Barry Gibb Compares Dolly Parton To Elvis And Reveals What It Was Like Recording with Her

Barry Gibb has revealed what it was really like to work with Dolly Parton-and according to the Bee Gees legend, sharing a studio with her was almost like standing beside Elvis Presley.

New Zealand broadcaster Tim Roxborogh has released a previously unseen excerpt from his extensive January 2021 interview with Gibb. In the resurfaced clip, the singer-songwriter discusses recording "Words" with Parton for his chart-topping country duets album, Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1.

Gibb recalled feeling the extraordinary effect Parton had on virtually everyone who encountered her. His comparison to Elvis was not about their musical styles but their almost supernatural star power: both possessed an unmistakable presence capable of leaving other performers awestruck.

That quality apparently affected younger female singer-songwriters most powerfully. Gibb observed that Parton's combination of songwriting brilliance, celebrity and warmth had made her a model for generations of women entering the music business. She might have been one of country music's biggest stars, but he remembered her as exceptionally humble and capable of making others feel comfortable.

The recording session became even more emotional when Parton revealed that she was standing in the same Nashville studio-and reportedly in the same spot-where she had recorded "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You." Both classics were famously written on the same day, a frequently repeated detail that Gibb found almost impossible to comprehend.

For a songwriter responsible for "Stayin' Alive," "How Deep Is Your Love," "To Love Somebody" and countless other standards, Gibb is not easily intimidated by another artist's catalog. Yet standing beside Parton in the birthplace of two of her defining songs left him genuinely overwhelmed.

"I'm freaking out," he recalled of the experience, describing the historical significance of the room as "mind-blowing."

The session was hardly the first time the Bee Gees and Parton's musical worlds had collided. Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb wrote "Islands in the Stream," which Kenny Rogers and Parton transformed into a colossal country-pop hit in 1983. Rogers initially struggled to connect with the song, prompting Barry to declare that the recording needed Dolly Parton.

According to Rogers, Parton arrived approximately 45 minutes later and changed everything. Their chemistry turned "Islands in the Stream" into a No. 1 hit and one of the most beloved duets in country-music history.

Nearly four decades later, Gibb finally stepped behind the microphone with Parton himself. Their version of the Bee Gees' 1968 classic "Words" appeared on Greenfields, alongside Gibb's collaborations with Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Alison Krauss, Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert and Olivia Newton-John.

The Elvis comparison carries an intriguing twist. Parton famously came agonizingly close to having Presley record "I Will Always Love You." She abandoned the deal after Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded half of the song's publishing rights. Although Parton admitted that she cried over losing the opportunity, retaining ownership eventually became one of the most lucrative decisions of her career.

Roxborogh also asked whether Gibb envied Parton for having her own theme park and might consider launching a "Barryworld" to rival Dollywood. The musician appeared amused by the suggestion but showed little interest in adding roller coasters to the Bee Gees empire.

The lighthearted exchange now carries additional emotional weight following Parton's death at 80. It captures Gibb speaking not merely about a famous collaborator, but about a songwriter whose presence could still astonish one of the most successful composers in popular-music history.

Watch Tim Roxborogh's newly released clip, "Barry Gibb On Dolly Parton-Why Working With Her Was Magic," on YouTube.