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Image credit: Dennis Carney
Willadeene Parton (b. March 24, 1960) is an American author and songwriter. She is the firstborn of Lee and Avie Lee Parton's twelve children. Willadeene has carved her own path in the entertainment industry, with a particular focus on writing. She has published two books of poetry, Denim, Lace, and Bandanas (1976) and Sounds of My Soul (1981). She has written two memoirs, In the Shadow of a Song: The Story of the Parton Family (1985) and Smoky Mountain Memories: Stories from the Hearts of the Parton Family (1996), and a cookbook titled All Day Singing & Dinner on the Ground (1997). She has long been involved in community service and cultural preservation in her native Appalachian region. She sang on a 1968 gospel album with her mother Avie Lee and sisters Cassie and Stella titled The Parton Family Sings "In the Garden". Willadeene and first husband Arthur Blalock have one son, Mitchell (Mitch) Blalock.

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."
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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

Other album appearances

TITLE / ARTIST / ALBUM / YEAR
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* Willadeene provided backing vocals on this track.
** Willadeene provided backing vocals on "Shine On" as a member of The House of Prayer Congregation.