Dave & Sugar was a pop-styled American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

trio which enjoyed its peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. The trio consisted of

lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Dave Rowland Dave & Sugar was a pop-styled American country music trio which enjoyed its peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. The trio consisted of lead singer Dave Rowland and initially on backing vocals, Vicki Hackeman and Jackie Frantz. Over time, t ...

and initially on backing vocals, Vicki Hackeman and Jackie Frantz. Over time, the female members ("Sugar") of the group changed: Frantz was replaced by Sue Powell in 1977, who in turn was replaced by Jamie Kaye in 1980, while Hackeman was replaced by Melissa Dean ( Etta Britt) in January 1979. Overall, Dave & Sugar charted 16 times on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' country charts, including three No. 1 hits: " The Door Is Always Open", " Tear Time" and " Golden Tears". Powell also had two chart singles outside the group. Dave & Sugar were sometimes called "The country

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

" because of their slickly produced sound as well as blend of male and female voices.

Background

The trio was founded and fronted by Dave Rowland, born in

Sanger, California Sanger is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 26,617 at the 2020 census, up from 24,270 at the 2010 census. Sanger is located east-southeast of Fresno, at an elevation of 371 feet (113 m). Eponym Sanger is ...

, raised in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

(January 26, 1944 – November 1, 2018), while two female vocalists made up the "Sugar" part. The "Sugar" line-up changed several times during the group's run of success, while the two original singers were Jackie Frantz and Vicki Hackeman. Before forming Dave & Sugar, Rowland was part of

J.D. Sumner John Daniel Sumner (November 19, 1924 – November 16, 1998) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and music promoter noted for his bass voice, and his innovation in the Christian and Gospel music fields. Sumner sang in five quartets and ...

and the

Stamps Quartet John Daniel Sumner (November 19, 1924 – November 16, 1998) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and music promoter noted for his bass voice, and his innovation in the Christian and Gospel music fields. Sumner sang in five quartets and w ...

(who was touring with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

at the time), and later the Four Guys. He also was a prominent member of country singer

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American Country music, country singer. Beginning his career as a Negro league baseball player in the early-1950s, he later pursued a career in country music, becoming the gen ...

's road show. By 1975, with Pride looking for a backup band, Rowland hired Frantz and Hackeman, and Dave & Sugar was formed. They signed a deal with

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

. The trio's first single, "Queen of the Silver Dollar" (written by

Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into ...

, and originally recorded by Dr. Hook in 1972, and also included on

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

' debut solo album earlier in 1975) broke into the Top 25 of ''

s country singles chart in early 1976. Their next single, " The Door Is Always Open", became their first No. 1 hit in July. Their peak run garnered nearly one dozen Top 10 singles, including two more No. 1 hits - " Tear Time" (1978) and " Golden Tears" (1979). Rowland disbanded the trio briefly during the early 1980s to try a solo career, releasing an album entitled (appropriately) ''Sugar Free'' and charting two singles of his own. Powell also charted two singles on RCA as a soloist, and later went on to host the TV series ''Nashville on the Road''. Rowland later reformed the trio with two new sets of "Sugar" partners: Cindy Smith and Lisa Alvey, followed by Regina Leigh and Lori Mason. However, these second-era trios failed to gain the popularity the original trios had in the 1970s and the group disbanded for good after only minimal success. In 1997, former Sugar member Leigh formed the short-lived country duo

Regina Regina Regina Regina was an American country music duo formed in 1995. The duo consisted of female singers Regina Leigh and Regina Nicks, respectively natives of Marshville, North Carolina and Lufkin, Texas. Leigh was formerly a backing vocalist in Reb ...

with partner Regina Nicks. On November 1, 2018, Rowland died due to complications from a stroke in his Nashville home at the age of 74.

Discography

Albums

Dave Rowland solo albums

Singles

Dave Rowland solo singles

Sue Powell solo singles

;Notes

Awards

, +

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...

, - , 1976 , "The Door Is Always Open" - RCA , Single of the Year , , Dave Rowland, Jackie Frantz, Vicki Hackeman , - , 1976 , Dave & Sugar , Vocal Group of the Year , , Dave Rowland, Jackie Frantz, Vicki Hackeman , - , 1977 , Dave & Sugar , Vocal Group of the Year , , Dave Rowland, Sue Powell, Vicki Hackeman , - , 1978 , Dave & Sugar , Vocal Group of the Year , , Dave Rowland, Sue Powell, Etta Britt (as M.Dean) , - , 1979 , Dave & Sugar , Vocal Group of the Year , , Dave Rowland, Sue Powell, Etta Britt

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dave and Sugar American country music groups RCA Records artists Elektra Records artists Musical trios from Tennessee