The Kentucky Headhunters has been entertaining audiences for five decades. Park Theater will be added to the list on Friday, Jan. 28.

“We enjoy what we do,” said Richard Young, who revealed the secret to the band’s longevity. “We’re a family. There are a set of bunk beds in the tour bus. Those are for me, Fred (Young), Doug (Phelps) and Greg (Martin). I’ve spent more time sleeping next to those guys than I have my own wife. It’s been a great family thing since we started. That’s the fiber that holds us together.”

Wide Open Country ranked the 10 best Kentucky Headhunters songs, with “Little Queenie” being No. 10 and “Dumas Walker” being No. 1.

Young was asked his favorite song to perform. The response may not come as a surprise.

“Lisa, we’ve done 14 albums,” Young said. “Not sure I can pick just one song as my favorite to perform. That’s a tough one to answer. ‘Dumas Walker’ has become more like a nursery rhyme. Everybody knows it. If they don’t know it, they do after the first verse. When we stop singing, nearly everybody in the audience is singing it. For that reason, it would have to be an all-time favorite song to perform.”

Kentucky Headhunters got its start as the Itchy Brothers.

“We had a band from the mid-’60s called Itchy Brother,” said Young. “It was a four-piece rock band. We traveled in an old bread truck. There were very few places at that time that a rock band could play in Tennessee. There was a rock club in Cookeville. It was up on a hill. We’d perform there and met a lot of people from McMinnville. Tell them the Itchy Brothers they used to see is now the Kentucky Headhunters. Performing in McMinnville is like a homecoming for us.”

Kentucky Headhunters made its Grand Ole Opry debut in December 2021. This was their second invitation, but the first came with a hairdo requirement for the group.

“Mr. Acuff said, ‘I think they are probably good boys and would do a fine job, but let’s get them a haircut first.’ That wasn’t going to happen. We refused to do it, and they never asked again. Thirtyone years later, we finally got to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.”

The group spent Thursday preparing for its first performance of 2022, which will be at Park Theater.

“The day before is always hectic,” said Young. “We’re all completing last-minute stuff and packing. That’s what I was doing when you called – trying to get as much done as I can. We leaving out tonight and heading that way. We’re all looking forward to performing at Park Theater.”

Tickets are still available for the Park Theater performance on Jan. 28 and can be purchased at the door. Main floor seating is $40 and balcony seating is $35.