Friday, August 28, 2026
Dolly Parton Turned Down Elvis. That May Have Been Her Smartest Move
www.hollywoodreporter.com: There’s a famous story in industry lore about how, back in the ‘70s, Elvis Presley’s team had come to Parton with an offer for The King to cover “I Will Always Love You.” It was a potentially life-changing offer, even for an already famous Parton, to have one of the world’s most beloved artists turn a song she’d written into a likely smash hit. But it came with strings attached: While Elvis didn’t write a word of the song, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded he get 50 percent of the publishing credit.
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The article mentioned that Dolly Parton was heartbroken by the decision to deny Elvis the right to cover “I Will Always Love You”. I wonder what the source of that heartbreak was. Was it from the artistic value of the song, and her story and experience being shared? The missed chance to collaborate with The King? Was it the money that the song could have made even with her getting only 50% of the publishing credit (before it was popularized by Whitney Houston)? Was it the intimidation factor that is mentioned later in the article?
I was also surprised that the article seemed to imply that this intimidation factor was an attribute of the modern music industry. I find it very hard to believe that there was no intention to intimidate a young woman who had a great song in the 70s. Like, there’s no way this is a new thing that didn’t happen back then? I mean just because it looks different now with the rise of social media, it doesn’t mean that the superficial factors unrelated to talent weren’t there. I could be wrong.
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