5 Beautiful Songs You Didn’t Know Were Written by Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is larger than life, with the vocal talent to back it up. She’s also an incredible songwriter. She’s gotten her flowers for her incredible songwriting credits, but there are a few songs here and there that some fans may not know Parton actually wrote. Let’s take a look at five stunning songs you didn’t know were written by Dolly Parton!

1. “Kentucky Gambler” by Merle Haggard

Dolly Parton originally wrote “Kentucky Gambler” in 1974 and even recorded it herself. Unless you’re a hardcore Parton fan, you may have never heard it. However, you probably heard Merle Haggard and The Strangers’ cover of “Kentucky Gambler” at some point. That cover hit no. 1 on the country charts. Interestingly, Parton’s album The Bargain Store happened to feature a Haggard cover as well. 

2. “I’m In No Condition” by Hank Williams, Jr.

Parton wrote and featured “I’m In No Condition” on the 1967 album Hello, I’m Dolly. This might be surprising for some to hear, because Hank Williams, Jr.’s cover sounds like it was written by him. It wasn’t a massive success for Williams, Jr., but it was quite strange how much it sounded like a Hank Williams, Jr. original.

3. “There’ll Always Be Music” by Tina Turner

Dolly Parton has crossed genres a few times in her career. We all know she wrote “I Will Always Love You” and that the late great Whitney Houston popularized it, but few know that she also wrote “There’ll Always Be Music” for the late great Tina Turner. It’s one of the coolest songs written by Dolly Parton, and Turner’s soulful voice turned it into an even more stunning piece of work.

4. “Put It Off Until Tomorrow” by Bill Phillips

Dolly Parton wrote quite a bit of music for other artists before she made her “debut” as a singer. Back in 1966, Bill Phillips recorded “Put It Off Until Tomorrow”, which was originally written by Parton. The song hit no. 6 on the country charts and did pretty well for Phillips. It did pretty well for Parton, too. The success of the song landed her a contract with Monument Records.

5. “Waltz Me To Heaven” by Waylon Jennings

“Waltz Me To Heaven” was originally written by Parton for Waylon Jennings. That being said, the song actually debuted a year before its “official” release on the soundtrack to the film Rhinestone. That version was sung by Parton’s little brother, Floyd Parton. 

Jennings’ rendition made it to no. 10 on the country charts. It was an unlikely but perfect match. Jennings’ deep baritone voice against the gentle, soft fiddle and pedal steel was the perfect combination for a hit.

Photo by David Redfern

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