Dolly Parton, the legendary singer and songwriter of country music, was raised in a big family and was born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, on January 19, 1946. One of twelve children, Dolly Parton’s family has had a big impact on her life and profession.
Dolly Parton’s family life, her interactions with her siblings, and the events she experienced together through the years have all affected her music and storytelling.
Willadeene, David, Coy, Robert Jr., Stella, Cassie, Randy, Larry, Floyd, and twins Freida and Rachel are among Dolly Parton’s six brothers and five sisters who she considers to be her genuine family stars.
The Parton family lived in a three-bedroom cabin in Sevierville, Tennessee, close to the Smoky Mountains. All the children were brought up by Dolly’s parents, Robert and Avie Lee Parton. Despite not having much, the 14-person family had each other and music.
A Brief Information About Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton, an American country music singer, guitarist, and actress, was born on January 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. She has the greatest popularity for creating the way for the merging of pop and country music.
Parton was the fourth of 12 kids born into a poor farming family. She showed talent and enthusiasm for music at a young age, and as a little kid in Knoxville, Tennessee, she appeared as a featured vocalist and guitarist on local radio and television programs. She left for Nashville in 1964 right after graduating from high school in order to pursue a career in music.
Siblings Details
Here is all the information you need to know about Dolly Parton’s six brothers and five sisters.
Willadeene Parton
Willadeene Parton, a daughter, was born to Avie and Robert on March 24, 1940. Willadeene was the eldest child in the Parton family, and her younger siblings frequently looked up to her as a mother figure.
Willadeene initially attempted to sing (she and a few of her sisters were in a gospel music group), but she ultimately discovered her true passion via storytelling.
Willadeene’s first book, Smoky Mountain Memories: Stories from the Hearts of the Parton Family, an autobiography about her family, was released in 1996.
She published the cookbook All-Day Singing & Dinner on the Ground the next year, in 1997, featuring dishes influenced by her background in Tennessee. She has now settled down and left Tennessee’s public eye.
Stella Parton
Stella Parton was born in Sevierville, Tennessee on May 4, 1949. Stella began a career in the music business, just as her sister Dolly did.
Her career took off significantly with the 1975 release of her debut album, I Want to Hold You in My Dreams Tonight. Stella has released more than 36 albums so far. Additionally, she appeared in Dolly’s 2015 movie Coat of Many Colours.
Stella wrote her own memoir as a result of Willadeene’s influence. The album’s title in 2011 was Tell It Sister, Tell It: Memories, Music and Miracles. Stella Parton’s Country Cookin’, State Fairs and Church Bazaars, and more cookbooks were also written by her. She participated in the British TV competition Celebrity Master Chef in 2018.
Stella revealed during the promotion of the movie Nothing Is Impossible that she always has “two or three projects on the cooker, in the slow-cooker,” whether it’s an album or an on-screen project. Despite focusing more on a solo career, Stella has a soft place for family partnerships.
Stella and her then-husband Marvin Carrol Rauhuff had a son Timothy when she was 19 years old. Four years after their marriage, the couple decided to get divorced. From 1988 to 1991, she was married to Steven Messer.
Cassie Parton
On February 12, 1951, Cassie Parton was born. She started singing when she was young and joined her sisters in a gospel choir.
Despite the fact that her professional music career ended there, she did make a vocal appearance in her sister’s 2013 television production of My People: Dolly’s Letter Home.
Cassie has withdrawn from the spotlight since her days performing on stage. She and her spouse Larry Seaver have two children together: Bryan Melvin Seaver and Rebecca Ann Seaver.
Randy Parton
The eighth of the 12 Parton siblings, Randy Parton was born on December 15, 1953, not far from the family’s house in Sevierville, Tennessee.
Like his well-known elder sister, Randy had a very successful music career. He performed as the main attraction in Dollywood in 1986, and he also produced the number-one singles “Hold Me Like You Never Had Me” and “Shot Full of Love.” He even sang with Dolly in the duet “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You.”
