Dolly Parton Reveals Elvis Almost Sang 'I Will Always Love You'

06-07-2023

(AXS TV) On June 8, 1974, Dolly Parton hit #1 on the country charts with "I Will Always Love You." Did you know that Elvis Presley almost sang the beloved ballad?

During an interview with Dan Rather, Dolly detailed the story of how Elvis Presley became interested in singing her original song, "I Will Always Love You." She was initially excited at the prospect of Elvis recording her tune, but when his manager Colonel Tom Parker noted that the King of Rock and Roll would rein in half of the publishing rights, Dolly ultimately declined.

"It hurt me because I was so disappointed I was going to have to tell my friends that Elvis didn't record it, but I just knew that was not right," Parton said. "If I didn't have my own publishing company, had the song not already been a hit, it might've been different, but I couldn't give somebody half of a song that had already been #1."

While Elvis' rendition never came to be, another singer by the name of Whitney Houston would cover Dolly's hit, with the newer version becoming one of the most successful singles in pop music history.

You can watch Dan Rather's full conversation with Dolly Parton on The Big Interview, available now on the AXS TV website here, mobile app and the AXS TV app on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and other streaming platforms.