{"id":71302,"date":"2026-08-26T01:57:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T01:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/26\/5-singers-who-covered-dolly-partons-i-will-always-love-you\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T01:57:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T01:57:30","slug":"5-singers-who-covered-dolly-partons-i-will-always-love-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/26\/5-singers-who-covered-dolly-partons-i-will-always-love-you\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Singers Who Covered Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Dolly Parton<\/a> may have written and recorded “I Will Always Love You” first, but the song went on to become one of the most beloved vocal showcases in music history.<\/p>\n

Parton, who died Tuesday (Aug. 25) at 80<\/a>, wrote the 1974 classic after deciding it was time to part ways professionally with country star Porter Wagoner<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Nearly two decades later, Whitney Houston<\/a> transformed the song into a massive global pop hit through The Bodyguard soundtrack.<\/p>\n

But Houston wasn’t the only singer to put her own stamp on Parton’s masterpiece.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Dolly Parton Never Met Eminem, But She Left Him With Words He\u2019ll Never Forget<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

From country powerhouses to unforgettable live tributes, these five singers showed just how much life there is in “I Will Always Love You.”<\/p>\n

Whitney Houston<\/h3>\n

Houston’s 1992 version for The Bodyguard<\/em> soundtrack is the cover most people immediately think of. Her towering pop-ballad rendition became a global, record-breaking smash and transformed Parton’s country classic into one of the defining songs of Houston’s career.<\/p>\n

Vince Gill<\/h3>\n

Vince Gill<\/a> brought the song back to its country roots with a celebrated version recorded with Parton herself. It’s a beautiful reminder that beneath all the soaring pop production, Parton’s original is still a devastating country goodbye.<\/p>\n

LeAnn Rimes<\/h3>\n

LeAnn Rimes<\/a> has repeatedly taken on “I Will Always Love You” in live performances, bringing the kind of powerhouse vocals the song demands while keeping its emotional core front and center.<\/p>\n

Kelly Clarkson<\/h3>\n

Kelly Clarkson<\/a> delivered a widely praised tribute performance of the song in honor of Parton, putting her famously massive voice behind one of Parton’s most enduring compositions.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Hudson<\/h3>\n

Jennifer Hudson<\/a> has delivered two particularly memorable performances of the song. In 2010, she performed it directly to Houston at the BET Honors<\/em> while Houston watched from the audience. Two years later, following Houston’s death, Hudson delivered an emotional, impromptu rendition during the 2012 Grammy Awards<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Original<\/h3>\n

Before Whitney Houston made the song a global phenomenon, there was Dolly. Parton wrote \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d in 1973 as she prepared to leave The Porter Wagoner Show<\/em> and move on from her professional partnership with Wagoner. She recorded it herself in 1974, and it became a No. 1 country hit.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s something especially poignant about hearing Parton sing the song herself now. This was never just a heartbreak song. It was Dolly saying goodbye, closing one chapter and choosing what came next.<\/p>\n

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Different singers. Different eras. Different approaches. But every one of them understood what Dolly Parton knew when she wrote it: sometimes goodbye deserves a great song<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

11 Country Covers Better Than the Original and 3 That Aren’t<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n