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Jack White<\/a> honored Dolly Parton<\/a> by covering her classic song \u201cJolene\u201d during his performance in London on Tuesday night (Aug. 23).<\/p>\n Earlier in the day, Parton\u00a0died at the age of 80<\/a>. The country singer\u2019s\u00a0passing spawned an outpouring of tributes from fellow musicians and fans alike, as people from all walks of life celebrated Parton\u2019s career and philanthropic achievements. White, a longtime admirer of Parton\u2019s, posted a simple tribute on Instagram which read \u201cInstant sainthood,\u201d alongside a classic image of the country star. Then, during his concert at the Eventim Apollo in London, he opted to celebrate Parton with one of her best-known tunes.<\/p>\n After opening his set with the recent single \u201cThat’s How I’m Feeling,\u201d followed by the White Stripes<\/a> classic \u201cDead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,\u201d White surprised the crowd by launching into \u201cJolene\u201d for the first time in 19 years.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Dolly Parton Dies: Rockers React<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n In a clip shared on social media (which you can watch below), White can be seen rocking through the emotionally-charged song. At one point he looked away and pointed to the sky, before then clasping his hands as if he was saying a prayer of thanks for Parton.<\/p>\n According to setlist.fm<\/a>, the last time White performed “Jolene” in concert was 2007 during the White Stripes’ July 24 concert at Madison Square Garden. He had not performed it live during his solo career until today.<\/p>\n Parton originally released the song in 1974. It reached No. 1 on the country chart and earned the singer a pair of Grammy nominations. Decades later, the White Stripes put their own unique spin on the tune \u2013 first releasing it as the B-side to the single “Hello Operator,\u201d before later making it a staple of their live sets (Parton referred to their interpretation of the tune as \u201cwonderful\u201d).<\/p>\n White was drawn to \u201cJolene\u201d even before he became a musician.<\/p>\n “I thought that was an interesting name when I started hearing that song as a teenager,\u201d he recalled to NPR<\/a> <\/em>in 2008. \u201cAnd I guess later on, as a songwriter, I started to think about names starting with ‘J,’ like that could be used almost accusatory, like Jezebel… Jolene.”<\/p>\n Classic rockers and some of their progeny are having a great year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nJack White\u2019s Connection to \u2018Jolene\u2019<\/h3>\n
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