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Did you know that Dolly Parton comes from a large family? She’s one of 12 children born to her parents, Avie Lee and Robert Lee Parton. Many of Dolly’s brothers and sisters pursued music careers, too! Learn more about all 11 of her siblings

Dolly Parton Has 11 Siblings: Learn About All Of Her Brothers & Sisters

Dolly Parton Has Lots Of Brothers & Sisters – Get To Know Her 11 Siblings

Country music superstar Dolly Parton is the fourth of twelve children born to Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton. That’s right, she has 11 siblings!

Dolly herself was born on January 19, 1946 in a one-room cabin in Pittman Center, Tennessee, about 26 minutes from Pigeon Forge. Her father worked as a sharecropper, farmer, and construction worker, while her mother stayed home and cared for their children.

Dolly has described their family as being “dirt poor” during her childhood. She recalled how her father Robert paid the doctor who delivered her with a sack of cornmeal when she was born.

Like Dolly, many of her siblings ended up pursuing singing careers. Dolly says her mother’s side of the family fostered their love for music.

“I grew up in a very musical family, all my mother’s people were very musical, so I was always around people playing instruments and singing, and my mom singing the old songs,” she told PEOPLE in 2020.

In 2015, Dolly shared the story of her childhood in her TV movie Coat of Many Colors. She followed up with more heartwarming tales from her youth in the sequel Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.

Dolly’s siblings had featured roles in both movies. Now, keep scrolling to learn more about her real-life siblings…all 11 of them!

Introducing Dolly Parton’s 11 Siblings

Willadeene Parton

Willadeene is the eldest of the 12 Parton siblings. She was born on March 24, 1940. Willadeene is nearly six years older than Dolly, and a full 19 years older than their youngest sibling, Rachel.

Because she was the oldest of the Parton kids, many of Willadeene’s brothers and sisters looked up to her as a second mother figure.

As she grew up, Willadeene made it clear she too, had a passion for music. She pursued a gospel career for several years before leaving the music industry.

Willadeene discovered a new passion, writing. She published a memoir, Smoky Mountain Memories: Stories from the Hearts of the Parton Family in 1996. She published her second book, a cookbook titled All-Day Singing & Dinner on the Ground in 1997.

Since then, Willadeene has lived a mostly private life out of the spotlight.

David Parton

David is the firstborn Parton son. He was born in 1942.

Unlike many of his other siblings, David did not pursue a music career. He worked as a bridge builder superintendent and lived a private life, though he was occasionally photographed with Dolly and their brothers and sisters.

David passed away on November 15, 2024, at the age of 82.

Coy Parton

The third Parton sibling, and second son, Coy, was born in 1943.

Like his older brother David, Coy chooses to live a private life.

Robert Lee Parton Jr.

Two years after Dolly was born, she got a little brother. Robert Lee Parton Jr. was born in 1948.

Because she was the oldest of the Parton kids, many of Willadeene’s brothers and sisters looked up to her as a second mother figure.

As she grew up, Willadeene made it clear she too, had a passion for music. She pursued a gospel career for several years before leaving the music industry.

Willadeene discovered a new passion, writing. She published a memoir, Smoky Mountain Memories: Stories from the Hearts of the Parton Family in 1996. She published her second book, a cookbook titled All-Day Singing & Dinner on the Ground in 1997.

Since then, Willadeene has lived a mostly private life out of the spotlight.

David Parton

David is the firstborn Parton son. He was born in 1942.

Unlike many of his other siblings, David did not pursue a music career. He worked as a bridge builder superintendent and lived a private life, though he was occasionally photographed with Dolly and their brothers and sisters.

David passed away on November 15, 2024, at the age of 82.

Coy Parton

The third Parton sibling, and second son, Coy, was born in 1943.

Like his older brother David, Coy chooses to live a private life.

Robert Lee Parton Jr.

Two years after Dolly was born, she got a little brother. Robert Lee Parton Jr. was born in 1948.

