Dave & Sugar

{{Short description|Country music trio}}

{{More citations needed|date=February 2010}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Dave & Sugar

| image =

| caption =

| image_size =

| origin = Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

| genre = Country

| years_active = 1975–1982

| label = RCA, Elektra

| associated_acts = Charley Pride

| past_members = Lisa Alvey
Etta Britt as M. Dean
Jackie Frantz
Vicki Hackeman
Jamie Kaye
Regina Leigh
Lori Mason
Sue Powell
Dave Rowland
Cindy Smith

}}

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, 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 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" 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, raised in Los Angeles, California{{cite web|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/11/04/country-singer-dave-rowland-leader-dave-sugar-dies/1886354002/|title=Country singer Dave Rowland, leader of Dave & Sugar, dies at 74|website=usatoday.com|accessdate=January 21, 2019}} (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.{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=632/3}}

Before forming Dave & Sugar, Rowland was part of J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet (who was touring with Elvis Presley at the time), and later the Four Guys.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dave-sugar-rowland-mn0001411997|title=Dave & Sugar biography|last=Brennan|first=Sandra|website=AllMusic|access-date=28 February 2010}} He also was a prominent member of country singer Charley Pride's road show.{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2008|page=115|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}} 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.

The trio's first single, "Queen of the Silver Dollar" (written by Shel Silverstein, and originally recorded by Dr. Hook in 1972, and also included on Emmylou Harris' debut solo album earlier in 1975) broke into the Top 25 of Billboard'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.Whitburn, p. 328 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 with partner Regina Nicks.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19970305&id=ZZgyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6496,2485489|title=Regina Regina hopes pairing pays off|last=Patterson|first=Jim|date=5 March 1997|work=Lawrence Journal-World|access-date=11 April 2013}}

On November 1, 2018, Rowland died due to complications from a stroke in his Nashville home at the age of 74.{{cite web|url=http://tasteofcountry.com/dave-and-sugar-singer-dave-rowland-dead-stroke/|title=Dave & Sugar Singer Dave Rowland Dead at 74|website=Tasteofcountry.com|date=2 November 2018 |access-date=November 3, 2018}}

Discography

=Albums=

class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Album

! colspan="3"| Chart Positions

! rowspan="2"| Label

width="45"| US Country

! width="45"| US

! width="45"| CAN Country

1976

| Dave & Sugar

| align="center"| 3

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="6"| RCA Victor

1977

| That's the Way Love Should Be

| align="center"| 10

| align="center"| 157

| align="center"| —

1978

| Tear Time

| align="center"| 8

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 4

1979

| Stay with Me / Golden Tears

| align="center"| 20

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

1980

| New York Wine Tennessee Shine

| align="center"| 47

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

rowspan="2"| 1981

| Greatest Hits

| align="center"| 35

| align="center"| 179

| align="center"| —

Pleasure

| align="center"| 31

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| Elektra

==Dave Rowland solo albums==

class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Album

! colspan="1"| Chart Positions

! rowspan="2"| Label

width="65"| US Country
1982

| Sugar Free

| align="center"| 56

| Elektra

=Singles=

class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="5"| Chart Positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

width="45"| US Country

! width="45"| US AC

! width="45"| AUS{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=82}}

! width="45"| CAN Country

! width="45"| CAN AC

1975

| "Queen of the Silver Dollar"

| align="center"| 25

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 61

| align="center"| 21

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="3"| Dave & Sugar

rowspan="2"| 1976

| "The Door Is Always Open"

| align="center"| 1

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 84

| align="center"| 1

| align="center"| —

"I'm Gonna Love You"

| align="center"| 3

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 2

| align="center"| —

rowspan="3"| 1977

| "Don't Throw It All Away"

| align="center"| 5

| align="center"| 32

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 5

| align="center"| 34

| rowspan="3"| That's the Way Love Should Be

"That's the Way Love Should Be"

| align="center"| 7

| align="center"| 45

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 6

| align="center"| 33

"I'm Knee Deep in Loving You"

| align="center"| 2

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 4

| align="center"| —

rowspan="2"| 1978

| "Gotta' Quit Lookin' at You Baby"

| align="center"| 4

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 9

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="2"| Tear Time

"Tear Time"

| align="center"| 1

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 3

| align="center"| —

rowspan="3"| 1979

| "Golden Tears"

| align="center"| 1

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 2

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="3"| Stay with Me / Golden Tears

