Stella Parton
| Stella Parton | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Stella Mae Parton |
| Born | May 4, 1949 |
| Origin | Sevierville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country, Gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Actress |
| Years active | 1967– present |
| Labels | Elektra Records Soul, Country and Blues Records Raptor Records |
| Associated acts | Dolly Parton, Randy Parton |
Stella Mae Parton (born May 4, 1949) is an American country singer and songwriter. Parton is best known for a series of country singles that charted during the mid- to late-1970s, her biggest hit being 1975's "I Want to Hold You In My Dreams Tonight". She is the younger sister of country music entertainer Dolly Parton.
Born in Sevierville, Tennessee, Parton is the sixth of twelve children born to father Robert Lee Parton Sr. and mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens. When Stella was seven, she and older sister Dolly appeared on a local Knoxville, Tennessee television program and two years later, she made her debut on radio. During this time, Stella and her sisters Willadeene and Cassie formed a group that sang gospel music and commercials around the eastern Tennessee area. During her high school years, Parton began writing songs. She married Marvin Carroll Rauhuff just prior to her high school graduation in 1966. They have one son.
In 1967, Parton released her first album, In The Garden (a gospel project with her sisters, Willadeene and Cassie and mother, Avie Lee). Shortly thereafter, she moved to Washington, DC and began performing at the Hillbilly Heaven club. Later moving to Nashville, she started her own record label, Soul, Country And Blues, in 1975 and released her debut solo album, I Want to Hold You in My Dreams Tonight. Its title track was a substantial national hit, climbing into the country Top Ten. The success of "I want to Hold you in my Dreams Tonight" landed her a major-label deal with Elektra in 1976. Her 1977 duet with Carmol Taylor, "Neon Woman," was somewhat successful, and she scored three Top 20 hits over 1977-1978 with "The Danger of a Stranger," "Four Little Letters," and "Standard Lie Number One"; she had an additional top-forty hit with her sister Dolly's composition "Steady as the Rain" in 1979. She recorded a total of three albums for Elektra through 1979. In 1984, Stella performed a song with Kin Vassey for the soundtrack of the movie Rhinestone, in which Dolly starred.
Though her chart success tapered off, after she left Elektra in 1980, Stella continued to record, releasing albums for several independent labels including Accord/Townhouse and Airborne; she is currently with Raptor Records. To date, she has released 22 albums and has had 28 charting singles.
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