They Sang ‘9 To 5’ For Dolly… Never Knowing It Would Soon Feel Like A Goodbye. Carly Pearce, Carter Faith And Kaitlin Butts’ Tribute Now Hits Completely Differently. At The ACM Honors, Carly Pearce, Carter Faith And Kaitlin Butts Turned Dolly Parton’s Iconic “9 To 5” Into A Joyful, Powerful tribute, earning a huge reaction from the audience. The performance came as Dolly was being honored with the ACM Poet’s Award, which she accepted through a prerecorded message just days before her death. At The Time, It Felt Like A Celebration Of A Living Legend. Now, After Dolly’s Sudden Death At 80, Every Smile, Every Harmony, And Every “9 To 5” Chorus Carries A Painful New Meaning. What Was Once A Celebration Now Feels Like A Farewell None Of Them Knew They Were Singing. And When Three Women Lifted Their Voices For Dolly, They Weren’t Just Singing Her Greatest Hit—They Were Carrying Her Voice Forward, At The Very Moment The World Was About To Lose It

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(from left) Carter Faith, Carly Pearce, and Kaitlin Butts performing Dolly Parton tribute at ACM Honors (Photo by Mickey Bernal/Getty Images)

Dolly Parton was among the honorees at Wednesday night’s (August 19) ACM Honors, where Carly Pearce, Carter Faith, and Kaitlin Butts paid tribute to her by performing one of her most popular songs.

Dolly Parton Was Honored With The ACM Poet’s Award

The ACM Honors are a special event hosted by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) that celebrates people whose contributions to country music go beyond the standard annual ACM Awards categories.

This year’s special award recipients included Bill Anderson (ACM Icon Award), Brett James (ACM Poet’s Award), C2C: Country to Country (ACM International Award), The Carter Family (ACM Poet’s Award), Eric Church (ACM Lifting Lives Award), Kacey Musgraves (ACM Spirit Award), the Paramount+ series: Landman (ACM Film Award), Leslie Fram (ACM Lift Every Voice Award), Mike Curb (ACM Icon Award) and Scott Zolke (ACM Service Award).

Additionally, Dolly Parton was one of the recipients of the Poet’s Award.

According to the ACM’s website, the Poet’s Award “recognizes a Country Music songwriter whose work has had an enduring impact on shaping the Country M­usic genre with exceptional lyrical and musical contributions.”

Parton did not attend, but she shared a special video message that was played during the ceremony.

“Songwriting has been my therapy, songwriting has been my release, my joy, songwriting has been a gift from God,” Dolly continued. “It has allowed me to touch people with words and music. So thank you God, and thank you fans around the world.”

Each recipient was honored with a performance before getting their moment to accept their award.

Performers for 2026's ACM Honors ceremony, including a Dolly Parton tribute
Performers for 2026’s ACM Honors ceremony (Photo Credit: ACM / Instagram)

Dolly Was Honored With An Incredible Performance

Carly Pearce not only hosted the show alongside Parker McCollum, but she also performed multiple times! She and Parker opened the show with “Islands In The Stream,” which got the whole audience ready for an incredible night of country music.

She was back on stage later, this time with newcomer Carter Faith and Texas country singer Kaitlin Butts to pay tribute to their collective hero, Dolly Parton.

The unlikely trio of women performed Parton’s iconic hit song “9 to 5,” taking turns singing lead and performing alternating lines in unison.

We’re sure Dolly enjoyed watching this from home, and if she were there in person, she would have been clapping along with the rest of the audience.

Watch their incredible tribute below.