Dolly Parton Releases 50th Studio Album, “Smoky Mountain DNA”

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On November 15, 2024, Dolly Parton released Smoky Mountain DNA, her 50th studio album.

The album differs slightly from her last 49, seeing as many family members join her. The full album is titled Dolly Parton and Family: Smoky Mountain DNA—Family, Faith and Fables.

Parton herself hand-picked all 37 songs, some of which are new recordings with her family, while others are archive recordings with family members who are no longer with us, including her beloved mom Avie Lee. Other family members on the album include her siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, and her grandfather, Reverend Jake Owens.

On the back cover of the album, she writes,

“Smoky Mountain DNA is an album I’ve wanted to make for many years. For me personally, this is one of the most important albums I’ve ever made – because it’s family. My family has an abiding faith in God and an abiding faith in ourselves. We have strong family bonds that go back hundreds of years, and we have stories and music passed forth from parent to child for generations. My granddaddy, the Rev. Jake Owens, taught us about faith at his little country church, but on the front porch of our Tennessee mountain home, our Parton and Owens kin taught us about music. Grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins all loved music; they all made music, and I didn’t get to be who I am without many of the people you’re going to hear on this record. Some of them are gone, a lot of them are still with us, and a few of them are just teenagers. They all have the gift, and I am so proud to have been able to join my voice with each and every one of them. This record has been a true labor of love for me. I’m all about family, faith, and fables, and the magic that has always been right there for me, buried deep in our Smoky Mountain DNA.”

See the full track listing below:

1. Dolly Parton — “Introduction / My Tennessee Mountain Home” (Instrumental)
2. Dolly Parton — “My Tennessee Mountain Home”
3. Roger Helton — “Groom’s Tune (Bonaparte’s Retreat)” (Instrumental)
4. Reverend. Jake Owens & Dolly Parton — “I Live In Glory”
5. Bill & Louis Owens and the Family — “Singing His Praise / Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man”
6. Jake Owens, Avie Lee Parton, Dorothy Jo Owens & Estelle Owens Watson — “I’ll Meet You In The Morning”
7. Avie Lee Parton & Dolly Parton — “Rosewood Casket”
8. Dorothy Jo Owens & Dolly Parton — “Runaway Girl”
9. John Henry Owens & Dolly Parton — “I Just Stopped By”
10. Louis Owens & Dolly Parton — “When Possession Gets Too Strong”
11. Bill Owens & Dolly Parton — “Put It Off Until Tomorrow”
12. Dolly Parton — “Smoky Mountain DNA”
13. Stella Parton & Dolly Parton — “Heart Don’t Fail Me Now”
14. Cassie Parton Griffith & Dolly Parton — “Momma’s Special Touch”
15. Randy Parton & Rachel Parton George — “Take It Slow”
16. Floyd Parton & Dolly Parton — “Foolin’ Around”
17. Freida Parton & Dolly Parton — “The Crops Came In”
18. Rachel Parton George & Dolly Parton — “I Will Know”
19. Dwight Puckett & Dolly Parton — “Applejack”
20. Debbi Jo Hess & Dolly Parton — “It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right”
21. Richie Owens & Dolly Parton — “Tell Me That You Love Me”
22. Tim Rauhoff & Dolly Parton — “Canceled Plans”
23. Danielle Parton & Dolly Parton — “The Man”
24. Jada Star & Dolly Parton — “The Orchard”
25. Sabyn Mayfield & Dolly Parton — “Holy Water”
26. Heidi Parton & Dolly Parton — “A Rose Won’t Fix It”
27. Rebecca Seaver & Dolly Parton — “Where Will We Live Tomorrow”
28. Dolly Parton & Family — “Puppy Love”
29. Shelley Rená & Dolly Parton — “Not Bad”
30. Tanya Renee & Dolly Parton — “For Keeps”
31. Estelle Owens & Dolly Parton — “Crazy In Love With You”
32. Lainey Parton & Dolly Parton — “Be Your Own Man”
33. Leroy Brown & Dolly Parton — “Being Me”
34. Faith Reeann & Dolly Parton — “We Might Be In Love”
35. Merin Seaver & Dolly Parton — “Randy Floyd”
36. Dolly Parton & Family — “When It’s Family”
37. Dolly Parton — Outro / Smoky Mountain DNA (Instrumental)

Dolly Parton says Smoky Mountain DNA is her favorite album

In an interview with the Associated Press, Parton said that music runs in her veins from both sides of her family.

“We’re kind of like the Carter family. We go back generations,” she said.

Just one look at this 1987 performance of “Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man” with her family proves that. This recording is used on the album.

Parton added, “I would imagine this will be my favorite album. This really involves, you know, my grandmas and my grandpas, my uncles and my aunts and all the people going all the way back that had the biggest influence on my life. The ones that I remember from being little, and it even goes on farther back from there.”

Smoky Mountain DNA is available everywhere you listen to music. You can also purchase vinyl and CD versions!