See also, The Kinfolks discography.
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Image credit: Owepar
William Earl Owens (September 28, 1935 – April 7, 2021) was a singer, songwriter, musician, and music producer. Born in Sevier County, Tennessee, he was the seventh of eight children born to Rev. Jake Owens and his wife Rena. From a young age, he was motivated to achieve success in music. He started making music with his siblings early in life, and by the late 1950s, he was carving out his own path in Knoxville's vibrant country scene while managing his young niece, Dolly. In 1958, Bill recorded his debut song for Goldband Records using his rockabilly name, "Little Billy Earl." He was instrumental in the recording of Dolly's debut single, "Puppy Love", which was also released on Goldband Records in 1959. Bill continued to write songs throughout the 1960s, releasing independent records to promote his career, as well as Dolly's.
​​Following his role as a guitarist for Grand Ole Opry stars Carl and Pearl Butler, he relocated to Nashville in 1964, with Dolly quickly following after she graduated high school. They signed with Combine Publishing, and their initial success came with "Put It Off Until Tomorrow", which reached the top ten of the country charts for Bill Phillips in 1966. In the following years, he performed live shows alongside his brother Louis, and together they created and recorded a collection of independent singles. He provided backing vocals on select tracks from his niece Stella Parton's first solo album, Stella (And the Gospel Carrolls), in 1972.

In the late-1970s, Bill went back to East Tennessee, where he founded Bill Owens' Smoky Mountain Music Barn, among the earliest music theaters in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. He and then-wife Kathy performed there with The Kinfolks. Bill also appeared in Dolly's 1984 movie, Rhinestone, as part of the band Wild Possum. He continued running the Music Barn until the mid-1980s and became a frequent performer with The Kinfolks at Dollywood after the park was established in 1986.
In the early 1980s, and for the rest of his life, Bill made it his mission to bring awareness to the conservation of the chestnut tree in the Smoky Mountains and helped The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) in their efforts to create a blight-resistant tree. He and his wife, Sandy, planted about 70,000 chestnut trees on the Dollywood property. In 2009, TACF recognized Bill’s efforts with a presentation and tree planting at the Back Porch Theater in Dollywood with Dolly in attendance. Then in June 2022, Dolly accepted the Chestnut Conservation Champion Award on behalf of her late uncle, Bill Owens. The award was presented at the future site of Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort, where an American chestnut tree was planted to honor Bill and his work with TACF.

Studio albums

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Album cover. (c. 1980) / Remastered artwork by The Dolly Parton Discography
Bill and Kathy Owens Sing Our Favorite Songs is a studio album by Bill Owens and his then-wife Kathy. It was released around 1980 on 8-track shortly after Bill Owens' Smoky Mountain Music Barn opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It was likey only sold at the venue.

Track listing

  1. Take This Job and Shove It     Bill Owens (David Allan Coe) 2:04
  2. It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels     Kathy Owens (J.D. Miller) 2:41
  3. Heaven's Just a Sin Away     Bill Owens and Kathy Owens (Jerry Gillespie) 2:24
  4. Put It Off Until Tomorrow     Bill Owens and Kathy Owens (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 2:51
  5. Blue Kentucky Girl     Kathy Owens (Loretta Lynn) 3:07
  6. Rose Colored Glasses     Bill Owens and Kathy Owens (John Conlee, George Baber) 3:03
  7. She Thinks I Still Care     Bill Owens (Dickey Lee, Steve Duffy) 3:50
  8. Pittsburgh Stealers     Bill Owens and Kathy Owens (Larry Kingston, Jim Rushing) 2:41
  9. Fooled by a Feeling     Kathy Owens (Kye Fleming, Dennis Morgan) 2:54
  10. Take This Job and Shove It     Bill Owens (David Allen Coe) 2:06
  11. Walk Through This World with Me     Bill Owens and Kathy Owens (Sandy Seamons, Kaye Savage) 2:21
  12. You Decorated My Life     Bill Owens and Kathy Owens (Debbie Hupp, Bob Morrison) 3:16
  13. Lookin' for a Feeling     Bill Owens and Kathy Owens (Waylon Jennings) 3:11
  14. Blue Bayou     Kathy Owens with Bill Owens (Roy Orbison, Joe Melson) 3:27
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Album cover. (c. 1986) / Extended edit by The Dolly Parton Discography
Dreams Do Come True is a studio album by Bill Owens. It was released independently around 1986 on cassette. The album includes Bill's version of "Sometimes an Old Memory Gets in My Eye", a song he wrote that Dolly recorded on her 1973 album, Bubbling Over. Bill would later re-record the title track as a duet with Dolly for his c. 1990 album and Dolly recorded a solo version for her 1991 album, Eagle When She Flies. Bill also re-recorded "My Mind Has Been Cheating on You" for his c. 1990 album. ​The album was likely only sold at his shows at Dollywood.