Robert Jr. is also the third Parton sibling who has always maintained a private life. Much like his older brothers Coy and David, Robert did not pursue a music career.

Stella Parton

Dolly Parton with her little sister, Stella Parton, in 2015. Stella is one of Dolly Parton's 11 siblings.

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THE COWBOY WHO STARED DOWN THE REAPER Las Vegas, December 2023. The lights at Dolby Live were blinding, but a heavy silence hung over the crowd as the silhouette emerged. Toby Keith walked out. The audience gasped softly. The “Big Dog Daddy,” once an invincible tower of American muscle, looked shockingly different. His suit hung loosely on a frame ravaged by brutal chemotherapy. Stomach cancer had stolen his weight and his stamina, but it had made a fatal error: It couldn’t touch the defiant fire in his eyes. The Stars and Stripes guitar, once light as a feather in his hands, now weighed a ton. Yet, he strapped it on, standing tall like an old soldier refusing to kneel in his final trench. When the first chords of “Don’t Let the Old Man In” rang out, it ceased to be a concert. It became a war cry. Thousands wept openly watching a man standing on the edge of mortality, singing about refusing to let death in, with a voice that still thundered like a cannon. He wasn’t singing for applause. He was singing to hold onto his soul. In those haunting minutes, the Grim Reaper seemed to step back, out of sheer respect for the cowboy’s grit. Toby didn’t let the “Old Man” in that night. He rode off into the sunset on his own terms: Loud, proud, and unbowed.

THEY TOLD HIM TO SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP. HE STOOD UP AND SANG LOUDER. He wasn’t your typical polished Nashville star with a perfect smile. He was a former oil rig worker. A semi-pro football player. A man who knew the smell of crude oil and the taste of dust better than he knew a red carpet. When the towers fell on 9/11, while the rest of the world was in shock, Toby Keith got angry. He poured that rage onto paper in 20 minutes. He wrote a battle cry, not a lullaby. But the “gatekeepers” hated it. They called it too violent. Too aggressive. A famous news anchor even banned him from a national 4th of July special because his lyrics were “too strong” for polite society. They wanted him to tone it down. They wanted him to apologize for his anger. Toby looked them dead in the eye and said: “No.” He didn’t write it for the critics in their ivory towers. He wrote it for his father, a veteran who lost an eye serving his country. He wrote it for the boys and girls shipping out to foreign sands. When he unleashed “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” it didn’t just top the charts—it exploded. It became the anthem of a wounded nation. The more the industry tried to silence him, the louder the people sang along. He spent his career being the “Big Dog Daddy,” the man who refused to back down. In a world of carefully curated public images, he was a sledgehammer of truth. He played for the troops in the most dangerous war zones when others were too scared to go. He left this world too soon, but he left us with one final lesson: Never apologize for who you are, and never, ever apologize for loving your country.

TWO YEARS LATER — AND THE SMILES STILL REMAIN . It’s been two years since the world said goodbye to Toby Keith — and while the loss still lingers, so does the energy he left behind. Toby wasn’t a quiet presence. He was laughter in a loud room, music turned up past midnight, and songs that felt like shared memories the moment they played. His voice still lives where it always belonged — in crowded bars, long drives, backyard gatherings, and stories passed from one fan to another. People don’t just remember him; they relive him every time a chorus rises and strangers sing together like old friends. That’s the real legacy he left: connection. The freedom to be honest, to feel deeply, to celebrate life even when it wasn’t perfect. Today isn’t only about missing him. It’s about pressing play again — letting the music carry the memories forward. Which Toby Keith song brings back your happiest memory — and where were you the first time you heard it?

