The Oak Ridge Boys
Encyclopedia
The Oak Ridge Boys are an American
country
and gospel
vocal quartet.
The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in southern gospel
during the 1950s. Their name was officially changed to the Oak Ridge Boys in the early 1960s, and they remained a gospel-oriented group until the mid-1970s, when they changed their image and concentrated on country music.
The lineup which produced their most well-known country and crossover hits (such as "Elvira
", "Bobbie Sue
", and "American Made
") consists of Duane Allen
(lead
), Joe Bonsall
(tenor
), William Lee Golden
(baritone
), and Richard Sterban
(bass
). Golden and Allen joined the group in the mid-1960s, and Sterban and Bonsall joined in the early 1970s. Aside from a seven-year gap (1987–1995) when Golden left the group and was replaced, this lineup has been together since 1973 and continues to tour and record.
and the Georgia Clodhoppers, formed in 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee
. They were requested to perform to staff members and their families restricted during World War II at the nuclear research plant at nearby Oak Ridge (the birthplace of the atom bomb). They were asked to sing there so often that eventually they changed their name to the Oak Ridge Quartet. And because their most popular songs were gospel, Fowler decided to focus solely on southern gospel music. At the time, the quartet was made up of Fowler, Lon "Deacon" Freeman, Curly Kinsey, and Johnny New. This group began recording in 1947. In 1949, the other three men split from Fowler to form a new group, so Fowler hired an existing group, the Calvary Quartet, to re-form the Oak Ridge Quartet. In 1957, Fowler sold the rights to the "Oak Ridge Quartet" name to group member Smitty Gatlin in exchange for forgiveness of a debt. As a result of more personnel changes, the group lost its tenor, so they lowered their arrangement
s and had Gatlin sing tenor while the pianist, Tommy Fairchild, sang lead. They recorded an album
for Cadence Records
, then in 1958 they hired Willie Wynn to sing the tenor part, Fairchild moved back exclusively to the piano. At this point the group consisted of Fairchild at the piano, Wynn, Gatlin (singing lead), baritone Ron Page, and bass Herman Harper. They recorded an album on the Checker Records
label
, one on Starday, and three on Skylite
. In 1961, Gatlin changed the group's name to "the Oak Ridge Boys" because their producer
, Bud Praeger, thought "Oak Ridge Quartet" sounded too old-fashioned for their contemporary sound.
in the Statesmen Quartet
) as baritone with the understanding from Hess that when he was ready to start a group, he would recruit McSpadden. They then recorded another album on Skylite, and then two groundbreaking albums on Warner Brothers
after which McSpadden quit when Jake Hess followed through on his promise to hire McSpadden and invited him to join a new group he was forming, the Imperials
. Jim Hammill (later a mainstay in the Kingsmen Quartet
) was chosen to be his replacement. They made one album for Festival Records, one for Stateswood (Skylite's budget label), and two more for Skylite. Hammill did not get along with the rest of the group, and William Lee Golden, a fan, thought that Hammill was hurting the group and recommended himself as baritone. Golden joined the group in December 1964.
The group recorded another album for Starday and another on Skylite in 1965. In 1966, Gatlin left the group to become a minister of music and, on Golden's recommendation, Duane Allen, formerly of the Southernairs Quartet (and more recently baritone of the Prophets Quartet), was hired to replace him. With Willie Wynn still singing tenor and Herman Harper as bass, the group made another album for Skylite, one for United Artists
, and then began recording on the Heart Warming
label. Between 1966 and 1973 they made 12 albums with Heart Warming, and the company also released several compilation album
s on which they were included during those years. The group also had an album on Vista (Heart Warming's budget label) that included unreleased songs from previous sessions. Harper left the group in 1968 to join the Don Light Talent Agency, before starting his own company, The Harper Agency, which remains one of the most highly-reputable booking agencies in gospel music. Noel Fox, formerly of the Tennesseans and the Harvesters, took over the bass part. In 1970, the Oak Ridge Boys earned their first Grammy award
for "Talk About the Good Times".
