Featured Artist
Dorothy Jo Owens
Born 1929
Possessing an unshakable faith in the Lord, an ennobling faith in humanity, a tremendous musical talent, a fierce independent streak, and a mighty mountain voice, Dorothy Jo Owens was a singer, songwriter, musician, mother, minister, and an inspiration to everyone she met.
Biography
Dorothy Jo Owens was the first of the Owens siblings to seriously pursue a music career. A gifted guitarist as a child, she taught herself banjo—unusual for a young girl at the time—and received her own at age 11. Though she married in 1946 and focused on family, her musical path continued as a traveling evangelist and gospel performer, hosting racially integrated tent revivals across the South.
In the late 1960s, encouraged by her niece Dolly and brothers Bill and Louis, Dorothy Jo turned to songwriting with Owepar Music Publishing. Known for heartfelt gospel songs like “Yes I See God” and raw, emotional honky-tonk tunes, she excelled in writing “Modern Mountain Ballads” that combined traditional storytelling with contemporary themes. She co-wrote several notable songs with Dolly, including “Daddy Come and Get Me” and “Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man,” and left a lasting mark as both a spiritual and creative force.
“We all have someone who is a light to us when we grow up. My Aunt Dorothy Jo was my light.” — Stella Parton
A Life of Music, Ministry, and Legacy
When the Dollywood theme park opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in 1986, she joined several of her siblings in “The Kin Folks” band that performed regularly at the park. In 2007, she married Bill Parton, a cousin of her sister Avie Lee’s husband, Lee Parton, making Dorothy Jo an official member of both the Owens and Parton families. She continued to write songs and perform both country and gospel material, as well as preaching the gospel until her death in 2008 at the age of 79.
