The Untold Truth Of Dolly Parton's Family

Publish date: 2024-04-30

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, country went pop, thanks to the John Travolta movie Urban Cowboy and performers with mainstream appeal, like Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. In the wake of that, Dolly's brother Randy Parton signed a deal with RCA Records and released a few recordings. 

In 1982, he appeared on the country showcase show Pop Goes the Country to perform "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)," a rock-tinged tune about a long-haul trucker. That song wasn't a hit for Randy (in 1984, Alabama covered it and took it to No. 1 on the country chart). But in the early '80s, he had a few moderate successes, such as the Top 30 hits, "Hold Me Like You Never Had Me" and "Shot Full of Love." As the decade progressed, Randy collaborated with his very successful sister more, playing bass in her live band and backing her up as a member of the Cut N' Slice Band in her 1984 musical comedy Rhinestone.

In the mid-2000s, Randy struck a lucrative deal with the city of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, which paid him a $1.5 million annual salary to manage and perform at the Randy Parton Theater, the centerpiece of a planned entertainment complex. (He also got a fully furnished home and use of a car in the deal.) By 2008, Randy had left the project after a series of business disagreements.

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