Track listing

  1. Dreams Do Come True (Bill Owens) 3:03
  2. Too Much Forgetting to Do (Bill Owens) 2:32
  3. Another Without You Lonely Night (Bill Owens, Paul Overstreet) 3:00
  4. Cry, Cry Again (Liz Anderson, Dick Land) 2:35
  5. Sometimes an Old Memory Gets in My Eye (Bill Owens) 2:11
  6. Put It Off Until Tomorrow (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 1:58
  7. Don't Try to Kid Me, Baby (Bill Owens) 2:42
  8. Nothing Left to Lose (Bill Owens) 2:53
  9. Suddenly We're Strangers (Bill Owens) 2:43
  10. A Part of Your Life (Bill Owens) 2:55
  11. My Mind Has Been Cheating on You (Bill Owens) 3:04
  12. ​Not Enough Romance (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 3:10
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Album cover. (SMt 104) (c. 1990) / Extended edit by The Dolly Parton Discography
Dreams Do Come True is a studio album by Bill Owens. It was released independently around 1990 on cassette. The album features Dolly on the title track, a song written by Bill that she later recorded on her 1991 album, Eagle When She Flies. Bill had previously recorded a solo version of the title track for his c. 1986 album which also featured an earlier version of "My Mind Has Been Cheating on You" and the version of "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" included here. The album would be reissued in 1993 or 1994 with a different cover and the closing track changed from "Medley" to "Lord, Help Me". Both versions of the album were likely only sold at his shows at Dollywood.

Track listing

Dreams Do Come True (c. 1990)
  1. Dreams Do Come True (duet with Dolly Parton) (Bill Owens) 3:21
  2. Fell Off the Wagon (Bill Owens) 2:25
  3. Brand New Man (Bill Owens) 3:03
  4. Honky Tonk Bars (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 3:58
  5. Put It Off Until Tomorrow (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 2:00
  6. Welfare Blues (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 2:30
  7. Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind (Dolly Parton) 2:32
  8. Cheap, Home Grown, and Cost Cutter Beer (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 3:04
  9. My Mind Has Been Cheating on You (Bill Owens) 3:04
  10. Medley (Live) (with the Kinfolks Band) 8:37

Notes:
  • Track 5 was previously released on Bill's c. 1986 album, Dreams Do Come True.
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Album cover. Bill Owens (c. 1993) / Extended edit by The Dolly Parton Discography
Dreams Do Come True (c. 1993)
  1. Dreams Do Come True (duet with Dolly Parton) (Bill Owens) 3:21
  2. Fell Off the Wagon (Bill Owens) 2:25
  3. Brand New Man (Bill Owens) 3:03
  4. Honky Tonk Bars (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 3:58
  5. Put It Off Until Tomorrow (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 2:00
  6. Welfare Blues (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 2:30
  7. Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind (Dolly Parton) 2:32
  8. Cheap, Home Grown, and Cost Cutter Beer (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 3:04
  9. My Mind Has Been Cheating on You (Bill Owens) 3:04
  10. Lord, Help Me (Bill Owens) 2:32

Notes:
  • Track 5 was previously released on Bill's c. 1986 album, Dreams Do Come True.

