“The success of The Carolina Opry traces back to the fact that we proved this market would respond to high‑quality, live music theater,” Gilmore said. “We showed that vacationers were absolutely willing to spend a night in a theater if you gave them a show that could stand next to anything they’d see in more established entertainment towns.”
Forty years later his namesake theater hosts its award-winning shows “One,” “Time Warp” and its annual “Christmas Show of the South” that gives the Strand an offseason tourism boost. The 2,200-seat facility has hosted country legends like George Jones, Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard, and more mainstream acts like Gladys Knight, Art Garfunkel and Kansas over the years.
“The show didn’t just make a splash, it helped shape an entire era of entertainment here,” Gilmore said. “After all the ups and downs and comings and goings, we’re still here, still local, still winning awards, and still filling seats. In this business, opening night is hard — but staying power is harder.”
The Carolina Opry has kept pace with the changing times by hosting upcoming tribute performances like “The Dolly Show” (July 18) ode to next-door neighbor, the “Folsom Prison Experience” tribute to Johnny Cash (Aug. 9), and the Changes in Latitude tribute to Jimmy Buffet (Aug. 30). Upcoming headliners include legendary acts like The Marshall Tucker Band (July 11) and the Little River Band (Aug. 1).
Pirates Voyage is a Dolly Parton production.
Terry Massey/Staff
‘Parton’ with tradition
It’s been three centuries since actual pirates roamed the Carolina coast, but only the past 15 years since a more talented band of seahawks dropped anchor on “the most fun place to eat in Myrtle Beach,” as Pirates Voyage’s motto proclaims.
Parton’s Dixie Stampede had been delighting crowds in Myrtle Beach since 1992, but two decades later the country-western motif was growing stale and theaters were closing due to overbuilding and increased competition for tourism dollars. The Strand’s visitor demographics were growing younger, more diverse, and hungry for something different.