Coming from one of America's greatest creative families since the Hemingways, Stella Parton has blazed her own unique pathway to success.
An award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and author, her career has brought her 27 chart singles, including a BILLBOARD top ten hit, 19 albums, and worldwide honors from New Zealand to Nashville, Tennessee.
Nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award, Stella has won the Most Promising International Act Award in Great Britain, three songwriting awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. She was recently named CCMA’s 2002 Mainstream Country Artist and 2004 Female Vocalist.
Music always played a major role in Stella’s life while growing up in Appalachia. She recalls her father singing “In The Pines” while shaving and her mother singing old Irish laments and the music of the Carter Family. Influenced by Appalachian Folk music, the Louvin Brothers, Billie Holliday, Lena Horne, Teresa Brewer, Gogie Grant, Gale Storm and other artists from the ‘50s and ‘60s, Stella developed her own unique style. Later favorites include Miles Davis, Marty Robbins, Don Williams and Joni Mitchell which explains her diversity of style.
Stella learned her first song, “Eastbound Train,” when she was only five. The youngster made her radio and television debut four years later when she accompanied her older sister Dolly to Knoxville where they sang a Louvin Brothers song, “Because She Is My Mother.”
Early in her career, Stella sang gospel music and formed her own gospel group, the Stella Parton Singers. Then she began writing and singing country music. She wrote her first hit song “I Want To Hold You In My Dreams Tonight,” and wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on her album, “Blue Heart.”
With a repertoire that ranges from country to blues and beyond, Stella takes her road show across the United States and into Europe and Australia where her popularity continues to grow. She has appeared in four movies, the TV sitcom The Dukes of Hazzard and such TV shows as Merv Griffin, Dinah Shore, The Today Show, and Good Morning America. She has starred in such theatrical gems as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Pump Boys and Dinettes and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Stella's love for cooking resulted in her authoring two recipe-packed cookbooks. Really Cookin', Vol. 1 and Country Cookin'. A third collection, Stella's Really Cookin', Vol. 2 is slated for release this year. She appeared on The Home Shopping Network successfully presenting her Taste of Life all natural food products.
Entertainment is not the only area where Stella shines. She devotes much of her time to causes like domestic violence and poverty in the Appalachian region. Stella is the National Spokesperson for the Christian Appalachian Project.
Stella's desire and ability to relate to people from all walks of life, coupled with her diverse talents, are qualities that have made her one of America's richest musical treasures.
