Eighty years of music calls for a pretty good gathering, and Where The Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years Of The Stanley Brothers delivers one. Billy Strings, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and an expansive cast of bluegrass, country, and Americana artists come together to celebrate the songs Carter and Ralph Stanley carried out of southwestern Virginia and into the fabric of American roots music.

Produced by Alison Brown and Garry West, the 12-track compilation introduces the brothers’ repertoire through an appealing mix of musical partnerships. Billy Strings joins Drew Emmitt for “If I Lose,” while Dolly Parton takes on “Bound To Ride” with the First Ladies of Bluegrass: Alison Brown, Becky Buller, Sierra Hull, Missy Raines, and Molly Tuttle. Willie Nelson and Sierra Ferrell share “I’ll Fly Away,” bringing two unmistakable voices to one of gospel music’s most enduring songs.

Family connections run through the project, too. Ralph Stanley II joins Tim O’Brien and the Clinch Mountain Boys on “Mother No Longer Awaits Me At Home,” linking the tribute directly to the musicians and family who have carried these traditions forward. Elsewhere, Jamey Johnson and Shawn Camp tackle “Rank Strangers To Me,” and Jim Lauderdale teams with the Travelin’ McCourys for “Ridin’ That Midnight Train.”

The song selections also make room for the breadth of the Stanley Brothers’ repertoire. Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell revisit “Little Birdie,” Dierks Bentley joins Della Mae for “How Mountain Girls Can Love,” and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band partners with Brown on “Think Of What You’ve Done.” Steve Martin and Ed Helms bring humor into the proceedings with Alison Brown on “Pardon Me, Stranger,” a reworking of the brothers’ “How Far To Little Rock” routine.

Brown, Kristin Scott Benson, and Gena Britt share banjo duties on “Ralph’s Banjo Special,” while Brown and I’m With Her close with “Going Up Home To Live In Green Pastures.” Across the collection, the invitation is simple: follow a favorite artist into these songs, then spend some time getting acquainted with the brothers who helped give them their enduring voice.