Live albums

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Album cover. (c. 1979) / Remastered artwork by The Dolly Parton Discography
The Smokey Mountain Music Barn Live Gospel Show is a live album by Bill Owens and his then-wife Kathy. It was released around 1979 on 8-track, shortly after Bill Owens' Smoky Mountain Music Barn opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and was likely only sold at the venue. Among the performers during live shows at the venue were Ralph Connor, Teresa Farris, Glen Loveday, Al Owens, Johnny Patrick, Pudgy Smith (piano), Steve Woods (steel guitar, lead guitar), Chuck Webb (drums),  and Kim Owens (drums).

Track listing

  1. Singing His Praise     Rev. Jake Owens, Kathy Owens, and Cast (Jake R. Owens) 4:35
  2. God Walks These Hills with Me     Johnny Patrick and Cast (Vic McAlpin, Marvin Hughes) 2:18
  3. How Great Thou Art     Kathy Owens (Stuart K. Hine) 3:49
  4. A House of Gold     Bill Owens and Cast (Hank Williams) 2:35
  5. Where the Soul Never Dies     Johnny Patrick and Cast (William M. Golden) 2:50
  6. Where No One Stands Alone     Glen Loveday (Mosie Lister) 2:37
  7. (I'm Gonna) Sing, Sing, Sing     Teresa Farris (Hank Williams) 2:19
  8. How Can You Refuse Him Now     Teresa Farris (Hank Williams) 2:40
  9. ​Will the Circle Be Unbroken     Kathy Owens and Cast (Ada R. Habershon, Charles H. Gabriel) 2:51
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Album cover. (c. 1979) / Remastered artwork by The Dolly Parton Discography
The Smokey Mountain Music Barn Country Show Cast Recorded Live is a live album by Bill Owens and his then-wife Kathy. It was released around 1979 on 8-track, shortly after Bill Owens' Smoky Mountain Music Barn opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and was likely only sold at the venue. ​Among the performers during live shows at the venue were Ralph Connor, Teresa Farris, Glen Loveday, Al Owens, Johnny Patrick, Pudgy Smith (piano), Steve Woods (steel guitar, lead guitar), Chuck Webb (drums),  and Kim Owens (drums).

Track listing

  1. My Window Faces South     Johnny Patrick (Jerry Livingston, Mitchell Parish, Abner Silver) 1:44
  2. Smooth Sailing     Johnny Patrick (Sonny Throckmorton, Curly Putman) 3:29
  3. Lost Date (Instrumental)     Pudgy Smith (Floyd Cramer) 2:21
  4. Lookin' for a Feeling     Bill Owens (Waylon Jennings) 3:23
  5. Rose Colored Glasses     Bill Owens (John Conlee, George Baber) 3:41
  6. Take This Job and Shove It     Bill Owens (David Allen Coe) 2:49
  7. Silver Threads and Golden Needles     Teresa Farris (Dick Reynolds, Jack Rhodes) 2:09
  8. There Goes My Everything     Teresa Farris (Dallas Frazier) 4:08
  9. Muddy Water     Glen Loveday (Phil Rosenthal) 3:30
  10. Green, Green Grass of Home     Glen Loveday (Curly Putman) 4:15
  11. Heaven's Just a Sin Away     Kathy Owens (Jerry Gillespie) 2:35
  12. ​Pittsburgh Stealers     Bill Owens and Kathy Owens (Larry Kingston, Jim Rushing) 3:31

Compilation albums

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Album cover. Kinfolks Music Group (KMG 301) (c. 1995) / Extended edit by The Dolly Parton Discography
Uncle Bill Owens – Dolly Parton is a compilation album by Bill Owens. It was released by Kinfolks Music Group around 1995 on cassette. The album features rare early recordings of Dolly and her sisters, in addition to contemporary recordings by Uncle Bill.

