New York, NY, October 23, 2026 — How do you help an artist explore new sounds while preserving everything that makes her instantly recognizable? AES Show Nashville 2026 will explore that question in “Recording the Queen of Country: In the Studio with Dolly Parton,” a tribute to the late singer and songwriter featuring collaborators who helped bring her musical vision to life.
The panel takes place Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. at the AES Show on the Main Stage, Exhibits Floor, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Producer and engineer Val Garay will moderate the conversation with producer, guitarist and longtime Parton collaborator Kent Wells; recording engineer and producer Mark Needham; and session drummer Nir Z.
Through personal recollections and specific recording examples, the panel will examine how Parton’s collaborators supported her artistic reinvention while keeping her voice, phrasing and storytelling at the center of each record. For producers, engineers and musicians, the discussion will connect those experiences to practical decisions about arrangements, vocal production, groove and capturing an emotionally compelling performance. Two albums provide a compelling thread across the conversation: The Great Pretender (1984) and Rockstar (2023). Recorded nearly four decades apart, they reveal different approaches to interpreting familiar songs through Parton’s distinctive musical personality.
Val Garay, who produced and engineered The Great Pretender, will revisit that recording experience during the panel discussion. Val offers a firsthand perspective on capturing Parton’s voice, shaping arrangements around her performances and recognizing when a take delivers the emotional truth of a song.
Kent Wells brings the perspective of a long-term creative partnership that grew from playing guitar with Parton to producing her records, including Rockstar. His experience will anchor a discussion of trust, song development and the choices that allowed Parton to enter new musical territory while remaining unmistakably herself.
Mark Needham, who worked closely with Wells on Rockstar, brings the perspective of a production and recording engineer who helped shape the sound of that album, engineering 26 of its 30 tracks, including collaborations with Sting, Ann Wilson and Stevie Nicks. His experience of working on Rockstar, as well as mixer on several other Parton projects, will anchor a discussion of collaboration, recording choices and the craft of bringing distinct musical voices together while keeping Parton’s own voice at the heart of the album.
Nir Z, whose drumming appears on multiple Rockstar tracks, will bring the conversation into the rhythm section: listening to a singer’s phrasing, finding the right feel and knowing when a simpler part gives a performance more power. His contributions will illuminate how musicians help shape a recording before decisions reach the mixing stage.
Together, the panelists will consider what Parton brought to the studio that listeners might never have seen, how collaborators recognized when a song was finished, and what had to remain intact across changing genres and recording technologies. The session will honor her recording legacy through the working relationships, musical instincts and creative decisions behind the records.
“Honoring Dolly means celebrating the artist she was and the person we were so blessed to know,” said Val Garay. “Each of us on this panel had the privilege of working with her and experiencing the warmth, humor and musical instinct she brought to a session. Sharing our stories and anecdotes is a way to remember those moments and give others a glimpse of what made recording with her so special.”
Join the audio community in Music City for an all-new AES Show experience bringing together leading voices, groundbreaking technologies, hands-on education and opportunities to connect across the industry. AES Show Nashville 2026 takes place October 30 – November 1 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Visit AESShow.com for the latest Show updates, registration information, housing details and the full program.
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Grammy® Award-winning producer/engineer Val Garay
Grammy®-nominated producer, musician and songwriter Kent Wells
Award-winning music producer/recording engineer Mark Needham
Internationally recognized drummer and recording artist Nir Z
