Dolly Parton: The Song That Set Her Free and the Legacy That’s Changing Millions of Lives

In 1974, Dolly Parton walked into Porter Wagoner’s office with trembling hands and a difficult truth. After seven years as his duet partner, the bright voice on his television show, and the young singer he helped elevate to national fame, she knew she had to leave. Words had failed her for months—so she brought a song instead. Quietly, she told him, “Porter, I wrote you a song,” lifted her guitar, and performed “I Will Always Love You” for the very first time. When she finished, Wagoner was in tears. “That’s the prettiest song I ever heard,” he whispered, before agreeing to let her go—on one condition: he would produce the record.

The song became a number-one hit, but for Parton, it marked more than chart success. It was her declaration of independence after years of creative tension and clashing visions. She had deep gratitude for Wagoner—he had launched her career in 1967—but she needed space to grow on her own. “We bashed heads,” she later recalled. “He had his dreams and I had mine.”

Nearly two decades later, the song resurfaced in a way no one could have predicted. Actor Kevin Costner chose it for The Bodyguard, and when Whitney Houston’s soaring rendition debuted, Parton heard it unexpectedly on her car radio. She nearly drove off the road. Houston’s version became a global phenomenon, topping charts in dozens of countries and becoming the best-selling single by a female artist in history.

While the song brought Parton enormous wealth, she funneled her success into something far greater than personal comfort. In 1995, inspired by her father’s inability to read, she founded the Imagination Library—a program that mails free, high-quality books each month to children from birth to age five. What began in one Tennessee county has grown into an international literacy initiative spanning five countries. Today, more than 200 million books have been gifted, with over 2.4 million mailed out every month. One in ten American children under five now receives a book from Dolly Parton.

Her philanthropy didn’t stop there. When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, Parton donated $1 million to support research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, funding work that contributed to the development of the Moderna vaccine. Seven months later, her name appeared in the preliminary research report—a testament to her belief in helping wherever she can.

From a farewell song written in a moment of heartbreak to worldwide literacy programs and life-saving medical research, Dolly Parton has turned her pain into purpose. She once said, “If you can read, you can dream.” Through her music, her generosity, and her unwavering spirit, she continues to help millions do exactly that.