Dolly Parton's talent just runs in the family.
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According to the "Jolene" singer's website, Avie Lee Owens, Parton's mother, is credited as her first musical influence.
Parton grew up poor in a one-room cabin with her 11 brothers and sisters in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. But she never felt like she was poor, as Owens raised her children with love and cared for their every need.
She also taught Parton the importance of seeing the value of what you have. The songwriter incorporated this optimistic outlook into her hit "Coat of Many Colors."
But Owens' talents also lay in the musical realm, and a new reissue shows that her influence on Parton was bigger than a single song.
Avie Lee Owens Was a "Smoky Mountain Mama"
Growing up, Owens was part of a gospel music trio with her sisters. She would often sing these mountain ballads and folk songs to her children as they grew up. According to ABC Audio, Parton then encouraged her mother to record this music in Nashville between 1974 and 1979 to preserve the music.
The recordings wouldn't come out until 1990. Dollywood visitors could pick up a cassette copy of the recordings at the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, amusement park. It was also available by mail order and has since become a highly sought-after collector's item.
The album, titled Smoky Mountain Mama, has now been remastered. And there's no need to break out your old Walkman to listen to it. It is now available on streaming services.
There is one song that Parton's fans might already be familiar with. "Little Rosewood Casket" would be recorded by Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris as "Rosewood Casket" in 1987 on the Trio album.
This Is the Second Recording By the Mother of Dolly Parton
Owens formed another group with Parton's sisters, Willadeen, Stella and Cassie. They recorded the album The Parton Family Sings In the Garden. It was reissued back in 2024.
