Who Were Dolly Parton’s Parents? – The Story Of Robert Lee & Avie Lee Parton
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When Dolly Parton passed away on August 25th, her nephew, Bryan Seaver, said she was “surely met” by her late husband, Carl Dean, and her beloved parents.
Robert “Lee” Parton was born on March 22, 1921, in Sevierville, Tennessee. Avie Lee Owens, his future wife, was born in Lockhart, South Carolina, on October 5, 1923. Her father was the Rev. Jacob “Jake” Robert Owens.
Lee and Avie Lee married in 1939, when they were only 17 and 15, respectively. Their first child, daughter Willadeene, was born on March 24, 1940.
Lee and Avie Lee welcomed 12 children together, 6 boys and 6 girls. Dolly was their fourth child, born on January 19, 1946.
The Parton family experienced significant hardship in their early years. They lived in a rustic cabin and were so poor that Lee had to pay the doctor who delivered Dolly with a sack of cornmeal. Lee was a sharecropper, but he also took odd jobs here and there to help support his family.
“My mama…she’d always say, ‘Now, don’t you say we’re poor,'” Dolly told TODAY in 2015. “‘There’s a lot of people in worse shape than us. We’re not poor, you know, we’re just …ain’t got a lot of stuff, but there’s a lot of stuff we do have.'”
Lee and Avie Lee experienced a devastating loss in 1955 when their ninth child, a son named Larry, passed away four days after he was born.
Dolly’s 2015 TV movie, Coat of Many Colors, centers on this heartbreaking time in her family’s life. But it also showcases how their steadfast faith and the power of love helped them through it. Plus, it shares some of the story behind the real-life “Coat of Many Colors” that Avie Lee made for Dolly, which inspired her song of the same name.
A follow-up movie, 2016’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, shows Lee on a mission to earn enough money to buy Avie Lee a wedding band.
This too, was based on a true story from Dolly’s life, as she once told Johnny Carson in 1990:
“There was a houseful of kids around that time and Daddy decided he was finally going to buy Momma a wedding ring. Of course, that meant that nobody else was going to get any gifts. That costs money.”
But the kids selflessly gave up their Christmas presents so their mama could have something nice from their father that year
Dolly Parton Came From A Musical Family
Dolly Parton was drawn to music at a young age. It makes sense that she developed a passion for singing and performing, given that she came from a music-loving family.
She told American Routes in 2000 that her mother’s side of the family (the Owens family) was “very musical.” Dolly herself grew up singing in the church, and her family always sang a mix of folk, gospel, and bluegrass together.
It was Avie Lee’s brother, Bill Owens, who helped Dolly kickstart her career. He was a country music songwriter who taught Dolly how to play guitar, got her a gig on a radio show, and helped her make her Opry debut at age 13.
When Bill died in 2021, Dolly said, “I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t been there.”
Several of Dolly’s siblings also pursued careers in music. During an episode of her TV show in the 1970s, Dolly sang the Appalachian folk song “In the Pines” with 7 of her 11 siblings. Her parents also made a rare on-camera appearance, showcasing their singing voices as they each performed solos.
RELATED: DOLLY PARTON’S SISTER STELLA OPENS UP ABOUT HER LIFE AND LEGACY IN NEW INTERVIEW
Although Avie Lee’s family was more musical, we know the name of Lee Parton’s favorite song. He was always a fan of Albert E. Brumley’s “If We Never Meet Again.”
Dolly and her family performed that song at Lee’s funeral. Years later, Dolly made it known that she wanted the song to be played at her own funeral. That’s how much it meant to her…
Dolly Parton’s Dad Inspired Her To Create The Imagination Library
Lee Parton didn’t know how to read or write. After she became famous, Dolly Parton knew she wanted to do something to help children growing up in his (and her) home county, Sevier County, Tennessee.
Thinking of her father inspired Dolly to start the Imagination Library in 1995. The organization originally distributed books to children living in Sevier County before becoming a nationwide program in 2000.
Just three years later, the Imagination Library celebrated the distribution of its 1 millionth book. Now, the organization has sent over 330 million free books to children in the U.S., UK, Republic of Ireland, Canada, and Australia.
Out of everything his daughter accomplished in life, Lee Parton was most proud of her Imagination Library. A letter from Dolly on the organization’s official website reads:
“Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.”
If you’d like to learn more about the Imagination Library, hear Dolly share the story behind the organization in the video below.
When Dolly passed away on August 25, 2026, her family said those who wish to honor her may make a donation to the Imagination Library in her memory. You can do so by visiting the organization’s official website here.
Lee Parton died in 2000, at the age of 79. Dolly’s mama, Avie Lee, died three years later, at the age of 80.
May Dolly Parton and her parents rest in peace…
