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Kesha Honors Dolly Parton With a Song Her Mom Wrote, Made Famous by the Country Legend in the 80s

Dolly Parton had a No. 1 hit with “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You”, which Kesha said helped put a roof over her head growing up.

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Just hours after Dolly Parton’s death, Kesha paid tribute to the country icon during her concert on August 25, 2026. The news broke as Kesha performed in Pittsburgh during a stop on her Freedom Tour. On stage, she performed a rendition of “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You”, a song her mom wrote that Dolly Parton covered in 1980.

Kesha’s mother, Pebe Sebert, initially penned the song around 1978. Joe Sun recorded a version that hit No. 14 on the U.S. country chart. But when Parton covered the song for her 1980 album Dolly, Dolly, Dolly, it shot to No. 1 on the Country Singles chart.

“I just want to say thank you for bringing me so much joy today, because........

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