Dolly Parton may not have been in the room, but her influence was unmistakable at the ACM Honors on Wednesday night, August 19.

As the country music legend was recognized with one of the evening’s prestigious Poet’s Awards, Carly Pearce joined Carter Faith and Kaitlin Butts onstage for a special performance of one of Parton’s most enduring hits, “9 to 5.”

Dolly Parton Receives the ACM Poet’s Award

Presented by the Academy of Country Music, the ACM Honors recognize artists, songwriters and other influential figures whose contributions to country music extend beyond the categories featured at the annual ACM Awards.

This year’s honorees represented a wide range of achievements across the genre.

Bill Anderson and Mike Curb received ACM Icon Awards, while Brett James and The Carter Family were recognized with Poet’s Awards alongside Parton. Eric Church received the ACM Lifting Lives Award, Kacey Musgraves was presented with the ACM Spirit Award, and C2C: Country to Country earned the ACM International Award.

The Paramount+ series Landman received the ACM Film Award, while Leslie Fram was honored with the ACM Lift Every Voice Award and Scott Zolke received the ACM Service Award.

Parton’s Poet’s Award celebrated the songwriting legacy that has helped define her remarkable career.

According to the ACM, the honor recognizes a country music songwriter whose body of work has made a lasting impact on the genre through outstanding lyrical and musical contributions.

Although Parton was unable to attend the ceremony in person, she appeared through a special prerecorded video message and reflected on the importance songwriting has held throughout her life.

“Songwriting has been my therapy, songwriting has been my release, my joy, songwriting has been a gift from God,” Parton said. “It has allowed me to touch people with words and music. So thank you God, and thank you fans around the world.”

As part of the ACM Honors tradition, each recipient was also celebrated with a musical performance before their award moment.

Carly Pearce, Carter Faith and Kaitlin Butts Take On “9 to 5”

@juangoesto 9-5 this classic #acmhonors #nashville #dollyparton @ACM Awards ♬ original sound – JUAN

Pearce had an especially busy night.

In addition to co-hosting the ACM Honors alongside Parker McCollum, she appeared onstage several times throughout the ceremony. The two hosts kicked off the show by performing “Islands In The Stream,” setting the tone for an evening devoted to country music and its most influential figures.

Later, Pearce returned for one of the night’s tributes, this time joined by rising artist Carter Faith and Texas country singer Kaitlin Butts.

Together, the three women honored Parton with a performance of her iconic song “9 to 5.”

Rather than placing the spotlight on a single singer, Pearce, Faith and Butts shared the song between them. They took turns handling the lead vocals before coming together for alternating lines in unison, putting their own collaborative spin on the familiar Parton classic.

Parton wasn’t there to watch the tribute from the audience, but the performance provided a fitting musical salute to the songwriting career being celebrated that evening.

For an artist whose words and melodies have reached generations of listeners, “9 to 5” offered an appropriate reminder of why Parton was among the songwriters honored with the ACM Poet’s Award.