DOLLY PARTON - I Will Always Love You

At ten years old, country singer and songwriter Dolly Parton was already performing on radio and TV in Eastern Tennessee, where she grew up with twelve siblings in a one-room cabin. In 1964 she graduated from high school, and the following day she moved to Nashville. The day she arrived there she met Carl Dean, the man she would soon marry, at the Wishy-Washy laundromat. They were married in 1966, and the following year she connected with country entertainer Porter Wagoner, who she would spend the next eight years working with. Wagoner had invited her to be co-host on his TV show, where the two became famous for their duets. Eventually, it became time for the two to split, and in 1974 Parton showed her appreciation to Wagoner by writing him the song I Will Always Love You. The song was her second consecutive number one hit as a solo artist. At the time, Elvis Presley wanted to record a cover of the song. Parton's initial excitement faded when she realized that she would have to sign over half of her publishing rights - a common demand of Elvis when recording covers. Parton turned down the offer, and because of that she kept many millions of dollars that would have been taken from her by the Elvis estate.