In late 1972 (possibly October), Richard Sterban, the bass with J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet left that group and joined the Oak Ridge Boys. This closely followed what was possibly the Stamps Quartet's most famous moment, backing Elvis Presley
in his 10 June 1972 concert at Madison Square Garden
. Joe Bonsall, a Philadelphia native who was a member of the Keystone Quartet and recording on Duane Allen's Superior label, joined in October 1973 (coincidentally, both Sterban and Bonsall had been members of the Keystones during the late '60s, recording much of the ORB's material). That same year the Oak Ridge Boys recorded a single with Johnny Cash
and the Carter Family
, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Soup", that put them on the country charts for the first time. The group's lineup would remain consistent for the next 15 years.
, the Oak Ridge Boys moved in 1973 to the Columbia
label, for whom they made three albums and several single
s. In early 1976, they toured Russia for three weeks with Roy Clark. They went from being one of the top acts on Heart Warming to nearly the bottom on Columbia in terms of promotion
. Columbia did not service the gospel radio stations like Heart Warming did, leaving the impression that the Oak Ridge Boys were leaving gospel music, which hurt the group's popularity among its core fan demographic. While promoting the single "Heaven Bound", the Oak Ridge Boys made appearances on The Mike Douglas Show
and The Merv Griffin Show
, both nationally syndicated in the United States and Canada. In 1976, despite having been picked by Paul Simon
to sing backup on "Slip Slidin' Away", the group asked to be released from its contract with Columbia after its single, "Family Reunion", was only a lukewarm success. Columbia complied with the request, and the band immediately made a live album that was a mix of gospel and country on their own label.
In 1977 the Oak Ridge Boys fully switched from gospel to country with the release of their first ABC Records
(later absorbed by MCA) album, Y'all Come Back Saloon
. Two songs from that album reached the top five on the country charts, and their next album, Room Service, in 1978, gave them two more, including their first No. 1 hit, "I'll Be True to You
". The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived
was released in 1979, and Together followed in 1980. A compilation album simply titled Greatest Hits, containing 10 singles from the previous four albums, was released in the fall of 1980. This same year, the Oak Ridge Boys also made a brief cameo appearance on The Dukes of Hazzard
(Season 3, Episode 12 "State of the County".)
The group's sixth album, Fancy Free, released early in 1981, contained the Dallas Frazier
-penned song "Elvira
". This remains the group's most widely known song, and Fancy Free is their best-selling album. "Elvira" had been recorded by other artists, including Frazier himself in the late 1960s and The First Edition
in 1970, but the Oak Ridge Boys were the first to have a hit with it. Their version of the song was a No. 1 country hit, and in July 1981 reached No. 5 on the pop charts.
The doo-wop
-style title track from Bobbie Sue
, their seventh album, was another crossover
hit, reaching No. 1 on the country charts and No. 12 on the pop charts. That album also spawned the group's first U.S.-released music video
, for the song "So Fine". (A video was made for "Easy", from the Y'All Come Back Saloon album, but was never released in the U.S.) The group also recorded The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas album in 1982.
Their album American Made
, released in January 1983, created controversy when the title track became the source of a TV ad for Miller Beer
. The original opening lines say:
Miller's ads used slightly different words:
The Oak Ridge Boys did not want the song used in the ads, but had no part in the decision. The group would not sing it during the commercials' run.
The group made three albums over the next three years. The late-1983 album Deliver provided two No. 1 singles, one of which, "I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes
", was written by Randy VanWarmer
, who had a hit in 1979 with "Just When I Needed You Most
". Their next album was Greatest Hits 2, released in July 1984. Unlike the 1980 Greatest Hits album, this one included two new songs, "Everyday" and "Make My Life With You
", both No. 1 country hits. In 1985 they released their 12th album, Step on Out
. The title cut was written by ex-Byrd
Chris Hillman
and former Crawdaddy magazine editor Peter Knobler
. The group recorded two albums in 1986, one of which was a second Christmas album, and in 1987 they recorded a single called "Take Pride in America", which was used in television public service announcement
s about recycling
.