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THE COWBOY WHO STARED DOWN THE REAPER Las Vegas, December 2023. The lights at Dolby Live were blinding, but a heavy silence hung over the crowd as the silhouette emerged. Toby Keith walked out. The audience gasped softly. The “Big Dog Daddy,” once an invincible tower of American muscle, looked shockingly different. His suit hung loosely on a frame ravaged by brutal chemotherapy. Stomach cancer had stolen his weight and his stamina, but it had made a fatal error: It couldn’t touch the defiant fire in his eyes. The Stars and Stripes guitar, once light as a feather in his hands, now weighed a ton. Yet, he strapped it on, standing tall like an old soldier refusing to kneel in his final trench. When the first chords of “Don’t Let the Old Man In” rang out, it ceased to be a concert. It became a war cry. Thousands wept openly watching a man standing on the edge of mortality, singing about refusing to let death in, with a voice that still thundered like a cannon. He wasn’t singing for applause. He was singing to hold onto his soul. In those haunting minutes, the Grim Reaper seemed to step back, out of sheer respect for the cowboy’s grit. Toby didn’t let the “Old Man” in that night. He rode off into the sunset on his own terms: Loud, proud, and unbowed.

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THEY TOLD HIM TO SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP. HE STOOD UP AND SANG LOUDER. He wasn’t your typical polished Nashville star with a perfect smile. He was a former oil rig worker. A semi-pro football player. A man who knew the smell of crude oil and the taste of dust better than he knew a red carpet. When the towers fell on 9/11, while the rest of the world was in shock, Toby Keith got angry. He poured that rage onto paper in 20 minutes. He wrote a battle cry, not a lullaby. But the “gatekeepers” hated it. They called it too violent. Too aggressive. A famous news anchor even banned him from a national 4th of July special because his lyrics were “too strong” for polite society. They wanted him to tone it down. They wanted him to apologize for his anger. Toby looked them dead in the eye and said: “No.” He didn’t write it for the critics in their ivory towers. He wrote it for his father, a veteran who lost an eye serving his country. He wrote it for the boys and girls shipping out to foreign sands. When he unleashed “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” it didn’t just top the charts—it exploded. It became the anthem of a wounded nation. The more the industry tried to silence him, the louder the people sang along. He spent his career being the “Big Dog Daddy,” the man who refused to back down. In a world of carefully curated public images, he was a sledgehammer of truth. He played for the troops in the most dangerous war zones when others were too scared to go. He left this world too soon, but he left us with one final lesson: Never apologize for who you are, and never, ever apologize for loving your country.

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TWO YEARS LATER — AND THE SMILES STILL REMAIN . It’s been two years since the world said goodbye to Toby Keith — and while the loss still lingers, so does the energy he left behind. Toby wasn’t a quiet presence. He was laughter in a loud room, music turned up past midnight, and songs that felt like shared memories the moment they played. His voice still lives where it always belonged — in crowded bars, long drives, backyard gatherings, and stories passed from one fan to another. People don’t just remember him; they relive him every time a chorus rises and strangers sing together like old friends. That’s the real legacy he left: connection. The freedom to be honest, to feel deeply, to celebrate life even when it wasn’t perfect. Today isn’t only about missing him. It’s about pressing play again — letting the music carry the memories forward. Which Toby Keith song brings back your happiest memory — and where were you the first time you heard it?

Country Oldies Musics

THEY WALKED ONSTAGE KNOWING IT WAS THE LAST TIME — AND NO ONE WAS READY FOR THE SILENCE THAT FOLLOWED. October 26, 2002. The Salem Civic Center felt more like a church than an arena as The Statler Brothers gathered for their final show after 40 years together. No scandal. No farewell drama. Just four men deciding it was time to go home. When Harold Reid stepped forward, the crowd expected humor. Instead, they saw tears. He looked at Don, Phil, and Jimmy — and the room understood. They sang “Amazing Grace.” No instruments. Just four voices holding each other for the last time. In the front row, a man in a faded 1975 concert shirt removed his hat and pressed it to his chest. He wasn’t just watching a band retire. He was watching his own youth step off the stage. The lights dimmed. The bus rolled away. They didn’t say goodbye to the music — they just stopped walking with it.