The Queen of country music, Dolly Parton, made a surprise appearance the Newport Folk Festival on Saturday (July 27).
Shocking fans during a headlining set that was billed as “♀♀♀♀: The Collaboration,” Parton took the stage alongside a bevy of female performers, including Linda Perry, Sheryl Crow and Judy Collins. “♀♀♀♀: The Collaboration” was led by Grammy-winner Brandi Carlile and her supergroup The Highwomen, consisting of Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby.
“Ladies and gentleman of the Newport Folk Festival,” Carlile addressed the crowd. “On its 60th anniversary, I bring you one of the greatest surprises ever: the incomparable, unicorn legend that is….Dolly Parton!”
According to Rolling Stone, Parton shared the stage with The Highwomen for performances of “Eagle When She Flies,” “Just Because I’m a Woman” and “Jolene.” She also sang “I Will Always Love You” with Carlile and joined closed the set with an all-star performance of “9 to 5.”
The evening was a memorable one for country superstar Maren Morris for many reasons. She not only got to share the stage with one of her heroes, she also celebrated her latest single reaching the top of the charts.
“My first @newportfolkfest was one of my favorite experiences of my career,” Morris shared on Instagram. “@thehighwomen played our first gig, a song called “GIRL” made it to the top of the country radio chart, and we closed this momentous weekend out with the queen @dollyparton . I don’t know how I got here but I got here.”
Watch Parton perform with The Highwomen in the video above.
