Dolly Parton and U2 frontman Bono are known for their distinctive singing voices, but the two stars are now up for awards honoring their spoken-word achievements. The singers have been chosen as finalists for 2024 Audie Awards, which are handed out by the Audio Publishers Association. The honors recognize excellence in audiobooks and spoken-word presentations.
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Parton’s 2023 book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones is a finalist in the Autobiography/Memoir category. Bono’s 2022 memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story is in the running for the Audiobook of the Year prize.
The honors will be presented at the 29th annual Audies Gala on March 4 at The Avalon in Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now at AudioPub.org.
Parton co-wrote Behind the Seams with Holly George-Warren and Rebecca Seaver, and all three authors narrated the audiobook version. The book features Parton discussing her iconic wardrobe and talking about how her clothing choices reflect the person she is.
Surrender was written by Bono, and he is featured as the sole narrator of audiobook. The U2 frontman shares his life story in the tome, while profiling some of the classic songs he’s co-written for the band.
Other Audie Finalists
Among the other celebrities nominated for Audie Awards this year in various categories are “Weird” Al Yankovic, Meryl Streep, and Michelle Obama.
Yankovic is one of many people who lent their voices to the Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! audiobook, which is a finalist in the Multi-Voiced Performance category. Obama narrated her own book The Light We Carry, which will vie for the Business/Personal Development honor.
Streep is a finalist in two categories for her narration of the audiobook version of the Ann Patchett novel Tom Lake—Audiobook of the Year and Best Fiction Narrator.
Previous Audie Winners
Among the music-related audiobooks that received Audie Awards in previous years are Bob Dylan’s Chronicles: Volume One, Keith Richards’ Life, and Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run.
The Grammys: Parton Is Nominated, U2 Is Performing
Meanwhile, Parton also will be competing for an award at this year’s Grammy ceremony, while Bono and U2 are part of the event’s performance lineup.
Parton’s rendition of “The Last Thing on My Mind” has been nominated in the Best Solo Country Performance category. As for U2, they will perform from the Sphere venue in Las Vegas, site of the band’s ongoing residency.
The 66th Grammys ceremony takes place this Sunday, February 4. The event will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS. It also will be available to stream live and on demand on the Paramount+ service.
U2 Concert Tickets
Tickets for U2’s Las Vegas residency are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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