The group released four more albums for MCA, including a third Greatest Hits album that contained a previously unreleased single they had recorded for the Take Pride In America campaign. They then switched labels to RCA
and made three albums there, including Best Of The Oak Ridge Boys which included a single they had made for the My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys movie soundtrack
. Unfortunately, the move to RCA
did not work out because the person who had signed them there moved to another label shortly thereafter, and his replacement wanted to promote Alabama
more than the Oak Ridge Boys. They switched again and signed with Liberty Records
, (Capitol
's Nashville-based label). They made their third Christmas album there.
Baritone Steve Sanders had been dealing with personal problems (including serious issues with his ex-wife) for some time, and they were increasingly becoming problems for the rest of the group as well. He gave notice in late 1995, but then walked out before fulfilling it and left the group mere hours before a concert without a baritone. The group called Duane Allen's son, Dee, to fly there and fill in; he did so for the remainder of the year, with occasional help from his brother-in-law Paul Martin. (Martin had previously replaced J.P. Pennington as lead singer of Exile
in the early 1990s until that band's disbanding.) At midnight on New Year's Day 1996, in Indiana
, Golden returned to the group. That year they made a two disc gospel set, "Revival" (their first full gospel album since 1976) with Leon Russell
producing. This was sold on TV and later by the Oak Ridge Boys themselves at concerts and through the mail. In 1998 Sanders committed suicide.
instrumentalist Jimmy Sturr
and then made an album for Platinum Records called Voices.
After spending many years dealing with problems such as labels that did not seem to want to promote them, studio breakdowns, and record companies going out of business, their fortunes changed when they signed with Spring Hill Records in 2000. In the first four years of teaming with Dove Award-winning producer Michael Sykes, they made a full length gospel album (From The Heart), another Christmas album (Inconvenient Christmas), a patriotic
album (Colors), a bluegrass
album (The Journey
), and recorded gospel songs to be added to a special edition version of From The Heart that was available only from Feed The Children
. Later, to recoup some of the costs of making the album for Feed the Children, the label took those new songs, two from The Journey, and freshly cut versions of some of their previous gospel hits to make up their 2005 Common Thread
album. They then made another Christmas album and had plans to record Fresh Cuts, which would have contained some new songs and some newly recorded versions of some of their hits. These plans were stalled by MCA releasing some of their country hits on a new compilation.
In 2006 the group completed a new album, Front Row Seats, on Spring Hill Records. The album is a return to mainstream
country music with modern arrangements and song selection.
In 2007 the group appeared on Shooter Jennings
' (son of Waylon Jennings
) album The Wolf
.
In mid-2008, lead singer Duane Allen announced that the group would be releasing a new project in mid-2009 currently being produced by Dave Cobb, who produced Shooter Jennings' album, "The Wolf". The Boys Are Back was released on May 19, 2009, named for the title song written by Shooter Jennings. The album debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and No. 77 on the Billboard Top 200.
In addition to touring extensively throughout the year, playing over 150 dates, the group frequently performs at their Oak Ridge Boys Theatre in Branson, Missouri
—a renovated venue formerly owned by Glen Campbell.
The Oak Ridge Boys made a cameo appearance on the History Channel show Pawn Stars
episode "Packing Heat", which aired on December 13, 2010.
During the July 8, 2011, performance of the Friday Night Opry, Little Jimmy Dickens
announced that the Oak Ridge Boys will be the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry
, effective August 6, 2011.
At this point the Oak Ridge Quartet disbanded. Was started up again by Fowler.
