Radio Rallies Around Dolly Parton After Her Death, Led by ‘9 to 5’
Categoria: Musica
From 62 songs in a row in Nashville to deep cuts and cross-format airplay, programmers have responded to a loss unlike almost any other.
Por Billboard | 28/08/2026
For nearly 60 years, Dolly Parton moved country radio. In the days after her Aug. 25 death , she did it again. As tributes poured in around the world, U.S. radio broke from normal programming, loaded up on Parton’s music and reached across her deep catalog. Some stations even handed over their airwaves to her. Related Will Dolly Parton Earn Her First Billboard 200 No. 1 Album Posthumously? Dolly Parton Had the Second-Most Streams of Any Artist on the Day of Her Death Dolly Parton’s Top Billboard Hot Country Songs Hits According to Mediabase, encompassing all its U.S.-monitored terrestrial radio stations, Parton’s recordings drew more than 13,300 spins during a seven-day tracking period through Aug. 27, up from about 620 in the comparable previous period, a 2,000%-plus increase. Her music was heard on more than 930 stations, compared with about 135 previously, with 790-plus joining or returning to her catalog. A Catalog Six Decades Deep There was plenty to choose from. On reporters to Billboard ’s Country Airplay chart, which has tracked the format’s reach since its 1990 launch, Parton logged 28 entries during her lifetime, led by “Rockin’ Years,” with Ricky Van Shelton (1991), and as featured on “When I Get Where I’m Going,” with Brad Paisley (2006), both No. 1s. On the longer-running Hot Country Songs, her history totals 113 titles, dating to her 1967 debut, including 25 No. 1s — the most among women in the list’s history. In Nashville, iHeartMedia country WSIX threw out its playbook following news of Parton’s death, turning the station over to her music and to tributes from listeners and the local music community. “Wall-to-wall with the announcement and immediate tribute to Dolly,” iHeartCountry evp Rod Phillips tells Billboard . “We changed the format for Dolly, which turned into 62 songs in a row, plus more throughout the night and [Wednesday].” Other iHeartCountry stations increased Parton’s on-air footprint to multiple songs per hour, Phillips says. The company also launched a #GoodDeedsForDolly campaign encouraging listeners to perform acts of kindness in her memory. “After more than 35 years in radio,” Phillips says, “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a reaction like we are experiencing with Dolly’s passing.” Beyond the Hits The tribute went well beyond the most obvious compositions. Across the Country Airplay panel, programmers played 66 different Parton titles in the days since her death, stretching from 1967’s “Dumb Blonde” to 2023’s “Wrecking Ball,” featuring Miley Cyrus (her goddaughter). Parton’s 1981 smash “9 to 5” — her first of two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s — led with 799 spins across 135 stations in the week ending Aug. 27, followed closely by two 1974 Hot Country Songs leaders: “Jolene,” with 725 spins on 134 stations, and “I Will Always Love You,” with 665 spins across 133 stations. But programmers kept digging. At Connoisseur’s KUPL Portland, Ore., music director Jamie Tanchyk says that the station initially pla