Of course, as Parton got older and became a country icon, she got to know her childhood crush and even performed with him.
It was another man Parton met in Nashville who would turn out to be the love of her life. The singer met her husband Carl Dean at Nashville’s Wishy Washy laundromat when she was 18 years old. The couple married two years later in 1966.
After an impromptu performance of “Jolene,” Parton discussed her Netflix series Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings and the reason she wouldn’t allow Elvis Presley to record her song “I Will Always Love You.”
“[Elvis’ manager] Colonel Tom said I’d have to give away half the publishing because Elvis didn’t record anything unless he had half the publishing,” Parton explained. “I said I couldn’t do it because I was leaving that for my family… After Whitney (Houston) recorded it, I realized that that was the best choice that I’d ever made.”