Dolly Parton has always had a preference for small guitars. Over the years, she’s played small-scale three-quarter acoustic guitars and frequently performs with her custom Taylor GS Mini and Martin 5-18 Terz.
As she explains, her love of these smaller-bodied instruments goes back to her very first guitar, a small Martin acoustic given to her by her uncle Lewis, a guitar player who was just one of many musicians in Parton’s extended family.
“When he saw how serious I was about my music, he gave me his little Martin guitar,” Parton told Reverb. “It was my treasure.”
By the time she left home to begin her career at age 18, the Martin was too beat up to take on the road. Parton left it in the loft of her family home, hoping to have it repaired.
“My plan was always to — when I got money, when I got rich and famous — have it fixed up,” she explained,
Unfortunately, the guitar was a victim of a fire.
“But the loft burned out of our house, and burned up my guitar, so I only have the neck of that one,” Parton says. “But I have collected little Martin guitars all through the years. I have some classic little guitars, especially the Martins, the baby Martins.”
Those small-bodied guitars have played a vital role in her career as a performer and songwriter of hits like “Jolene,” “Nine to Five” and “I Will Always Love You,” which she wrote in tribute to her mentor and professional partner, Porter Wagoner.
The song is among those featured on Opry 100: Country’s Greatest Songs, a brand-new two-album set of 20 previously unreleased live recordings from the Grand Ole Opry stage. The record is being issued as part of the Opry’s year-long centennial celebration and spans more than 60 years of recordings, starting with Patsy Cline’s 1962 performance of “Crazy.”
Parton’s song has special meaning on the set. Wagoner was known as Mr. Grand Ole Opry for his constant presence at the venue. He joined the Opry in 1957 and remained a member until his death in 2007. Over that time he served as an unofficial spokesman for the institution following the 1992 death of Roy Acuff, one of the venue’s earliest and biggest stars. Wagoner was also the co-host of the Opry-focused show Opry Backstage.
In 1967, Wagoner invited 21-year-old Parton to a weekly spot on his syndicated TV program, The Porter Wagoner Show. It boosted her popularity, which led Wagoner to convince his label, RCA, to sign her. Her first single, a duet with Wagoner of the Tom Paxton song “The Last Thing on My Mind,” reached the top 10 in January 1968 and began a six-year run of almost uninterrupted top-10 singles for the pair.
“I Will Always Love You” was released in 1974 after their partnership ended and became a number one hit.
“If it hadn’t been for Porter, I wouldn’t have written this song,” Parton said. “It was kind of my goodbye song to Porter.”
Notably, Elvis Presley wanted to record the tune but expected Parton to sign over half the publishing rights in return. She refused, allowing her to keep every cent the song made over the years. That amount became quite significant when Whitney Houston recorded it for her movie The Bodyguard and took it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 14 weeks, a record at the time.
