Listen to Dolly Parton’s first posthumous song, ‘Bound to Ride’

Dolly Parton is gone, but the Queen of Country Music’s voice still resonates. And fans of the country music legend can hear her sing a new song that will be featured on an all-star tribute album.

[ Read more trending news  ]

Parton, who died on Aug. 25 after a brief battle with cancer, is one of the artists featured on “Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of The Stanley Brothers,” “Today” reported. The album has an Oct. 16 release date.

Parton’s distinctive vocals can be heard on the fast-paced song, ”Bound to Ride," which The Stanley Brothers recorded in 1964, according to Rolling Stone. The single has been posted on YouTube.

“Are we ready, girls?” Parton asks at the beginning of the track, getting a collective yes from banjoist Alison Brown, fiddler Becky Buller, mandolin player Sierra Hull, upright bass player Missy Raines and acoustic guitarist Molly Tuttle -- known as the First Ladies of Bluegrass.

Parton returned to her bluegrass roots in the song with a spirited delivery and throwing in ad-libs like “Pick it, girls!” Billboard reported. She also calls out the musicians by name as they trade solos.

“Bound to Ride” is officially credited to Parton & The First Ladies of Bluegrass, according to the music news website.

Almost all of the tracks on the tribute album were recorded live, but producers made an exception for Parton, Rolling Stone reported. During the COVID-19 era in 2022, Parton recorded her vocal alone at her studio.

The First Ladies of Bluegrass laid down a backing track earlier, but the almost seamless interplay between Parton and the other women gave the track a spontaneous feel.

“Where the Soul Never Dies” was produced by Brown and bassist Garry West, the husband-and-wife team behind Compass Records, according to Rolling Stone. The album’s release coincides with this year’s induction of the Stanley Brothers -- Ralph and Carter -- into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Starting in the mid-1940s, the brothers and their band -- the Clinch Mountain Boys -- drew upon the string band music of Bill Monroe with the mountain songs they learned in southwestern Virginia, the magazine reported.

Other artists appearing on album cuts are Willie Nelson and Sierra Ferrell (“I’ll Fly Away”), Jamey Johnson and singer-songwriter Shawn Camp (“Rank Strangers to Me”), Dierks Bentley with Della Mae (“How Mountain Girls Can Love”), Jim Lauderdale with the Travelin’ McCourys (“Riding That Midnight Train”), the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“Think of What You’ve Done”), Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell (“Little Birdie”), Ralph Stanley II with Tim O’Brien (“Mother No Longer Awaits Me at Home”) and the group I’m With Her (“Going Up Home to Live in Green Pastures”).

Steve Martin and Ed Helms’ will add their take on a Stanley Brothers comedy routine, Rolling Stone reported.

After Parton’s death, her longtime manager Danny Nozell spoke about the many projects that Parton had been working on,“Today” reported.

“Dolly worked up until the day she died. She loved seeing her dreams come to life, and loved knowing her work brought people joy,” Nozell said in a statement. “Ever the planner, Dolly worked with the team that she handpicked, for the past several years to build a project roadmap that will guide us for decades to come.”

0 of 50

©2026 Cox Media Group