Randy Parton

Biography

Randel Huston Parton was born on Dec. 15, 1953, the eighth of 12 Parton children. Randy embraced his love for music at early age. By 1970, his older sister Dolly was well into her musical career, and Randy began his professional career as a bass player for a local, East Tennessee rhythm & blues band. Three years later, he moved to Nashville and secured a job as bass player in Opry star Jean Shepard’s band while sharpening his talents as singer and entertainer in Nashville’s nightclub scene.

In 1974, he made his first professional recordings as a solo artist at Fireside Studio, the studio owned by his sister Dolly, his Uncle Louis Owens, and country star Porter Wagoner. Those early recordings eventually led to a contract with RCA Records, and in 1975, the label released his first single, “Tennessee Born,” a song written by his younger brother, Floyd Parton.

Two more singles followed, but with little attention from the charts, RCA dropped his contract. Meanwhile he toured  with Dolly as a member of the “Traveling Family Band” and continue to write songs and perform as a solo artist, releasing his first album, There Was a Dream, on the independent label, Meteor Records, in 1978.

Although Randy’s early singles failed to chart, they were much beloved by his fans. And in 1981 his talent impressed Los Angeles-based producer and composer Mike Post. After finishing his work on Dolly’s 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs album, Post began working directly with Randy. Their collaboration led to a new contract with RCA and Randy’s first chart hit, “Hold Me Like You Never Had Me.” Over the next year, Parton and Post scored three more hit singles – “Shot Full of Love, ”Don’t Cry Baby,” and “Oh, No.” He also appeared in in the 1984 film, Rhinestone, where he performed the song, “Too Much Water.”

With the opening of Dollywood in 1986, Randy Parton returned to East Tennessee to headline shows in the park. In the late 1990s, he and sister Rachel, formed the group, Honey Creek, which performed at Dollywood and other East Tennessee theaters. Eventually, Randy returned to headlining shows in the park, often with his daughter, Heidi. he became a popular performer in Smoky Mountain area music scene until his death in 2021 at the age of 67.