The well-known singer-songwriter passed away in January 2021 at the age of 67. Dolly posted the tragic information on Facebook, saying that her brother “has lost his battle with cancer,” but that she and the rest of the family should take solace.
Larry Parton
In July 1955, Larry, Avie, and Robert’s ninth child passed away four days after his birth. Coat of Many Colours, a 2015 film directed by Dolly and based on her 1971 single of the same name, is about his death.
Larry and Dolly had a tight relationship despite the fact that Larry passed soon after his birth. The infant that died in the movie was “my baby,” the mother said.
Only 9 years old at the time of Larry’s passing, Dolly felt “a lot of heartache.” “Everything is difficult, but it’s the challenge that makes your memories,” she continued. “Your identity is derived from this.”
Floyd Parton
On June 1st, 1957, Floyd was born in Sevierville, Tennessee. He had considerable success in music, just like other of his siblings, and even collaborated with sister Dolly.
The two co-wrote the No. 1 singles “Nickels and Dimes” from Dolly’s Heartbreaker album and the 1991 duet “Rockin’ Years” with Ricky Van Shelton.
Floyd passed away in December 2018 at the age of 61. He was remembered as “a renaissance man” with a strong love of nature. At the private funeral ceremony, Dolly sang a song in memory of her younger brother and long-time songwriting collaborator.
Freida Parton
Freida is Floyd’s twin sister; both were born in Sevierville, Tennessee, on June 1, 1957. Freida grew up playing in a punk band, which was completely different from the traditional rural music of her family. She provided backing vocals on a few of Dolly’s recordings, too.
Freida became a bishop in 2014. In her hometown of Sevierville, she established Parton Family Wedding Church & Antiques, a combination chapel and antique shop.
At the time, Freida revealed to the Knoxville News Sentinel that she had been motivated to “do something really special.” “I love weddings, and I love being a part of them because some of that love falls on me,” she said. And I’ve done my job if I can bless somebody else.
Rachel Parton
Rachel Parton was born on August 31, 1959, in Sevierville, Tennessee, making her the youngest of the Partons. In the past, Rachel was a lead vocalist for the group Honey Creek, which she and her late brother Randy founded.
Later, she made a change to acting. She is most known for her part in the ABC comedy 9 to 5, which is based on Dolly’s movie of the same name. Under the name Doralee, Rachel played a dramatized version of herself in the 1982–1988 television series.
Rachel served as Dolly’s assistant before she became a well-known actress. In a previous interview, Rachel revealed that when she was a little child, beauty was her primary passion. She even traveled with Dolly as both a backup vocalist and makeup artist.
David Parton, Coy Parton and Robert Lee Parton Jr.
Unlike their well-known sisters, the brothers, David, Coy, and Robert Lee, all really like relatively private lives away from the media. The older brother of Dolly is Coy, who was born in 1943, while David was born in 1942. Robert Jr., her little brother, was born in 1948.
Now let’s take a closer look at Dolly Parton’s songs in the table below.
| Song Name | Album Name | Releasing Year |
| Islands in the Stream | Eyes That See in the Dark | 1983 |
| 9 to 5 | 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs | 1980 |
| Coat of Many Colors | Coat of Many Colors | 1971 |
| There Was Jesus | Rescue Story | 2019 |
| Rockin’ Years | Eagle When She Flies | 1991 |
| My Tennessee Mountain Home | My Tennessee Mountain Home | 1973 |
| Love Is Like a Butterfly | Love Is Like a Butterfly | 1974 |
| Bets On Us | One Night in Nashville | 2023 |
| You’re the Only One | Great Balls of Fire | 1979 |
| Silver and Gold | Eagle When She Flies | 1991 |
Conclusion
- All of Parton’s 11 siblings, who grew up amid the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee’s poverty, have a connection to Dolly.
- They occupied a one-bedroom home with no indoor plumbing or power.
- All of the members of Dolly Parton’s family, particularly those who are related to her mother Avie Lee, are singers and musicians.
- Although several of Parton’s siblings and their children are musicians, not all of them pursued careers in the entertainment industry.