Country Touring Band
Was hired to be baritone in a group started by Wally Fowler called the Country Boys. The group wasn't ready to go and Ron auditioned and won a job as a bass fill-in for the Oak Ridge Quartet. This was initially to be for two months. The plan was to have Armond Morales take the slot when he got out of the army, but the group went bust prior to this time and disbanded. Fowler decided to take the Oak Ridge Quartet name back and called the "Country Boys" the Oak Ridge Quartet Ron then took the baritone position he had won.
Most likely not an authentic member. Not listed in any known source, nor known by historians. Tommy Fairchild never heard of him either. According to the book "The Oak Ridge Boys Our Story" Hobart was the tenor when the group started up again.
Longtime lead singer Smitty Gatlin died in 1972 at age 37, following a bout with cancer.
Cat Freeman, tenor who replaced Allred, succumbed to a fatal heart attack in 1989 at 67.
Herman Harper, the bassist from the group's early years, died in December 1993.
Joe Allred, tenor during the early 1950s, died in 1997.
Steve Sanders, baritone from 1987 through 1995, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on 10 June 1998.
Noel Fox, bass singer from 1969 through 1972, died at age 63 on 10 April 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee
, after surgery
following a series of stroke
s.
Lon "Deacon" Freeman, the last surviving original member of the Oak Ridge Quartet, died at the age of 82 on July 20, 2003.
Big Jim Hamill, after a long period of declining health, died in November 2007.
Pat Patterson, baritone from the early 1950s, passed away in the spring of 2010.
Country Music Association
Grammy Awards
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
vocal quartet.
The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in southern gospel
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
during the 1950s. Their name was officially changed to the Oak Ridge Boys in the early 1960s, and they remained a gospel-oriented group until the mid-1970s, when they changed their image and concentrated on country music.
The lineup which produced their most well-known country and crossover hits (such as "Elvira
Elvira (song)
"Elvira" is a song written by Dallas Frazier which became a famous country and pop hit by The Oak Ridge Boys. A Number One hit on the Billboard country music charts, The Oak Ridge Boys' version is considered one of their signature songs.-Song history:...
", "Bobbie Sue
Bobbie Sue (song)
"Bobbie Sue" is a song made famous by the country music group The Oak Ridge Boys. Written by Wood Newton, Dan Tyler and Adele Tyler, the song was released in 1982 as the title track to the group's album. That April, the song became the Oaks' sixth No...
", and "American Made
American Made (song)
"American Made" is the title track and first single from the 1983 album by The Oak Ridge Boys. "American Made" was written by Bob DiPiero and Pat McManus and would be The Oak Ridge Boys' seventh number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of...
") consists of Duane Allen
Duane Allen
Duane David Allen had formal training in both operatic and quartet singing before becoming a member of The Oak Ridge Boys in 1966. Allen is the lead singer for the quartet and is heard on the majority of their most successful songs.He was inducted in the Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame.He is...
(lead
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
), Joe Bonsall
Joe Bonsall
Joseph Sloan Bonsall, Jr. known professionally as Joe Bonsall is a member of the Oak Ridge Boys, since 1973 and an author...
(tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
), William Lee Golden
William Lee Golden
William Lee Golden , a native of Brewton, Alabama, is an American country music singer. Between 1965 and 1987, and again from 1995 onward, he has been the baritone singer in the country music group The Oak Ridge Boys.-Personal life:...
(baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
), and Richard Sterban
Richard Sterban
Richard Anthony Sterban is an American bass singer born in Camden, New Jersey, who joined the country and gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys in 1972. Prior to joining The Oak Ridge Boys, Sterban toured with J. D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, who were singing backup for Elvis Presley at that time...
(bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
). Golden and Allen joined the group in the mid-1960s, and Sterban and Bonsall joined in the early 1970s. Aside from a seven-year gap (1987–1995) when Golden left the group and was replaced, this lineup has been together since 1973 and continues to tour and record.
