r By Judith Dutton
The Duttons, a family of international touring entertainment artists, are starring in a new television series called “The Duttons Through the Years.”
The TV series will feature the family performing at their theater in Branson, Missouri along with some 30 years’ worth of past performances from across the world. The pilot episode for the new series will air March 9, 2018, on RFD-TV.
The Duttons have performed in every state in the United States and most of the provinces of Canada over their 30-year career, traveling millions of miles and giving thousands of concerts. Looking at a map of where The Duttons have performed shows a heavy concentration of shows in the upper Midwest and in the Southeast United States. During the highlight of their touring career, The Duttons performed as many as 250 road dates per year and had four European tours.
In 1999, after viewing The Duttons’ first national television special “Music in Your Heart”, Boxcar Willie asked Dean and Sheila Dutton to take over his theater in Branson, Missouri. Almost 20 years later, the Dutton Family Theater complex, comprised of The Dutton Family Theater, the Dutton Inn, and Abby‘s Tourist Trap, continues to be a popular destination in Branson.
In 2006, The Duttons expanded their entertainment enterprise and selected the Phoenix, Arizona Valley as a winter destination for their show. The Dutton Theater Mesa Arizona welcomes guests from all over the country mid-December through March.
The television series, “The Duttons Through the Years,” chronicles the more than 30-year journey of The Duttons from a young family having fun together in their spare time to one of the country’s most beloved entertainment groups.
Dean Dutton, a tenured professor of economics, never meant to have a performing family. His and his wife Sheila’s desire was to instill discipline in their children through consistent music practice, while learning the joy of producing music. As destiny would have it, the Dutton children’s love of music and family relationships ended up changing Dean‘s life forever. He took early retirement and went on the road with his family!
The Duttons also never set out to amass a large catalog of musical production video, but TV stations and networks around the world were eager to get footage of this unique group and book appearances. Starting in 1988 with RAI 3 Television out of Rome, Italy, Europe’s largest television network, and continuing with appearances on TF 1 out of Paris, France, and regional television throughout Europe, The Duttons continue to be featured on many of the world’s most prestigious television networks. Along with the above, they have appeared on Chinese National Television, Japanese Television, five national television specials in the U.S., and appeared as finalists on NBC’s hit program “America’s Got Talent.”
The airing of their new series, “The Duttons Through the Years,” is their fourth program to air on RFD-TV, and The Duttons couldn’t be more thrilled with that partnership.
“The Duttons Through the Years” highlights the musical genres the Duttons love most – – country, bluegrass, rock ‘n’ roll, classical, and gospel. Add to that the amazing variety of vocals, instruments, dancing, and comedy, and one soon sees why audiences consider The Duttons their favorite show. The unusual versatility of each of the main performers puts The Duttons in a category all their own. Three generations on stage at once tugs at the heartstrings of audiences everywhere. Additionally, the breathtaking scenery of the on-location music videos is one of the crown jewels of this series.
“The Duttons Through the Years” will air on Friday evenings at 7:30 pm eastern on RFD-TV and each episode will re-air on Tuesday afternoons at 4:00 p.m. eastern. The pilot (with special guest star, Grammy Award Winner, Billy Dean) will debut on Friday, March 9, 2018.
