{"id":2036868,"date":"2026-07-10T14:47:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2036868"},"modified":"2026-07-10T14:47:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:47:51","slug":"chart-rewind-in-1976-dave-sugar-tasted-sweet-success-when-country-opened-its-door","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2036868","title":{"rendered":"Chart Rewind: In 1976, Dave & Sugar Tasted Sweet Success When Country Opened Its \u2018Door\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/dave-and-sugar-1977-billboard-1800.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n

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\n\tHe was once a member of the Grand Ole Opry quartet The Four Guys, but he made his mark in country music as the sole guy in a group with two women.<\/p>\n

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\"Willie<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tChart Rewind: In 1986, Willie Nelson\u2019s Patriotic \u2018Promiseland\u2019 Carried the Torch for\u00a0Immigration\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tFor the July 4, 1976, Issue, Billboard Put a Special Twist on the\u00a0Charts\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Taylor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tChart Rewind: On July 1, 2006, Taylor Swift Made Her Billboard\u00a0Debut\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tDave Rowland\u2019s trio, Dave & Sugar, launched in April 1975 as an opening act for Charley Pride, with Jackie Frantz and Vicki Hackeman as Rowland\u2019s original female singers. \u201cThe Door Is Always Open,\u201d the trio\u2019s second single, took the act to No. 1 on Billboard<\/em>\u2019s Hot Country Songs a year later, on the list dated July 10, 1976.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Door\u201d already had some history. Country Music Hall of Famer Bob McDill wrote the first verse and chorus, but recording artist Dickey Lee finished it. Lee recorded it first, followed by Waylon Jennings and Ernest Tubb. Producer Jerry Bradley guided the session when Sugar cut it in January 1976.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe song earned a rare place in country music history books. Dave & Sugar became only the second mixed-gender trio to top Hot Country Songs, following The Browns, who led with \u201cThe Three Bells\u201d in 1959. To date, just two more mixed-gender trios (excluding collaborations) have reached the summit: Lady A and The Band Perry.<\/p>\n

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\n\tDave & Sugar amassed three Hot Country Songs leaders among eight total top 10s, though Sugar had a fair amount of turnover. Frantz left at the end of 1976, replaced by Sue Powell. Hackeman left her spot to Melissa Dean in 1979.<\/p>\n

\n\tRowland and Hackeman died in 2018. By then, \u201cThe Door Is Always Open\u201d had been covered again, on Jamey Johnson\u2019s 2008 album That Lonesome Song<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Billboard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/chart-beat\/dave-sugar-the-door-is-always-open-chart-rewind-1976-1236291161\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/dave-and-sugar-1977-billboard-1800.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard He was once a member of the Grand Ole Opry quartet The Four Guys, but he made his mark in country music as the sole guy in a group with two women. Related Chart Rewind: In 1986, Willie Nelson\u2019s Patriotic \u2018Promiseland\u2019 Carried the Torch for\u00a0Immigration For the July 4, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2036868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2036868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036868\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2036868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2036868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2036868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}