Recording Career
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 country music locally at the club Hillbilly Heaven. 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, Dolly starred in the movie Rhinestone, and Stella performed a song with Kin Vassy for the soundtrack.
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 currently with Raptor Records. To date, she has released 22 albums and has had 28 chart singles. Parton's discography includes: In The Garden, Stella And The Gospel Carrolls, I Want To Hold You In My Dreams, Country Sweet, Stella Parton, Love Ya, The Best Of Stella Parton, So Far, So Good, True To Me, Always Tomorrow, Favorites Vol. 1, Picture In A Frame, A Woman's Touch, Anthology, Appalachian Blues, Blue Heart, Appalachian Gospel, Favorites Vol. 2, Favorites Vol. 3, Songwriter Sessions, and Testimony.
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