Storybook: The Journey So Far, a compilation of songs by award-winning filmmaker and musician, Sabyn is now available from Owepar Records. Sabyn is a member of the Owens/Parton family and is the nephew of Dolly Parton and the son of her brother Randy Parton.
Storybook: The Journey So Far contains 19 songs personally selected by Sabyn from earlier in his career. Four tracks are Sabyn’s cross-genre family collaborations, “9 to 5 to 9” (a remix/re-write of Dolly Parton’s classic “9 to 5”), “Foolin’ Around” (written by Floyd Parton), “Oh Tennessee” (a remix/re-write of the song “Tennessee Born,” written by Floyd Parton and originally recorded by Randy Parton), and “Holy Water” (a remix/re-write of Dolly Parton’s “The Seeker”). Two other Sabyn originals feature samples from family recordings, “Up in The Holler” (Stella Parton) and “Shine” (Dolly Parton).
“Some of these recordings are very reflective of my youth,” Sabyn says. “But one of the best things about getting older is that you usually develop better and wider tastes. I want to do things now that are more timeless. I feel like that’s the opportunity that was given to me by Smoky Mountain DNA and what has come since then. My first records were true to form hip hop records, but when I ventured into the ‘9 to 5’ thing, the lyrical content was different because I was piggybacking off this already established recording. My hope is I can continue to expand on my style.”
Born in Tennessee, but growing up in Los Angeles, Sabyn was exposed to film and music at a young age by being on set of videos for some of the era’s most prominent artists, such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Don Henley, and Aerosmith. He was mostly a shy kid who did not tap into his creative side until after high school when he began working in film. Sabyn quickly built a reputation as a skilled screenwriter, director, and producer, while also embracing the musical side of his heritage. In 2010, he made his recording debut with It’s A Long Dark Road, a country/hip-hop fusion followed by a handful of music projects, but film became his primary focus.
Sabyn continues his work on film projects as the head of his production imprint Stay Fly LLC, along with serving as CEO of The Bridge to Recovery, a trauma and codependency treatment center located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, while also looking forward to new musical projects.
Storybook: The Journey So Far is available through the Smoky Mountain DNA Shop. Visit SabynMayfield.com.