Country music superstar Dolly Parton had a very early start to her career when she began singing at her local church at age 6. By age 13, she had recorded her first single, “Puppy Love,” which she co-wrote at age 11 with her uncle—and had even appeared on the Grand Ole Opry stage by that time, too, introduced by none other than music legend Johnny Cash.
After high school, Parton immediately moved to Nashville to continue building momentum in her music career. It was there she wrote both hit singles “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You”—on the same day, no less—two songs that were later cemented as country classics. Her partnership with singer and television star Porter Wagoner in 1967 also helped her gain national recognition.
But what also made Parton so prominent in the music industry was her business savvy. She always retained ownership of her songs, a rare move that helped balloon her wealth to an estimated $650 million. It was especially helpful that she chose to do that when Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” became a global hit in the 1990s.
Notably, Parton, whose family announced her death earlier this week, even turned down Elvis Presley’s request in 1974 to record the song after his manager Colonel Tom Parker demanded half the publishing rights.
“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,” Parton told W Magazine in 2021. “But I had to keep that copyright in my pocket. You have to take care of your business.”
Parton had established her own publishing company in 1966, which helped her hold on to nearly all of her publishing rights. This meant she got paid a larger royalty whenever one of her songs was played or covered. And she wasn’t about to let even The King slide past those rules.
“Everybody’s going to use you if they can,” she added. “These are my songs—they’re like my children. And I expect them to support me when I’m old.”
How Dolly Parton grew her wealth
Parton built a legendary career in entertainment from her music, acting roles, and her theme park, Dollywood, in Tennessee.
While a large portion of Parton’s wealth (an estimated $150 million) came from her music catalog, she also earned millions in royalties and co-owns Dollywood, which reportedly generates hundreds of millions in revenue each year from roughly 3 million visitors.
Parton was also a dedicated philanthropist, having founded the Dollywood Foundation in 1988. Her foundation focuses on supporting children in her hometown of Sevierville, Tenn., through educational programs.
She also made multimillion-dollar donations to disaster relief, medical research, and scholarships. In 2022, she received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, joining the ranks of other major philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Paul Allen, and the Rockefeller family.
A version of this story was originally published on Fortune.com on Oct. 8, 2025.
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