Track listing

  1. Special Message from Uncle Bill 0:51
  2. Puppy Love    Dolly Parton (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 1:45
  3. Girl Left Alone    Dolly Parton (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens, Dorothy Jo Owens) 2:09
  4. So Little I Wanted, So Little I Got    Bill Owens and Dolly Parton (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 2:27
  5. Forbidden Love    Bill Owens and Dolly Parton (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 2:21
  6. Vagabond    Bill Owens with Dolly, Cassie, and Stella Parton (Bill Owens) 1:56
  7. It Seems Like a Lifetime*    Bill Owens with Dolly, Cassie, and Stella Parton (Bill Owens) 2:34
  8. Welfare Blues    Bill Owens (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 2:35
  9. Dreams Do Come True    Bill Owens and Dolly Parton (Bill Owens) 3:27
  10. Same Old Heartache*    Bill Owens 2:33
  11. Money to Burn*    Bill Owens 2:54
  12. Adam's Rib*    Bill Owens ​2:27

* Previously unreleased.

Credits

  • Mastered and compiled at Mountain Star Studio, Sevierville, Tennessee.
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Album cover. KlearTone (KLR-0021) (2004)
Bill Owens is a compilation album by Bill Owens. It was released in 2003 by KlearTone Records. The album contains eight songs from Owens' 1988 album, Dreams Do Come True, and six previously unreleased recordings.

Track listing

  1. Cannonball Rag (Live) (Merle Travis) 0:35
  2. Instrumental (Live) (with the Kinfolks Band) 2:41
  3. You Gotta Be My Baby (Live) (George Jones) 2:18
  4. The Last Thing On My Mind (Live) (Tom Paxton) 1:34
  5. Put It Off Until Tomorrow (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 2:34
  6. Dreams Do Come True (duet with Dolly Parton) (Bill Owens) 3:36
  7. Fell Off the Wagon (Bill Owens) 2:36
  8. Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind (Dolly Parton) 2:43
  9. Welfare Blues (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 2:40
  10. Brand New Man (Bill Owens) 3:15
  11. My Mind Has Been Cheating on You (Bill Owens) 3:15
  12. Honk Tonk Bars (Bill Owens, Randy Parton) 4:11
  13. Lord, Help Me (Bill Owens) 2:32
  14. Mr. Sandman (Instrumental) (Pat Ballard) 2:28

Notes:
  • ​Tracks 1–5 and 14 are taken from The Kinfolks' 2003 compilation, Kinfolks at Dollywood.
  • Tracks 6–12 are taken from Bill Owens' c. 1990 album, Dreams Do Come True.
  • Track 13 is taken from the c. 1993 reissue of Bill Owens' Dreams Do Come True album.

Liner notes

Dolly Parton's uncle Bill Owens had a very big influence on her in the early years of her music career. When she was just 10 years old Bill took her to perform on The Cas Walker Show, a local entertainment show on morning television which led to another childhood performance on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. He soon became her musical tutor, her first manager, and then becoming songwriting partners they went on to write some of the most classic songs in the history of country music like "Put It Off Until Tomorrow", a winner of the BMI songwriters award. Bill went on to become one of the most celebrated musicians and songwriters in the country music scene.
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Album cover. Owepar (OWEPAR-CD1002) (2025)
Dreams Do Come True is a posthumous compilation album by Bill Owens. It was released on May 16, 2025, by Owepar Records. The album shares its title with Bill's c. 1986 album and his c. 1990 album. This compilation contains six tracks from Bill's original 1986 Dreams Do Come True album. The album includes a duet with Dolly on the title track and Bill's version of "Sometimes an Old Memory Gets in My Eye", a song he wrote that Dolly recorded on her 1973 album, Bubbling Over. Dolly recorded a solo version of the title track for her 1991 album, Eagle When She Flies. The liner notes for this compilation mistakenly state that it was originally released on KlearTone Records (KLR-0021), when in fact only tracks 5, 8, and 12 appear on that release.

