Dolly Parton died Tuesday of cancer at the age of 80 surrounded by loved ones—and loved like few other entertainers in American history. The story of how her most famous song, “I Will Always Love You,” came to be—and how Whitney Houston came to record it—may be the best of all the Parton stories you’ll hear as the nation grieves her loss. Parton was born dirt poor in1946 to a loving family in the mountains of Tennessee.
Her father couldn’t read or write and often worked two jobs to make ends meet but inspired her strong work ethos. It was her mother who instilled in young Dolly her love of music. Whitney Houston grew up well-to-do in New Jersey’s biggest city, Newark, the child of musical royalty: Her mother, Cissy, was a Grammy Award-winning gospel artist, her first cousin was Dionne Warwick, and her distant cousin was opera legend Leontyne Price.
The two could not have come from more different backgrounds, but one of pop music’s greatest love songs brought them together. The song, written and recorded by Parton in 1973, wasn’t about the end of a romantic love but rather the end of a long-standing professional relationship with country star Porter Waggoner. He gave Parton her break in show businesses, signing her to a long-term deal on his nationally syndicated musical variety show.
The two enjoyed great success together, creating a succession of country hits. But as time passed, Parton wanted her freedom, creatively and financially. She wanted to leave the man who had done so much for her career—but how to do it with grace and gratitude?
And one of Nashville’s best songwriters. And that’s where Elvis Presley comes into the story. Parton’s song had come to the rock legend’s attention through his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
The night before the recording, Parker told Parton that he didn’t allow Presley to record anything without half of the publishing rights. "I said, 'I'm sorry, but I can't give you the publishing,'” Parton told W magazine. But I had to keep that copyright in my pocket.
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