Dolly Parton to receive 2027 Artist Humanitarian Award at Country Radio Seminar
Dolly Parton will be honoured with the 2027 Artist Humanitarian Award at Country Radio Seminar in Nashville.
Country Radio Broadcasters, the body behind the seminar, announced the choice on Oct. 1, according to Billboard. The presentation is scheduled for the 2027 seminar, which runs March 17-19 in Nashville.
Parton knew about the selection before she died. She was told she had been chosen and agreed to accept the recognition earlier this year. She died on Aug. 25 at age 80.
CRS executive director RJ Curtis said the word "humanitarian" is nearly synonymous with Parton. Curtis said she had agreed to accept the award when she was notified earlier this year.
The Artist Humanitarian Award was created in 1990. It recognises country artists whose charitable work has been especially significant.
Recent recipients include Jelly Roll, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood. Jelly Roll was the 2026 recipient.
Parton's charitable record spans decades. Her Imagination Library began in 1995 as a local book programme in her home county in East Tennessee. It has since grown into an international literacy effort.
She had already received several honours for that work. They include the Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award from the Academy of Country Music in 2016 and MusiCares Person of the Year in 2019. Late last year, she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
What makes this stand out is the timing. The award will now be presented posthumously, seven months after her death, to an audience of country radio programmers and industry figures who played her songs for decades.