Track listing

  1. Too Much Forgetting to Do (Bill Owens) 2:34
  2. Another Without You Lonely Night (Bill Owens, Paul Overstreet) 3:04
  3. Cannonball Rag (Instrumental) (Merle Travis) 1:38
  4. Cry, Cry Again (Liz Anderson, Dick Land) 2:37
  5. Put It Off Until Tomorrow (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 2:28
  6. Don't Try to Kid Me, Baby (Bill Owens) 2:46
  7. Wildwood Flower (Instrumental) (Maud Irving, Joseph Philbrick Webster) 2:02
  8. Dreams Do Come True (duet with Dolly Parton) (Bill Owens) 3:32
  9. My Mind Has Been Cheating on You (Bill Owens) 3:09
  10. Yakety Axe (Instrumental) (James Rich, Boots Randolph, Merle Travis) 1:55
  11. Sometimes an Old Memory Gets in My Eye (Bill Owens) 2:13
  12. Mr. Sandman (Instrumental) (Pat Ballard) 2:24

Notes:
  • Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 11 are taken from Bill Owens' c. 1986 album, Dreams Do Come True.
  • Tracks 3, 7, and 10 are previously unreleased.
  • Tracks 5 and 12 are taken from The Kinfolks' 2003 compilation, Kinfolks at Dollywood.
  • Track 8 is taken from Bill Owens' c. 1990 album, Dreams Do Come True.

Singles

A-SIDE / B-SIDE (LABEL; CATALOG #; RELEASE DATE)
​Robert Owens and the Nite Twisters (Bill and Louis Owens):
  • ​Wrapped Around Your Finger / I Never Had the Blues (Folk-Star; F-1111/F-1112; 1954)
Robert Owens and the Owens Singers (Bill and Louis Owens):
  • I'm Too Tired to Rock / Father (Goldband; 45-1069; 1958)​​
Little Billy Earl:
  • Honey Baby-O / Couple in the Car (Goldband; G-1075; August 1958)
  • Go Dan Tucker / Please Don't Hurt Me (Goldband; G-1089; June 1959)
Bill Owens and Dolly Parton:
  • So Little I Wanted, So Little I Got / Forbidden Love (Circle-B; CB-102; 1961)
Bill Owens / Bill Owens (with background vocals by the Vocalaires [Dolly, Cassie, and Stella Parton]):
  • Just a Friend / Vagabond (Triple-O; 661; 1961)
Bill and Louis Owens:
  • Got to Pull Myself Together / Home Cooking (REM; 45-410; 1967)
Billy Earl:
  • I'll Oilwells Love You / I Hope I Don't Find Her the Way I Left Her (Hilltop; 3017; 1968)
Billy Earl / Billy Earl and Kathy Jones:
  • Left Holding the Bag / Through Thick and Thin (Circle-B; 45-106; 1968)
Bill Owens / Bill Owens and Kathy Jones:
  • Jim Johnson / This Is the Way (Circle-B; 1251; July 1969)
Bill Owens and Kathy Jones:
  • Thoughtfulness (Circle-B; 1259; 1970)
Bill Owens and Dolly Parton:
  • O Chestnut Tree (The American Chestnut Foundation; free download; September 2012)​

Other album appearances

TITLE / ARTIST / ALBUM / YEAR
  • Shine On / Dolly Parton* / Hungry Again / 1998
  • Silver Sandals / Margo O'Donnell and Bill Owens / The Highway of My Life: Side of the Family Tree / 1998
  • Power in the Blood / Dolly Parton** / Precious Memories / 1999
  • Keep on the Firing Line / Dolly Parton** / Precious Memories / 1999
  • When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder / Dolly Parton** / Precious Memories / 1999
  • ​Singing His Praise / Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man / Bill Owens, Louis Owens, Dolly Parton and Family / Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables / 2024
  • Put It Off Until Tomorrow / Bill Owens and Dolly Parton / Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables / 2024

* Bill provided backing vocals on "Shine On" as a member of The House of Prayer Congregation.
​** Bill provided backing vocals on these tracks as a member of the Kinfolks