DOLLY PARTON - PARTON PLANS WAGONER TRIBUTE

DOLLY PARTON is planning a musical tribute to late mentor PORTER WAGONER - by dragging the country icon's band out of semi-retirement to play with her. Wagoner discovered Parton and the pair enjoyed a legendary partnership at the beginning of her singing career. And now Parton wants to salute Wagoner's career by staging a one off TV special, which will feature all things related to the colourful country star. According to CMT.com, Parton plans to dress her entire band in colourful 'Wagonmaster' costumes, complete with rhinestones and wagon wheel and cactus designs. And she's roping in her longtime assistant Don Warden, who once played steel guitar for Wagoner, and regulars from her late pal's hit TV show including fiddler MAC Magaha, banjo pioneer Buck Trent and funnyman Speck Rhodes. Parton wrote hit ballad I Will Always Love You as a tribute to Wagoner, while he was still alive, and she's expected to perform a heartbreaking rendition of that to close the show. Wagoner passed away at a hospice facility in Nashville, Tennessee last year (07) after a battle with lung cancer. He was 80.