"I did what I promised to do, and I fulfilled my contract with the city," the singer said at a news conference. "The city used the Parton name and the reputation. They came to me. I didn't come looking for them."

He said city officials had wrongly blamed him for poor attendance at the venue, which is supposed to help revive the area's economy. Officials did not given the venture time to succeed before showing him the door, he said.

"The folks would have come, and I planned on having them there, even Dolly," he said, in reference to his sister, country music's Dolly Parton. "But [audience members] just don't come. You have to plan ahead."

He said that he relied on a management team supported by city officials, though he later said he wasn't blaming anyone for disappointing attendance. "Looking back, we probably shouldn't have hired this particular management team," he said.

He said he still wanted to see the theater succeed. "I'm sad, and I feel like I have to clear my name and my family's name, when I feel like we put so much of our heart and soul into this project."

Parton said he currently is unemployed but was confident he would land on his feet. "My plan for the future is to get back to work somewhere, somehow," he said.

Roanoke Rapids borrowed $21.5 million to build the venue, which was to be the centerpiece of a broader entertainment district called Carolina Crossroads. They named it The Randy Parton Theatre. It opened in July.

Leaders had visions of a tourist mecca similar to Branson, Mo. They figured the city's location on Interstate 95 at the Virginia border would provide a conduit for tourists. And Parton -- who was promised $750,000 a year to perform -- would be the initial draw.

During Parton's tenure, though, the 1,500-seat complex had, on average, 200 paying customers per show. City officials renegotiated his contract in November, cutting the number of shows he performed and dropping his annual payment to $250,000 for five years.

They hired a Boston-area firm to take over theater management responsibilities.

But that wasn't the end of it. On a crisp night in December, city officials booted Parton from the theater, alleging he had been drinking.

Parton said today that he was removed even though he had extended "an olive branch" to the city.

Action came after the city released files documenting how Parton's company, Moonlight Bandit, spent part of a $3 million fund the city had established to help him begin operations. It showed draws to pay for Las Vegas trips and to buy alcohol.

Additional records released by Roanoke Rapids and other public agencies also chronicled a web of interconnected interests, with Parton advisers working for the city and a state-funded economic development group.

Roanoke Rapids leaders have tried to break ties to Parton and earlier this year erased his name from the theater. It's now The Roanoke Rapids Theatre. They've hired a Raleigh lawyer to break the November contract that requires the city to pay Parton $1.25 million over five years.