The Oak Ridge Quartet
The core group that would eventually lead to the Oak Ridge Boys was a country group called Wally FowlerWally Fowler
John Wallace Fowler , better known as Wally Fowler, was an American Southern gospel music singer, manager, and music promoter and businessman. He founded the Oak Ridge Quartet, a gospel act that eventually became the Oak Ridge Boys; and popularized all-night gospel sings...
and the Georgia Clodhoppers, formed in 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. They were requested to perform to staff members and their families restricted during World War II at the nuclear research plant at nearby Oak Ridge (the birthplace of the atom bomb). They were asked to sing there so often that eventually they changed their name to the Oak Ridge Quartet. And because their most popular songs were gospel, Fowler decided to focus solely on southern gospel music. At the time, the quartet was made up of Fowler, Lon "Deacon" Freeman, Curly Kinsey, and Johnny New. This group began recording in 1947. In 1949, the other three men split from Fowler to form a new group, so Fowler hired an existing group, the Calvary Quartet, to re-form the Oak Ridge Quartet. In 1957, Fowler sold the rights to the "Oak Ridge Quartet" name to group member Smitty Gatlin in exchange for forgiveness of a debt. As a result of more personnel changes, the group lost its tenor, so they lowered their arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s and had Gatlin sing tenor while the pianist, Tommy Fairchild, sang lead. They recorded an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
for Cadence Records
Cadence Records
Cadence Records was an American record company based in New York City. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952...
, then in 1958 they hired Willie Wynn to sing the tenor part, Fairchild moved back exclusively to the piano. At this point the group consisted of Fairchild at the piano, Wynn, Gatlin (singing lead), baritone Ron Page, and bass Herman Harper. They recorded an album on the Checker Records
Checker Records
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary to Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.The label...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, one on Starday, and three on Skylite
Skylite
Skylite is a Memphis based gospel music label started by The Statesmen Quartet and The Blackwood Brothers in 1959. Along with The Blackwood Brothers and The Statesmen Quartet, Skylite signed, among others, The Speer Family and the Oak Ridge Quartet...
. In 1961, Gatlin changed the group's name to "the Oak Ridge Boys" because their producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Bud Praeger, thought "Oak Ridge Quartet" sounded too old-fashioned for their contemporary sound.
1962–1973
In 1962, Ron Page quit, and the group hired Gary McSpadden (who had filled in for Jake HessJake Hess
Jake Hess was an American Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer.-Life:Hess was born Manchild Hess December 24, 1927, in Limestone County, Alabama...
in the Statesmen Quartet
Statesmen quartet
The Statesmen Quartet was a Southern Gospel Music group founded in 1948 by Hovie Lister. Along with the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen Quartet was considered the most successful and influential gospel quartet of the 1950s....
) as baritone with the understanding from Hess that when he was ready to start a group, he would recruit McSpadden. They then recorded another album on Skylite, and then two groundbreaking albums on Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
after which McSpadden quit when Jake Hess followed through on his promise to hire McSpadden and invited him to join a new group he was forming, the Imperials
The Imperials
The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been around for over 45 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many changes for the band in membership and musical styles...
. Jim Hammill (later a mainstay in the Kingsmen Quartet
Kingsmen Quartet
The Kingsmen Quartet is an American Christian music group.-Musical career:The Kingsmen are a Southern Gospel vocal quartet based out of Asheville, North Carolina. Many legends of Southern Gospel have been members of The Kingsmen...
) was chosen to be his replacement. They made one album for Festival Records, one for Stateswood (Skylite's budget label), and two more for Skylite. Hammill did not get along with the rest of the group, and William Lee Golden, a fan, thought that Hammill was hurting the group and recommended himself as baritone. Golden joined the group in December 1964.
