Dolly Parton's attempt to have Elvis Presley cover her song 'I Will Always Love You' took a detour when a disagreement with Elvis's manager, Tom Parker, disrupted the plan.
The country music icon shared that she had been in discussions with Elvis about allowing him to record his rendition of the ballad. Elvis had a personal connection to the song, having sung it to his ex-wife Priscilla after their divorce. However, the arrangement crumbled when Parker, known for his controversial management style, insisted on obtaining the publishing rights.
Dolly revealed, "I wouldn't let Colonel Tom Parker have the rights to the song. Elvis loved it and wanted to do it. It had worked. They had already called me to go down to the studio and listen to part of the song."
Despite the positive trajectory, a single phone call from Parker altered the course of events.
Heartbroken by the turn of events, Dolly expressed, "I cried all night because I was so disappointed. It wasn't Elvis; I loved Elvis. And I'm sure he was as disappointed as I was because he had everything set up and ready to go. I know he loved the song."
While the song has been covered by various artists like Linda Ronstadt and LeAnn Rimes over the years, it was Whitney Houston's iconic 1992 rendition that catapulted the song to global fame.
