""Bobby was thinking of retiring," Vinton's wife, Dolly, said by phone from Missouri, "but when he went to work here (Branson) last fall, he called me and said, 'I won't have to travel if we move here. The audiences will come to me.' He was tired of being on the road for 25 to 30 years. . . . Branson changed our minds about everything.""
"The Ozarks boom town, which has been described as an embryonic Las Vegas, has only about 3,700 residents, but its 30-plus theaters featuring country and pop music stars attracted 5 million visitors last year."
"Vinton, who has sold more than 75 million records since he became a pop star in the 1960s, had planned to open his $7-million Blue Velvet Theater on his 52nd birthday last Wednesday, but a windstorm delayed construction on the 6.5-acre site."
Bobby Vinton, a legendary pop singer with over 75 million records sold since the 1960s, is selling his 113-acre Malibu ranch for $20 million and relocating to Branson, Missouri. He planned to open his $7 million Blue Velvet Theater in September, though construction delays postponed the opening. Branson, a growing entertainment destination with 3,700 residents and 30+ theaters, attracted 5 million visitors annually. Vinton's wife Dolly explained that after 25-30 years of touring, Bobby decided the move would allow audiences to come to him rather than traveling constantly. The Vintons, married 30 years with five children and three grandchildren, also own a seven-bedroom home in Sarasota, Florida, listed at under $3 million.
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