Dolly Parton Invests Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ Royalties in Black Nashville Community
Dolly Parton has unveiled that she invested her royalties from Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” into a Black community in Nashville. The song was written by the legendary country singer-songwriter and released back in 1974. It later became a worldwide hit when Houston covered the classic in 1992.
Just in time for Whitney Houston’s 58th birthday, Dolly Parton revealed that in honor of Houston, she invested the late icon’s cover royalties for “I Will Always Love you” in a Black community located in Nashville, Tennessee.
Parton, 75, originally wrote the song as a farewell to country singer and good friend Porter Wagner who gave her a start on The Porter Wagoner Show from 1967 to 1974. The song later blew up and became a hot commodity when Houston covered it for the classic 1992 movie, The Bodyguard.
In her appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Parton stated that she would’ve loved the opportunity to perform the classic with Houston.
During #WWHL, @DollyParton said she wishes she could’ve performed ‘I Will Always Love You’ with Whitney Houston.
— WWHL (@BravoWWHL) July 30, 2021
“I would’ve loved that, but I don’t think I could come up to snuff with her though. She would’ve outsung me on that one for sure.” pic.twitter.com/4ReL6humhD
“I would’ve loved that, but I don’t think I could come up to snuff with her, though. She would’ve outsung me on that one for sure,” the country music icon stated.
During #WWHL, @DollyParton shared what she bought with her royalties from ‘I Will Always Love You.’ pic.twitter.com/ZrMahGMmwt
— WWHL (@BravoWWHL) July 30, 2021
Parton also told Cohen that she used some of the royalties earned from Houston’s rendition to purchase an office complex and strip mall in a predominantly Black area of the town in honor of the late legend.
“I just thought, ‘This was great. I’m just going to be down here with her people who are my people as well. And so I just love the fact that I spent that money on a complex and I think, ‘This is the house that Whitney built.'”
HAPPY BDAY WHITNEY HOUSTON 🌹 pic.twitter.com/V4mi4k0OCH
— La Li Lu Le Lo (@AsapTwelvyy) August 9, 2021
Love this picture of Whitney pic.twitter.com/vLVEOf7dU8
— rai benjamin hive 🥈 (@exblasian) August 10, 2021
“I Will Always Love You” spent a total of 14 weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It became Houston’s signature song and caused the original soundtrack album for The Bodyguard to become one of the most best-selling albums in history.
After nearly 30 years, the power of THE BODYGUARD endures. pic.twitter.com/R62at6iVhg
— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) August 9, 2021
Despite it being her song, Parton gives Houston ownership of the record. In the 2019 Netflix documentary Dolly Parton: Here I Am, the Nashville star explained, “People say, ‘Well, she claims it’s her record.’ I said, ‘It is her record. It’s my song, but it’s most definitely her record. It didn’t sound like that when I had it.'”
Fans recently took to social media on Monday, August 9 to honor Houston on her birthday. The vocal powerhouse would have been 58 years old. In honor of Whitney Houston, fans can stream The Bodyguard on Hulu.
