly Tuttle on guitar.
Despite the musicians recording their contributions apart, the finished product captures the energy of a live performance. Parton encourages the players with ad-libs such as "pick it, girls!" and introduces individual members by their names before their solos.
Garry West, who produced the album alongside Brown, told Rolling Stone that Parton gave them what he called "the full Dolly," adding that her performance exceeded their expectations. "We didn't know what we would get back, and she really did over-deliver. We were shocked. We couldn't have gotten anything better."
Parton, who died Aug. 25 at age 80, maintained a close connection to bluegrass throughout her career. She released three influential bluegrass albums for Sugar Hill Records beginning with 1999's Grammy-winning "The Grass Is Blue," followed by "Little Sparrow" in 2001 and "Halos & Horns" in 2002.
"Where the Soul Never Dies" honors the work and influence of brothers Carter and Ralph Stanley, who helped shape bluegrass through their performances with their band, the Clinch Mountain Boys.
The 12-track collection 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 more talented artists.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton's first posthumous song 'Bound to Ride' released
