Is there anything Dolly Parton can’t do? She can sing, act, write books, and even make ice cream!
She’s earned every bit of her net worth. Throughout her seven decades of performance, Dolly has shown herself to be one of entertainment’s most versatile stars. Some of the best have covered her music, and she has covered plenty of amazing songs. So it should be no surprise that Dolly can do an incredible Elvis Presley impersonation.
“God knows I ain’t no Elvis. There never will be another one, but I thought this might be fun.” https://t.co/vZRRBak78I
— Southern Living (@Southern_Living) July 15, 2022
Dolly Does Elvis
Dolly channeled The King during a performance filmed for her 1983 HBO special, Dolly Parton: Live From London.
Check out the performance below.
Dolly does everything The King does. She shakes her hips, swings her arms, and even gets down on one knee ala Jumpsuit Elvis. It is such a spot-on impression that it makes me wonder why Dolly doesn’t pull it out more often.
What other legends should Dolly impersonate? I would love to see her impressions of Garth Brooks and Tina Turner.
Elvis & Dolly’s History
Dolly and Elvis have a bit of history together. The real-life Dolly famously turned down Elvis’ request to cover “I Will Always Love You” In what would become emblematic of her business acumen and desire to protect her music and brand.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t give you the publishing.’ I wanted to hear Elvis sing it, and it broke my heart—I cried all night. “But I had to keep that copyright in my pocket. You have to take care of your business!”
Dolly later went on to regret the decision.
#DollyParton ‘wept’ after having to turn down #ElvisPresley offer#Elvis https://t.co/aMCtdANeL6
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) July 16, 2022
You mean how she wouldn’t sell the rights to the song to Elvis? Or do you mean the story behind the song itself and her split with Porter Wagoner? Both are great. She’s such an amazing person. I’ve never heard anything bad about her, even SLIGHTLY bad. It’s astonishing ??
— Mark Lender (@MarkLender1970) July 20, 2022
Other Fun Dolly Covers
Dolly Parton is not afraid to cover other artists and put her unique spin on the work of others.
@saltaco – we announced this week that #DollyParton would make it into the Inspiration Alley murals in downtown Boise this week. Made me think of your last show & Dolly’s cover of Collective Soul: https://t.co/bpg8oCSd4p
— Russ Stoddard (@rstoddard) July 19, 2022
If you want even more “Just When I Needed You Most,” here’s Dolly Parton’s 1996 cover of it, which features an assist from Allison Krauss and John “Welcome Back” Sebastian. https://t.co/m58BoJmhm1
— TVMoJoe (@TVMoJoe) July 20, 2022
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Next, Read This: 5 Dolly Parton Covers That Show Just How Talented She Really Is