Why Dolly Parton Said NO to Elvis Presley

10 Sept 2026 / 00:31:39

Elvis Presley wanted to record Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”—but Colonel Tom Parker demanded half of the song’s publishing rights. Dolly made the difficult decision to say no. Years later, Whitney Houston’s recording reportedly earned Dolly millions in royalties and turned that brave refusal into one of the smartest decisions of her career. Would you have turned Elvis down? Tell us below, then watch the full Listener Land episode for more remarkable Dolly Parton stories. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/xR7BAo21kAg #dollyparton #elvispresley #iwillalwaysloveyou #whitneyhouston