Zac Brown Honors Dolly Parton with Moving Rendition of ‘Butterfly’ During CMA Special
By Laura Halse
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Zac Brown brought Dolly Parton’s voice back to the stage on Wednesday, October 21st, delivering an extremely moving performance of their duet, ‘Butterfly’, during the CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton TV special.
Surrounded by flowers and butterflies, Brown performed the heartfelt ballad alongside Parton’s original recorded vocals, allowing the pair to sing together once more in Nashville.
The song was released in September 2025 and featured on Zac Brown Band's album, Love & Fear. The song was originally written by Brown for his children, offering them words of encouragement, hope and strength for whatever life might bring. But following Parton’s passing in August, the song has taken on a whole new meaning.
During a recent appearance on The Bobby Bones Show, Brown revealed a particularly touching memory from their collaboration. After sending Parton the song, Brown recalls that she loved it so much that she immediately left him a voicemail, which he has kept to this day. The voicemail from Dolly to Brown was, “We got ourselves a number one song here. You know, don’t give that song to anybody else”.
Brown also reflected on the person behind the extraordinary voice, describing his late friend as “a real life angel”, recalling her faith, kindness and generosity, and how Dolly always encouraged others to love and accept people for who they were.
It wasn’t the first time Brown had performed ‘Butterfly’ in Parton’s memory. Just days after her passing on August 25, he paid tribute to the country legend during a Zac Brown Band show at Forest Hills Stadium in New York, telling the audience, “There will never be another Dolly Parton.”
Wednesday night’s performance was part of a star-studded celebration of Parton’s life and legacy, with fellow country artists including Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill also taking part.
And there’s something quite lovely about Brown choosing a song written for his own children to honour an artist whose legacy continues to help millions of other children. Proceeds from the evening will support a donation to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, ensuring that her love of storytelling and helping others lives on.
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