The News & Observer today previews the grand opening of the Randy Parton Theatre in Roanoke Rapids, and examines the musical history of Dolly’s brother:
His last hit was in 1983 — “A Stranger in Her Bed,” which was No. 92 on the Billboard country charts…
Parton spent years playing bass in his sister’s band and appeared in shows at Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
The
closest he came to stardom in his own right was in 1981, when two
singles, “Hold Me Like You Never Had Me” and “Shot Full of Love,” made
the Top 30 Billboard country chart.“You look at his numbers and
see that he was never a country star,” said Michael McCall, a
writer/editor at the Country Music Foundation, a nonprofit. “He got a
break and got a couple of things going but wasn’t able to sustain a
career from it. He’s just not really been on the radar.”Parton’s lack of success so far doesn’t necessarily doom his theater. Places such as Branson, Mo., often feature has-beens.
Has-beens? What about never-wases?
And if you’re looking for any of Randy’s recordings, you can find the whole catalog at Amazon. Try not to lose count.
A preview of his musical show can be found at his Web site — expect plenty of line dancin’ and “thwang.”
