“He Started Crying” — Dolly Parton Reflects on the First Time She Sang ‘I Will Always Love You’ to Porter Wagoner

Most of us are familiar with the story behind Dolly Parton’s iconic song “I Will Always Love You.” Written upon her departure from the Porter Wagoner Show in 1974, the song marked her transition from a successful TV show regular to an even more fulfilling solo career.

Dolly joined the Porter Wagoner Show in 1967, and the pair eventually experienced a very public professional break-up. Porter Wagoner filed a $3 million lawsuit against her in 1979, alleging a breach of contract. Though the lawsuit was settled out of court, Dolly found herself owing money to her former boss for three years after leaving his show. Despite the nastiness that ensued, the two eventually reconciled.

In a recent interview with CBS Mornings, Dolly recalled the first time she played “I Will Always Love You” for Porter. Moved by the song, Porter immediately asked if he could produce it, recognizing its potential:

“He started crying. And he said, ‘That’s the best song you ever wrote, and if you let me produce it, you can go.’”

Dolly agreed, and the song went on to become a timeless hit and a country music standard. Although Porter still sued Dolly later, his belief in the song’s power was justified.

Even Elvis Presley expressed interest in recording “I Will Always Love You,” but his manager demanded all of the publishing rights, which Dolly refused to relinquish. She has referred to this as one of the heartbreaks of her life but stood firm in her decision.

Reflecting on her departure from Porter and her pursuit of superstardom, Dolly candidly spoke about her ambitions in the 2003 movie Dolly Parton: Platinum Blonde. She desired “big-time management” and a worldwide career, aspirations that were unattainable if she stayed on the show after her five-year contract:

“I wanted to have big-time management. I wanted to get in movies by that time. I wanted to do everything that a body could do as an entertainer. I wanted to be worldwide. I thought, well, if I’m gonna be a star, why not be a big star?”

Her desire for bigger opportunities was compounded by financial frustrations. Despite starting with a $60,000 salary on Porter’s show—a substantial sum for a young woman from the hills of east Tennessee—Porter rarely gave her a raise. She felt it was unfair that he profited significantly from her rising stardom without compensating her accordingly:

“I started working for Porter for $60,000 a year. That was what the deal was, and that was more money than I’d ever seen or heard tale of. But the thing is, Porter didn’t raise me very much, but that was one of the reasons I had to go, because I was part of his group. He was making all the big money too because of me.”

To keep her from leaving, Porter attempted to convince Dolly that her record label, RCA, would drop her if she left his show. Determined, Dolly took matters into her own hands, flying to New York to meet with RCA executives and inform them of her decision:

“Porter had tried to convince me, and had told me over and over, ‘They’re gonna drop you as soon as you leave the show, they’re not gonna want you at RCA.’ So before I had left Porter’s show, I flew up to New York from Nashville on my own, made appointments with some of the main people at RCA. I said, ‘Well, I’m here to say that I’m going out on my own. I’m going to be leaving the Porter Wagoner Show. I’m going to make a big change here. I’m gonna get some pop producers, I want to try to bridge the gap from country.’ They were very excited, they got totally behind me.”

Dolly Parton’s journey from the Porter Wagoner Show to international superstardom is a testament to knowing your worth and going after what you want. Her story continues to inspire many across all careers.