Dolly Parton named 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year

Gala will be held February 8, 2019

Eight-time GRAMMY winner Dolly Parton will be honored at the 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute on Friday, February 8, 2019. Proceeds from the 29th annual benefit gala will provide essential support for MusiCares, a charity founded by the Recording Academy that ensures music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical, and personal need. The tribute will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center two nights prior to the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Parton will be the first artist from the Nashville music community to be honored by MusiCares. She is being recognized as the 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year for her considerable creative accomplishments and her longtime support of a number of causes through her Dollywood Foundation, including the Imagination Library, which, since 1996, has provided more than 100 million books to children from birth to five years of age in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the U.K.

“Dolly Parton has always been and continues to be a courageous trailblazer and indomitable inspiration for creators and artists—so for us to have the opportunity to honor her at our annual MusiCares Person of the Year gala is to pay tribute to a true pillar of strength and someone who we all look up to and cherish,” states President/CEO of MusiCares and the Recording Academy Neil Portnow. “With her legendary talent, she has forged a career that spans decades, and her gifts as a performer resound on both stage and screen. Dolly also knows the power of philanthropy and she has used her stardom to contribute to a wide range of causes from natural disasters to education and literacy programs.”

“I am so excited and humbled to be honored as MusiCares Person of the Year,” Parton says in a statement. “It’s even more special knowing the gala benefits music people in need. I can’t wait to hear all of the great artists singing my music.”

The MusiCares Person of the Year tribute ceremony is one of the most prestigious events held during GRAMMY Week. The Person of the Year gala will begin with a reception and silent auction offering an exclusive and unparalleled selection of luxury items, VIP experiences, and one-of-a-kind celebrity memorabilia for bidding guests. The reception and silent auction will be followed by a gala dinner sponsored by AEG; a live auction; a tribute concert featuring renowned musicians and other artists; and the award presentation.

The celebration culminates with the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 10, 2019. The telecast will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn