A round-up of Dolly Parton’s siblings, where they are now
Dolly Parton is the fourth of twelve siblings. Her parents are Robert and Avie Lee Parton, and thanks to the big family, Dolly has many nieces and nephews. Whenever Dolly’s siblings are brought up, the song “Old Black Kettle” comes to my mind.
My mama and daddy must have loved each other
– Old Black Kettle
Cause I had eleven sisters and brothers
Let’s take a look at what we know about her siblings:
IN THIS ARTICLE
1. Willadeene Parton
Willadeene Parton is the oldest of the Dolly Parton siblings, born in 1940. The eldest Parton sister has made appearances as herself on the TV series “Dolly” in 1977 and “Prime Time Country” in 1996, according to her IMBD page. But she is best known for being the author in the family. Willadeene wrote books such as “Smoky Mountain Memories: Stories from the Hearts of the Parton Family” and “In the Shadow of a Song: The Story of the Parton Family”.
She also penned a cookbook that includes recipes from her childhood, which includes a foreword by Dolly Parton called “All-Day Singing & Dinner on the Ground”. She is not in the public eye very much lately, but she was portrayed by Kelli Berglund in NBC’s “Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love”.
2. David Parton
David Wilburn Parton is the second oldest Parton sibling, born in 1942. He stays out of the spotlight, but according to an article in Woman’s World, he has occasionally been spotted escorting Dolly to various events. He was also shown in a rare photo that Dolly shared for National Sibling Day in 2017.
3. Coy Parton
Coy Denver Parton is the third oldest Parton sibling, born in 1943. The second oldest brother in the family also stays out of the spotlight. For instance, it’s quite difficult to find any information about him at all, minus a few click-bait headlines that – spoiler alert– do not contain much insight.
4. Dolly Parton
As the fourth sibling in the Parton family, Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on Jan. 19, 1946. Y’all already know about Dolly, but we’re including her in the roundup so you can see where she falls in the sibling order. She, of course, is a famous singer, songwriter, philanthropist, businesswoman and probably the reason you are reading this article right now. She married Carl Thomas Dean in 1966.
5. Bobby Lee Parton
Born in 1948, Bobby Lee is like his older brothers in that he chooses to live a private life out of the spotlight. He did not pursue show business. His daughter, Danielle Parton, operates a moonshine distillery in Sevierville called Shine Girl. According to her company’s website, Danielle is the first female in the Parton family to earn a college degree. The website says, “Making (moonshine) plays a unique role on both sides of my family … Yes, that Parton family … My dad, Bobby (not Robert), is number five. My mom is Doris Noland Parton and was best friends with my Aunt Stella, number 6, growing up.” You can visit the distillery at 1610 Jenkins Rd in Sevierville.
6. Stella Parton
Stella Mae Parton is more in the public eye than many of the other Parton siblings. Born in 1949, Stella launched her record label Soul, Country and Blues S.C.A.B Records in 1975. Her debut album “I Want to Hold You (In My Dreams Tonight)” topped the charts. In her career, she has launched 39 albums and had 32 chart singles, according to her website. She is also an actress and author.
In her inspirational memoir “Tell it Sister, Tell It”, she shares her life story, including her family’s humble beginnings, the hardships and miracles along the way, all of which eventually led her on the road to success. Some might recognize her from the “Celebrity Masterchef” series on BBC. According to her IMDB page, she is also known for playing Tanya in the film “Ragin’ Cajun” and Mary Beth Malone in the “The Dukes of Hazzard” TV Series. She has also appeared in “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors” and “Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love”. Her grandson made an appearance on Dolly’s recent Christmas special.
In 2020, she ran a podcast called “Parton Me, Nashville!” about country music and life in Nashville, Tennessee. She’s also a human rights activist and is currently very active on X (Twitter).
7. Cassie Parton
Born in 1951, Cassie Nan Parton is also an actress and singer. She was a guest on “The Porter Wagoner Show” in 1970. The Parton sisters, Stella, Cassie and Dolly, performed “Break My Mind” as a trio. She also played herself in “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas” in 2022. Cassie was also featured in the Dollywood show “My People” in Pigeon Forge. Sightings on social media indicate that Cassie and Dolly are very close.
8. Randy Parton (deceased)
Born in 1953, Randel Huston Parton was a singer, songwriter, actor and businessman. After leaving the road as his sister’s original bass player in the Family Band, Randy performed at Dollywood and entertained millions through his more than 30-year career at the Pigeon Forge theme park. He also scored several charted singles throughout his life including “Roll On (18 Wheeler),” which was later a number-one hit for the band Alabama.
Randy performed with Dolly in shows at the Dollywood theme park. He also produced and performed in his theater in North Carolina in 2007 and 2008. Randy passed away in January 2021 after a battle with cancer at the age of 67. In a post on social media post after his passing, Dolly stated, “My brother Randy has lost his battle with cancer. The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time. We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God.”
9. Larry Parton (deceased)
Born in 1955, Larry Gerald sadly passed away as an infant shortly after his birth. Dolly says in her book “SongTeller” that the parents were overjoyed with every new baby and each of the older kids would sort of be assigned to take care of a baby. Larry was Dolly’s baby to care for.
10. Floyd Parton (deceased)
Born in 1957, Estel Floyd Parton also had a music career. According to Country Living, he was Dolly’s longtime songwriting partner. He was best known for his hit singles “Rockin’ Years” from the album “Eagle When She Flies”, “Waltz Me to Heaven” from “Rhinestone” and “Nickels and Dimes” from the album “Heartbreaker”. He passed at the age of 61 in 2018.
11. Freida Parton
Born in 1957, Freida Estelle Parton is also known for her musical talent. She was in a punk band in the 1980s. Her album “Two Faced” came out in 1984 and is now available on Spotify. “The Chosen One” is her most streamed song, but “Oriental Dolls” was another hit. While it’s a different, edgier style compared to her siblings, she also reportedly sang backup on some of Dolly’s albums.
12. Rachel Ann Parton
Born in 1959, Dolly’s sister, now Rachel Parton George, (formerly Rachel Parton Dennison) is the youngest of the Parton siblings. She is known for her role in the TV series “Nine to Five”. She also portrayed herself in Dolly’s recent movie “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas”. According to her Wikipedia page, she wasn’t attracted to show business, however, it seemed to be the “family tradition”.
How many of the Parton siblings have you seen perform live? Let me know in the comments!
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Saw Randy many times when he had his show at the park at the closing hour of the park. Also seen him and others at Dollywood in the Family Show there. Seen Stella a couple of times, as well as I remember once in a show at the Grand Theater in Pigeon Forge that was a TV show
Randy Parton cut my hair around 1977-78 when he was a student at International Barber College in Nashville, TN on Broadway about 7th Avenue.