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Dolly Parton’s Last Song Wins Dove Award with Grascals

Dolly Parton’s Last Song Wins Dove Award with Grascals

Last updated on: October 17, 2026 at 3:55 pm by DeWayne Hamby

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Dolly Parton’s Last Song Wins Dove Award with Grascals 2026-10-17T15:55:00-04:00 DeWayne Hamby

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Bluegrass band The Grascals, speaking on the red carpet at the 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards, described Dolly Parton as the force who launched their career in 2004 and later returned to co-write what became her final collaborative song, a recovery-themed track that just won Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year.

Grascals image by Laci Mack courtesy of Billy Blue Records.

Lead singer and co-founder Jamie Johnson told an interviewer that the band’s first major opportunity came when Parton selected the then-unknown group to open for her and serve as her backing band. “Our first job was Dolly as the Grascals in 2004,” Johnson said. Bandmates recalled spending roughly two years with her, after which the group earned Grammy nominations and multiple International Bluegrass Music Association awards. One member noted that without Parton’s early support, “we would have never got this band off the ground.”

Two decades later, Parton rejoined Johnson in the writing room. The pair co-wrote “Broken Angels,” released in 2025 as the lead single from the band’s album “Not That Gone” on Billy Blue Records. Johnson, who has spoken publicly about his own recovery and described himself in the interview as more than 11 years sober, said the song grew out of love and a desire to reach people struggling with addiction. He noted that Parton’s brother had died from the disease, making the subject personal for her family as well.

“We wrote the song out of love just to tell them, at least you can tell them you love them and they can, if they ask, get help,” Johnson said. He added that Parton returned near the end of her life “to celebrate with us and give us another big huge gift and boost.” The song’s chorus carries the line “even broken angels can learn to fly again.”

On Oct. 6 at Bridgestone Arena, the Gospel Music Association named “Broken Angels” by The Grascals and Dolly Parton as Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year. It was Parton’s first Dove Award since her death on Aug. 25 and the band’s first win in the category. Sonya Isaacs performed Parton’s vocal parts during the pre-telecast ceremony. Band members called the honor a blessing and thanked Isaacs for stepping in, saying the experience of working with Parton and receiving the recognition would stay with them.

In the interview, the group, comprised of Johnson, Kyle Perkins, John Bryan, Jamie Harper, Kristin Scott Benson, and Danny Roberts, repeatedly framed Parton’s influence as both professional and personal. Johnson and his bandmates described the Dove win as the culmination of a relationship that began when Parton took a chance on a new act and ended with a final co-write about hope and recovery.

The Grascals have long credited Parton with treating them like family and expanding their audience far beyond traditional bluegrass circles. Their comments at the Dove Awards underscored that the same partnership produced both their early breakthrough and one of the last songs Parton helped write.

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57th Dove Awards Honor Dolly Parton, Crown New Voices

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