It’s common knowledge that Dolly Parton is in a class of her own. Only a select few country musicians can boast of winning at least 10 Grammys, and Parton is one of them. The “Jolene” singer is up for just one award at the 2024 Grammys, but a win would be her ticket to yet another exclusive club.
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Parton’s cover of Tim Paxton’s 1964 hit “The Last Thing on My Mind” earned her a nomination for the relatively new Best Country Solo Performance award. If she is triumphant over the likes of Luke Combs and Tyler Childers, Parton will become just the fifth woman to walk away with the title.
Parton To Join Her Proteges?
Widely regarded as the queen of country music, Parton doesn’t appear threatened by the heirs to her throne. In fact, she recently sang the praises of the first woman to claim the Best Country Solo Performance crown.
“Well, Good Lord, who could be better than Taylor Swift?” Parton said on an October 2023 episode of Taste of Country Nights.
Swift won the inaugural Best Country Solo Performance Grammy in 2012 with her Red single “Mean.” The nomination was one of her last in the country categories, as she officially crossed over into pop territory with 2014’s 1989.
Women remained on top in 2013 when Carrie Underwood walked away with the trophy for her single “Blown Away.” Underwood also has the distinction of being the first two-time female winner in the category after “Something in the Water” won her a second prize in 2015.
Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves round out the girls’ club in the Best Country Solo category. Morris took home the trophy in 2017 with “My Church,” while Musgraves was victorious for “Butterflies” two years later.
[RELATED: Dolly Parton Creates Spotify Playlist for New ‘Listening Together’ Hub]
Stiff Competition
The Recording Academy combined three other categories – Best Female Country Vocal Performance, Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and Best Country Instrumental Performance – in 2012. This was meant to erase the distinction between male and female performances. The winners have since been split fairly evenly between men and women.
If Parton doesn’t become the fifth female winner, Brandy Clark also has a shot with her 2023 track “Buried.” Tyler Childers, Luke Combs, and Chris Stapleton round out the list of nominees.
(Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)
