Dolly Parton will receive major recognition at the 2016 CMA Awards. The country icon will be honored with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony.

The award is given to an "iconic artist who has attained the highest degree of recognition in country music," a release explains. Specifically, artists who have achieved success through their live shows, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, record sales and public representation at the highest level are considered. Parton follows previous recipients Willie Nelson (2012), Kenny Rogers (2013) and Johnny Cash (2015).

“Dolly epitomizes the very definition of the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award,” says Sarah Trahern, who is the CMA's Chief Executive Officer. “She is a trailblazer who continues to enchant and captivate fans around the world, from her latest No. 1 album, to her sold-out tour, and numerous television projects. She is a treasure and deserving of this industry acclaim for her undeniable contributions to the success of country music today.”

Nelson is a longtime friend of Parton's, and during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Parton shares that the two often wrote songs for the same publisher, and even collaborated on one of her songs. She also confessed that Nelson isn’t the easiest to sing with.

“He’s so hard to sing with. His phrasing is so different you can’t keep up with him,” she says, recalling a duet the two worked on called “Here to the Moon and Back.”

“Trying to sing with him, I was everywhere. I called him up and said, ‘Willie, send me a sack of that grass you’re smoking, because I can’t follow you. I gotta get where you are. I don’t know where you went in my song, so take me there!"

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