Mother of Matthew (b. 1970), Jaime Dudney (b. 1976) and Nathaniel (b. 1984)
Was involved in major automobile accident with two of her children in 1984. It wasn't
until her autobiography, Get to the Heart: My Story, was published in 1990 that fans found out how critical Barbara's condition
was after her September 11, 1984, automobile accident. Barbara suffered a severe head injury (she was in intensive care for
several days), a broken right leg, a broken right ankle, damaged right knee and various cuts and bruises. It took her 18 months
to fully recover.
Son Matthew briefly went to Abilene Christian University
in Abilene, Texas.
Has had duet hits with fellow country performers David Houston "After Closing Time" (1970) and "I Love You, I Love You" (1974)) and Lee Greenwood ("To Me" (1984)).
Her most famous hit was 1978's "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed," spending three weeks
at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's country singles chart. Other No. 1 Billboard hits included "(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want
to be Right" (1979); "Years" (1980); "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" (1981, duet with George Jones); "'Til You're Gone" (1982); and "One of a Kind, Pair of Fools" (1983).
1998 - Retired from singing/performing to concentrate on an acting career.
Sister of Louise Mandrell and Irlene Mandrell
She won Grammy Awards in 1982 and 1983 for her gospel recordings.
Where
Are They Now
(June 2002) Had an estate sale, auctioning her beloved 137-acre home (Fontanel), located
near Downtown Nashville, for $2.1 million and selling a lot
of her personal belongings. She, husband, Ken Dudney, and their third child, Nathaniel, moved from the 27,000-square-foot
estate to a 7,000-square-foot one located outside Nashville, Tennessee.