The group recorded another album for Starday and another on Skylite in 1965. In 1966, Gatlin left the group to become a minister of music and, on Golden's recommendation, Duane Allen, formerly of the Southernairs Quartet (and more recently baritone of the Prophets Quartet), was hired to replace him. With Willie Wynn still singing tenor and Herman Harper as bass, the group made another album for Skylite, one for United Artists
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
, and then began recording on the Heart Warming
Heart Warming
Heart Warming was a gospel record label started by Bob Benson and his father, John T. Benson Jr. Heart Warming and their chief rival Canaan Records were arguably the two biggest and best gospel labels in their time...
label. Between 1966 and 1973 they made 12 albums with Heart Warming, and the company also released several compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s on which they were included during those years. The group also had an album on Vista (Heart Warming's budget label) that included unreleased songs from previous sessions. Harper left the group in 1968 to join the Don Light Talent Agency, before starting his own company, The Harper Agency, which remains one of the most highly-reputable booking agencies in gospel music. Noel Fox, formerly of the Tennesseans and the Harvesters, took over the bass part. In 1970, the Oak Ridge Boys earned their first Grammy award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Talk About the Good Times".
In late 1972 (possibly October), Richard Sterban, the bass with J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet left that group and joined the Oak Ridge Boys. This closely followed what was possibly the Stamps Quartet's most famous moment, backing Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in his 10 June 1972 concert at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. Joe Bonsall, a Philadelphia native who was a member of the Keystone Quartet and recording on Duane Allen's Superior label, joined in October 1973 (coincidentally, both Sterban and Bonsall had been members of the Keystones during the late '60s, recording much of the ORB's material). That same year the Oak Ridge Boys recorded a single with Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and the Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Soup", that put them on the country charts for the first time. The group's lineup would remain consistent for the next 15 years.
1974–1986
After opening a series of shows for Roy ClarkRoy Clark
Roy Linwood Clark is an American country music musician and performer. He is best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969–1992. Clark has been an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre...
, the Oak Ridge Boys moved in 1973 to the Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
label, for whom they made three albums and several single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
s. In early 1976, they toured Russia for three weeks with Roy Clark. They went from being one of the top acts on Heart Warming to nearly the bottom on Columbia in terms of promotion
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
. Columbia did not service the gospel radio stations like Heart Warming did, leaving the impression that the Oak Ridge Boys were leaving gospel music, which hurt the group's popularity among its core fan demographic. While promoting the single "Heaven Bound", the Oak Ridge Boys made appearances on The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
and The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...
, both nationally syndicated in the United States and Canada. In 1976, despite having been picked by Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
to sing backup on "Slip Slidin' Away", the group asked to be released from its contract with Columbia after its single, "Family Reunion", was only a lukewarm success. Columbia complied with the request, and the band immediately made a live album that was a mix of gospel and country on their own label.
In 1977 the Oak Ridge Boys fully switched from gospel to country with the release of their first ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
(later absorbed by MCA) album, Y'all Come Back Saloon
Y'all Come Back Saloon
Y'all Come Back Saloon is the Oak Ridge Boys' Country debut album.From this album, the song "Old Time Lovin'" was seen and heard on the Dukes of Hazzard Episode Granny Annie.-Track listing:#"Y'all Come Back Saloon"...
. Two songs from that album reached the top five on the country charts, and their next album, Room Service, in 1978, gave them two more, including their first No. 1 hit, "I'll Be True to You
I'll Be True to You
"I'll Be True to You" is a 1978 single written by Alan Rhody and recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys. "I'll Be True to You" was The Oak Ridge Boys' third single to hit the country chart and the first of seventeen number one country hits. The single stayed at number one for one week and spent a total...
". The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived
The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived
The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived is the title of a studio album released by The Oak Ridge Boys in 1979. It is their third country album."Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight" was recorded the same year by co-writer Rodney Crowell on his debut album, Ain't Living Long Like This...
was released in 1979, and Together followed in 1980. A compilation album simply titled Greatest Hits, containing 10 singles from the previous four albums, was released in the fall of 1980. This same year, the Oak Ridge Boys also made a brief cameo appearance on The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
(Season 3, Episode 12 "State of the County".)
The group's sixth album, Fancy Free, released early in 1981, contained the Dallas Frazier
Dallas Frazier
Dallas Frazier is an American country musician and songwriter who had success in the 1950s and 60s.-Biography:Frazier was born in Spiro, Oklahoma but was raised in Bakersfield, California...
