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Image credit: Dianne Milam / USA Today
Avie Lee Caroline Owens Parton (October 5, 1923 – December 5, 2003) was a homemaker, singer, songwriter, and musician.  Born in Lockhart, South Carolina, she was the second of eight children born to Rev. Jake Owens and his wife Rena. Growing up in a large, close-knit family, she later married Robert Lee Parton on August 17, 1939. Together, they had twelve twelve children: Willadeene, David, Denver, Dolly, Bobby, Stella, Cassie, Randy, Larry, Freida, Floyd, and Rachel. ​ Avie Lee was a devout Christian and played a key role in her children's upbringing, instilling in them a love for music and faith.
She seldom pursued public attention; however, in 1968, she collaborated with her daughters—Willadeene, Stella, and Cassie—to produce a gospel album under the name The Parton Family. Later in her life, Avie Lee made several solo recordings. In 1980, she toured briefly alongside her sister, Dorothy Jo Owens, as part of the Southern Grassroots Music Tour.

​​She was a significant influence on Dolly's artistic journey. She often sang gospel and traditional Appalachian songs at home, fostering Dolly's early interest in music. Avie Lee's deep connection to her roots and her nurturing presence helped shape the family dynamic, and her support was instrumental in Dolly's rise to stardom.

Avie Lee Parton passed away in 2003, but her legacy continues through her family's music and the values she passed on to them.

Studio albums

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Album cover. Inspiration (LPS I-0833) (1968)
The Parton Family Sings "In the Garden" is a gospel album by Avie Lee Parton and her daughters, Willadeene, Cassie, and Stella. It was released in May 1968 by Inspiration Records. Original copies of the LP appear on eBay from time to time and sells for $300 or more. The album was released digitally for the first time on December 20, 2024, by Owepar Records and released on CD in May 2025.

Stella wrote about the album on her website in 2008. She said, "This is a very special recording because my mother and two sisters, Willadeene and Cassie, are singing on it. This is the authentic sound of our family harmony blend. If you want to hear how we sounded in church, this is it. We sang at churches, funerals and local functions as I was growing up. Usually I sang lead, not because I was the best singer, but I had the most nerve in public.
​​"This album was recorded at the old Starday studios with studio musicians in Nashville. I remember the most significant event of the experience was Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. being shot the night we were recording. We were in shock when we heard it on the radio on the drive home from the studio.

"A lady by the name of Marion R. Mangrum who owned a newspaper in Maryville, Tennessee produced it. She had heard us sing at an event and felt we should have a recorded album released to radio."
​
Songwriting credits below are adapted from online research and ASCAP listings. Some of the credits listed on the LP labels are inaccurate. Additionally, Avie Lee and Willadeene's names are misspelled on the back cover as "Avielee/Avielle and Willadeen."

Track listing

  1. In the Garden (Group) (C. Austin Miles) 2:06
  2. Sweet By and By (Group) (S. Fillmore Bennett, Joseph P. Webster) 2:14
  3. How Great Is Jesus (Stella solo) (Stella Parton) 2:00
  4. Great Speckled Bird (Avie Lee solo) (Guy Smith, Charlie Swain) 3:15
  5. He Will Make the Flowers Bloom (Group)  (Traditional) 2:00
  6. Great Judgement Morning (Avie Lee recitation; Willadeene and Group) (Traditional) 2:32
  7. Someone to Care (Group) (Jimmie Davis) 2:49
  8. How Great Thou Art (Stella and Group) (Stuart K. Hine) 3:04
  9. Don't Cry and Weep (Avie Lee and Group) (Dorothy Jo Hope) 2:51
  10. Little Lost Lamb (Cassie and Group) (Dorothy Jo Hope) 2:19
  11. Twelve Roses (Avie Lee solo) (Avie Lee Parton) 2:05
  12. Just as I Am (Willadeene and Group) (Charlotte Elliott, William B. Bradbury) 1:45

Personnel

  • Jack Linneman – engineer
  • Marion R. Mangrum – producer
  • Bill Owens – arrangement
  • Louis Owens – producer
  • Avie Lee Parton – vocals
  • Cassie Parton – vocals
  • Stella Parton – vocals
  • Willadeene Parton – vocals
  • Duke Pearce Jr. – layout, design
  • Lee Wilkinson – cover photo
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Album cover. Avie Lee Parton (81) (1990) / Extended edit by The Dolly Parton Discography
Smokey Mt. Mama Sings Gospel is a studio album by Avie Lee Parton. It was released independently by Avie Lee in 1990 on cassette. It was likely only sold at Dollywood, her personal appearances, and through the Dollywood Foundation.

