‘Hammered’ country singer apologises after butchering Dolly Parton tribute with ‘profane’ performance-Robert Oliver-Entertainment – Metro

It wasn’t the best night for Elle King… (Picture: Getty)

The Grand Ole Opry has been forced to apologise to fans after a ‘f*****g hammered’ country singer caused a ruckus during a Dolly Parton tribute night.

The famous radio show broadcast from Nashville, USA – the world famous ‘home of country music’ – said sorry after singer Elle King delivered a ‘profane’ rendition of a Dolly classic during a live performance on Friday night.

The Ex’s & Oh’s singer, 34, initially disappointed those in attendance at the ostensibly ‘family friendly’ event with foul language before admitting to forgetting which Dolly song she was meant to be covering.

On X, the famous concert hall, which the Grand Ole Opry radio show comes from, said: ‘We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance.’

There were negative reactions from across the country music fandom but it was the thoughts of one attendee in particular that forced the almost 100-year-old radio show to apologise.

The patron said: ‘Elle King ruined the night with her horrible, drunk, and profane performance. Dolly Parton would’ve been mortified. For our first time at the Opry, it was a shame we all had to witness that.’

Their complaint continued: ‘It was such a disappointment to spend $300 on tickets for a show where one of the artists ruined an entire night.’

Elle’s performances didn’t go down well with Dolly fans (Picture: Chad Scott)

Elle King scored a top 15 UK hit in 2014 with Ex’s & Oh’s (Picture: Red Light Mgmt)

After remembering that she was due to perform the Dolly song Marry Me, a track from the 9 to 5 singer’s 2001 album Little Sparrow, Elle changed the lyrics to include lines such as: ‘I don’t give a s**t’.

The unfortunate incident then continued as she remarked: ‘I don’t know the lyrics to these things in this f*****g town… Don’t tell Dolly cause it’s her birthday.’

Elle then unfortunately turned her attention towards the audience: ‘You ain’t getting your money back. I’ll tell you one thing more. Hi, my name is Elle King and I’m f*****g hammered.’

In a video posted on social media, the reaction from the audience appears to be mixed, with some loud cheers drowned out on occasion by booing, laughter, and some complaining.

The Grand Ole Opry put the event on to celebrate Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday (Picture: AP)

When one of her band’s musicians suggested she play an original song rather than cover a Dolly number, Elle said she could ‘barely play’ and wanted to ‘see if [she] could play one of mine’ instead.

Elle released her first album in 2015, backed by the internationally popular single Ex’s & Oh’s, which reached the top 15 in the UK in 2014.

She has continued to have moderate success as a country singer in the US, recording songs with the likes of Miranda Lambert, Nile Rodgers, and Ronnie Spector.

After the incident in Nashville on Friday, some fans have expressed concern about Elle’s health, with some referencing previous comments she has made about her attempts to achieve sobriety.

In an interview with the San Diego Union Tribune in 2022, she commented: ‘I really like to drink and sing. I don’t want to get as drunk as I used to… I get nervous before I go on stage, so I have couple of drinks.’

Elle King’s representatives have been contacted by Metro.co.uk.

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