Dolly Parton is the recipient of the 2024 Music for Peace Award, which honors an American music industry professional, artist or group who has played a valuable role in cross-cultural exchange. Their music is dedicated to promoting global peace and mutual understanding. The award is presented jointly by the Recording Academy and the U.S. Department of State.
Parton, a 10-time Grammy Award winner who received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2011, will be celebrated on Friday (October 25) at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. She will not be attending but has sent an acceptance video.
“To say that I am honored to accept the Music for Peace Award from the Recording Academy and the U.S. Department of State is an understatement,” Parton said. “I’m so touched and moved by this. If I’m inspired in any way through some kind act or some music I write, well, it makes me feel like I’ve done my job right. Thank you again for giving us Such a huge honor.
Parton’s commitment to serving others is well known. Patton’s imaginary libraries stretch from the Appalachian Mountains to the Australian Outback, providing underserved children with the opportunity to learn through reading. In addition, she has been an advocate for public health, most recently around the COVID-19 vaccine.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said: “Throughout her career, Dolly Parton has worked to enrich communities around the world, and it is an honor to celebrate her today with the Music for Peace Award Dedication to Service “We are pleased to partner with the Department of State on the Global Music Diplomacy Program, an important component of the Academy’s work to support musicians around the world. “
“Dolly Parton represents the best of America – her musical excellence, her servant’s heart in giving back to those in need, and her unique ability to always bring people together,” said the director of Public Diplomacy and said Lee Satterfield, acting undersecretary of public affairs. “On behalf of the American people and the Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken, we are honored to partner with the Recording Academy to present the Music for Peace Award to celebrate all of her contributions to people around the world.
The Music for Peace Prize is determined through a nomination process in which U.S. embassies around the world submit nominations and are reviewed by a selection committee established jointly by the State Department and the Recording Academy. The committee includes members of the Recording Academy, U.S. State Department leaders, music industry professionals and academia. Recommended winners are approved by the Recording Academy CEO and then submitted to the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, who makes the final selection.
The award is part of a global music diplomacy initiative announced by the Recording Academy and the State Department in 2023. . The initiative was developed under the Peace Through Music Diplomacy Act, which was supported by the Recording Academy and its members at the annual Grammy Hill and Music Advocacy Day events in 2022, culminating in the bill’s December 2022 Passed into law.
Tonight’s Grammy Museum event also honors the inaugural American Music Mentorship Program, which takes place in Los Angeles from October 15-25.