Track listing

  1. Amazing Grace (John Newton)
  2. Wayfaring Stranger (Traditional)
  3. Hold Fast to the Right (James D. Vaughn)
  4. Don't Cry and Weep (Dorothy Jo Hope)
  5. Twelve Roses (Avie Lee Parton)
  6. Palms of Victory (John B. Matthias)
  7. Great Speckled Bird (Guy Smith, Charlie Swain)
  8. ​Great Judgement Morning (Traditional)
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Order form showing three cassettes by Avie Lee. Pictured are Smokey Mt. Mama Sings Gospel, Smoky Mountain Mama, and In the Garden (reissue of 1968 album)
Smoky Mountain Mama is a studio album by Avie Lee Parton. It was released independently by Avie Lee in 1990 on cassette. It was likely only sold at Dollywood, her personal appearances, and through the Dollywood Foundation.

Track listing

  1. Little Rosewood Casket (Traditional)
  2. The Eastbound Train (Traditional)
  3. Wedding Bells (Claude Boone)
  4. Three Babes (Traditional)
  5. Princely Hall
  6. Orphan Girl (Traditional)
  7. Pretty Fair Miss (Traditional)
  8. The Blind Child (Traditional)
  9. Two Orphans (Charles Burke, Sidney Horner)
  10. ​Little Bessie (Traditional)
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Album cover. Owepar (OWEPAR-CD1009) (2024)
Mama Sings is a posthumous studio album by Avie Lee Parton. It was released digitally on December 20, 2024, by Owepar Records. The album was produced by her brother, Louis Owens. It was released on CD in May 2025.

In March 1973, Fireside Studios became Nashville's latest recording venue. This studio was a collaborative effort involving Dolly Parton, her uncle Louis Owens, and Porter Wagoner. It offered an ideal setting for both complete and demo recording sessions, as well as for special projects.

With the studio operational, Dolly sought to capture some of her mother's songs on tape. Avie Lee Parton traveled to Nashville, where, guided by her brother Louis Owens, she recorded her unique interpretations of several traditional mountain tunes.

Track listing

  1. Hold Fast to the Right (James D. Vaughn) 2:20
  2. Amazing Grace / When the Battle's Over / Am I a Soldier of the Cross / At the Cross (John Newton / Isaac Watts, William B. Blake Sr. / Isaac Watts, Ira David Sankey / Isaac Watts, Ralph E. Hudson) 2:42
  3. The Eastbound Train (Traditional) 3:17
  4. Little Rosewood Casket (Traditional) 2:26
  5. Orphan Girl (Traditional) 2:04
  6. Pretty Fair Miss (Traditional) 2:13
  7. The Blind Child (Traditional) 2:48
  8. Three Babes (Traditional) 4:02
  9. Two Orphans (Charles Burke, Sidney Horner) 2:28
  10. Little Bessie (Traditional) 4:05
  11. Palms of Victory (John B. Matthias) 2:14
  12. Wayfaring Stranger (Traditional) 3:07

Singles

A-SIDE / B-SIDE (LABEL; CATALOG #; RELEASE DATE)
  • The Story of Coat of Many Colors / (Goldberger; 119779X; 1976)
  • Pretty Fair Miss / Wedding Bells (Express; EXPR. 104; 1980)

Other album appearances

TITLE / ARTIST / ALBUM / YEAR
  • Applejack / Dolly Parton* / New Harvest...First Gathering / 1977
  • Down to Earth / Stella Parton* / Stella Parton / 1978
  • I'll Meet You in the Morning / Rev. Jake Owens, Avie Lee Parton, Dorothy Jo Owens, Estelle Owens Watson / Smoky Mountain DNA: Family Faith and Fables / 2024
  • Rosewood Casket / Avie Lee Parton / Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables / 2024

* Avie Lee provided backing vocals on these tracks.