Forty years after Dolly Parton declined Elvis Presley’s request to record “I Will Always Love You,” a young Austrian girl, just 13 years old, brought new life to the iconic song.
The ballad—repopularized by Whitney Houston in 1992—was powerfully performed by Laura Kamhuber during her blind audition on The Voice Kids, leaving the judges momentarily speechless.
In 1974, Elvis showed interest in recording Parton’s song, but accepting his terms meant giving up half of her publishing royalties. Parton, despite her admiration for Presley, couldn’t agree.
“Something in my heart said, ‘Don’t do that,’ and I just didn’t,” she later shared. “I always wondered how he’d have sounded.” Years later, Houston’s rendition became so successful that Parton joked, “I made enough money to buy Graceland.”
In 1992, Houston recorded the song for The Bodyguard, which went on to sell over 20 million copies, becoming the best-selling single by a female solo artist.
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