• ABOUT
    • Contact
    • The Team
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Events
    • FAQ
    • Use & Privacy Policy
  • ADVERTISE
  • ROWFAX
  • THE SPORTS CREDENTIAL
  • JOB LISTINGS
MusicRow.com
  • CALENDARS
    • Album/EP Releases
    • Single/Track Releases
    • Industry Events
  • OBITS
  • CHARTS
    • Radio Chart (Current)
    • Radio Chart (Archives)
    • No. 1 Challenge Coin
    • Songwriter Chart (Current)
    • Songwriter Chart (Archives)
  • REVIEWS
  • MY STORY
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Newsletter (Current)
    • SIGN UP (FREE!)
    • Newsletter (Archives)
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • STORE
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Dave & Sugar Lead Singer Dave Rowland Dies At 74

November 2, 2018/by Jessica Nicholson


Dave Rowland
, the founder and lead singer of country group Dave & Sugar, died Nov. 1 in Nashville, following complications from a stroke. He was 74.

Prior to forming Dave & Sugar, Rowland toured with Elvis Presley as part of the J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, and later with the Four Guys. He also toured as part of Charley Pride’s road show.

By 1975, with Pride looking for a backup band, Rowland hired Jackie Frantz and Vicki Hackeman, and Dave & Sugar was formed.

After signing on with Pride’s management team, Dave & Sugar signed with RCA Records and recorded their first album. The trio’s first single, “Queen of the Silver Dollar,” penned by Shel Silverstein, reached the Top 25 on the country singles chart in 1976. The group’s second single, “The Door Is Always Open,” went to No. 1.

The group would earn approximately a dozen Top 10 singles, as well as two additional No. 1 hits, 1978’s “Tear Time,” and 1979’s “Golden Tears.”

Rowland disbanded the trio briefly during the early 1980s to try a solo career, releasing the album Sugar Free and charting two singles of his own. He toured with Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, Barbara Mandrell and Hank Williams, Jr. He spent two years as Kenny Rogers’ opening act.

Rowland later reformed the trio with two new sets of “Sugar” partners.

Rowland is survived by his wife Terri Rowland, mother Ruby Rowland and sister Donna Fort and her husband Bob of Palm Desert, California, sister-in-law Angie Billis of Nashville, Tennessee, niece Vicki Martinka and husband John in Pennsylvania, and nephew Bobby Fowler and wife Belen and their two children in Argentina.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in the name of Dave Rowland be sent to the Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2014, Rowland was honored by the Music City Tennis Invitational in recognition of four decades of event participation with proceeds to benefit the hospital.

Arrangements are pending for a celebration of life service.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Jessica Nicholson
Jessica Nicholson
Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at [email protected].
Jessica Nicholson
Latest posts by Jessica Nicholson (see all)
  • CMA Honors Robert Deaton With Chairman’s Award - December 4, 2020
  • Nashville Symphony, Nashville Musicians Association Reach Agreement - December 4, 2020
  • Zach Williams’ “Chain Breaker” Is Most-Added On ‘MusicRow’ CountryBreakout Radio Chart - December 4, 2020
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Dave-And-Sugar-Album.jpg 599 599 Jessica Nicholson https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.png Jessica Nicholson2018-11-02 15:49:212019-03-18 09:18:54Dave & Sugar Lead Singer Dave Rowland Dies At 74
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

RECENT NEWS

  • Brenda Lee Gets Her Flowers For Her Enduring Christmas Classic [Interview] December 8, 2023
  • Louis York To Headline Holiday Benefit Concert At Belmont’s Fisher Center December 8, 2023
  • Mediabase Reveals 2023 Year-End Chart Stats, Big Loud Lands In First Place December 8, 2023
  • Cooper Alan Among The Pandora Ten: Artists To Watch In 2024 December 8, 2023
  • Kidd G Drops Memory-Packed New EP ‘If We Were A Love Song’ December 8, 2023
  • Industry Ink: Ian Munsick, Marty Stuart, Average Joes, TLACC December 8, 2023
  • Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ First To Exceed $1 Billion, Crowns Pollstar’s Year-End Top Tours List December 8, 2023
  • Cody Johnson Tops MusicRow Radio Chart With ‘The Painter’ December 8, 2023
  • CRB Names Inaugural Futuri Digital Pioneer Scholarship Recipient December 8, 2023
  • My Music Row Story: Grand Ole Opry’s Dan Rogers December 8, 2023
  • Cole Swindell & Crew Celebrate Five-Week No. 1 ‘She Had Me At Heads Carolina’ December 7, 2023
  • DISClaimer Single Reviews: Luke Grimes Releases ‘Relaxed, Thoughtful’ New Cover December 7, 2023
  • Aaron Watson To Embark On ‘The Armadillo Dance Hall Tour’ December 7, 2023
  • George Strait Announces Christmas Sweepstakes To Benefit Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation December 7, 2023
  • CMHOF To Launch New Online ‘Words & Music: Journey Of A Song’ Series December 7, 2023

Like Us on Facebook

Follow Us on Twitter

Tweets by MusicRow
© 2023 Music Row Enterprises, LLC – All rights reserved.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Scroll to top