"Stay with Me"

| align="center"| 6

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

"My World Begins and Ends with You"/"Why Did You Have to Be So Good"{{Efn|"My World Begins and Ends with You"/"Why Did You Have to Be So Good" charted as a double A-side in the United States, but only "My World Begins and Ends with You" charted in Canada.}}

| align="center"| 4

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 7

| align="center"| —

rowspan="2"| 1980

| "New York Wine and Tennessee Shine"

| align="center"| 18

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 10

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="2"| New York Wine Tennessee Shine

"A Love Song"

| align="center"| 40

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

rowspan="3"| 1981

| "It's a Heartache"

| align="center"| 32

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| 37

| align="center"| —

| Greatest Hits

"Fool By Your Side"{{Efn|Credited to "Dave Rowland & Sugar".|name=Rowland}}

| align="center"| 6

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| rowspan="2"| Pleasure

"The Pleasure's All Mine"{{Efn|name=Rowland}}

| align="center"| 32

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

| align="center"| —

==Dave Rowland solo singles==

class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="1"| Chart Positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

width="65"| US Country
rowspan=2|1982

| "Natalie"/"Why Didn't I Think of That"{{Efn|Charted as a double A-side.}}

| align="center"| 77

| rowspan="2"| Sugar Free

"Lovin' Our Lives Away"

| align="center"| 84

==Sue Powell solo singles==

class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="1"| Chart Positions

width="65"| US Country
rowspan=2|1981

| "Midnite Flyer"

| align="center"|57

"(There's No Me) Without You"

| align="center"|49

;Notes

{{Notelist}}

Awards

{{Awards table|2}}

|+ Country Music Association

|-

| 1976

| "The Door Is Always Open" - RCA

| Single of the Year

| {{nom}}

| Dave Rowland, Jackie Frantz, Vicki Hackeman

|-

| 1976

| Dave & Sugar

|Vocal Group of the Year

| {{nom}}

| Dave Rowland, Jackie Frantz, Vicki Hackeman

|-

| 1977

| Dave & Sugar

|Vocal Group of the Year

| {{nom}}

| Dave Rowland, Sue Powell, Vicki Hackeman

|-

| 1978

| Dave & Sugar

| Vocal Group of the Year

| {{nom}}

| Dave Rowland, Sue Powell, Etta Britt (as M.Dean)

|-

| 1979

| Dave & Sugar

| Vocal Group of the Year

| {{nom}}

| Dave Rowland, Sue Powell, Etta Britt

{{end}}

References

{{Reflist | refs =

{{cite web

|title=CMA AWARDS // ARCHIVE 1976

|url=http://www.cmt.com/cma-awards/1976.jhtml

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014074041/http://www.cmt.com/cma-awards/1976.jhtml

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=October 14, 2013

|publisher=CMT|access-date=12 October 2013

|year=1976}}

{{cite web

|title=CMA AWARDS // ARCHIVE 1977

|url=http://www.cmt.com/cma-awards/1977.jhtml

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014074048/http://www.cmt.com/cma-awards/1977.jhtml

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=October 14, 2013

|publisher=CMT|access-date=12 October 2013

|year=1977}}

{{cite web

|title=CMA AWARDS // ARCHIVE 1978

|url=http://www.cmt.com/cma-awards/1978.jhtml

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014074045/http://www.cmt.com/cma-awards/1978.jhtml

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=October 14, 2013

|publisher=CMT|access-date=12 October 2013

|year=1978}}

{{cite web

|title=CMA AWARDS // ARCHIVE 1979

|url=http://www.cmt.com/cma-awards/1979.jhtml

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014074043/http://www.cmt.com/cma-awards/1979.jhtml

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=October 14, 2013

|publisher=CMT|access-date=12 October 2013

|year=1979}}

{{cite web|title=Dave & Sugar Biography|url=http://www.musiccityattractions.com/bio/daveandsugarbio.html|website=MusicCityAttractions.com|access-date=12 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014233529/http://www.musiccityattractions.com/bio/daveandsugarbio.html|archive-date=14 October 2013|url-status=dead}}

}}

{{Dave & Sugar}}

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Category:American country music groups

Category:RCA Records artists

Category:Elektra Records artists

Category:Musical trios from Tennessee