-penned song "Elvira
Elvira (song)
"Elvira" is a song written by Dallas Frazier which became a famous country and pop hit by The Oak Ridge Boys. A Number One hit on the Billboard country music charts, The Oak Ridge Boys' version is considered one of their signature songs.-Song history:...
". This remains the group's most widely known song, and Fancy Free is their best-selling album. "Elvira" had been recorded by other artists, including Frazier himself in the late 1960s and The First Edition
The First Edition
The First Edition was a country music/rock band. Its stalwart members being Kenny Rogers , Mickey Jones and Terry Williams...
in 1970, but the Oak Ridge Boys were the first to have a hit with it. Their version of the song was a No. 1 country hit, and in July 1981 reached No. 5 on the pop charts.
The doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
-style title track from Bobbie Sue
Bobbie Sue
Bobbie Sue is the seventh album by the Oak Ridge Boys. It was released on February 10, 1982. Its title song was a #1 country chart hit and a #12 hit on the Hot 100 singles chart....
, their seventh album, was another crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
hit, reaching No. 1 on the country charts and No. 12 on the pop charts. That album also spawned the group's first U.S.-released music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, for the song "So Fine". (A video was made for "Easy", from the Y'All Come Back Saloon album, but was never released in the U.S.) The group also recorded The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas album in 1982.
Their album American Made
American Made
American Made was the ninth album by The Oak Ridge Boys It featured yet another "crossover hit" with the song "American Made", which hit #1 on the country charts & #72 on the U.S. Hot 100 singles chart.-Track listing:...
, released in January 1983, created controversy when the title track became the source of a TV ad for Miller Beer
Miller Brewing
The Miller Brewing Company is an American beer brewing company owned by the United Kingdom-based SABMiller. Its regional headquarters are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the company has brewing facilities in Albany, Georgia; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eden, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas;...
. The original opening lines say:
- My baby is American made
- Born and bred in the USA
Miller's ads used slightly different words:
- Miller's made the American way
- Born and brewed in the USA
The Oak Ridge Boys did not want the song used in the ads, but had no part in the decision. The group would not sing it during the commercials' run.
The group made three albums over the next three years. The late-1983 album Deliver provided two No. 1 singles, one of which, "I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes
I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes
"I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes" is a 1984 single written by Randy VanWarmer and recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys. "I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes" was The Oak Ridge Boys' ninth number one on the country chart...
", was written by Randy VanWarmer
Randy VanWarmer
Randy VanWarmer was an American songwriter and guitarist. His biggest success was the pop hit, "Just When I Needed You Most". It reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1979 after peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
, who had a hit in 1979 with "Just When I Needed You Most
Just When I Needed You Most
"Just When I Needed You Most" is the title of a 1979 song by the American singer-songwriter Randy VanWarmer. VanWarmer and former Hot Chocolate member Tony Wilson co-wrote the track, which was produced by Del Newman and appears on the singer's 1979 album, Warmer...
". Their next album was Greatest Hits 2, released in July 1984. Unlike the 1980 Greatest Hits album, this one included two new songs, "Everyday" and "Make My Life With You
Make My Life With You
"Make My Life with You" is a 1984 single written by Gary Burr and recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys. "Make My Life with You" was The Oak Ridge Boys' eleventh number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the chart.-Chart performance:...
", both No. 1 country hits. In 1985 they released their 12th album, Step on Out
Step on Out
Step On Out is the 12th album from American country music quartet The Oak Ridge Boys. The album, released in 1985, contains the group's number-one singles "Touch a Hand " and "Little Things", as well as the number-three single "Come On In "...
. The title cut was written by ex-Byrd
Byrd
Byrd is a surname of English origin, and may refer to:*Bill Byrd , baseball player*Bobby Byrd, funk musician*Butch Byrd , AFL Hall of Fame...
Chris Hillman
Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman was one of the original members of The Byrds which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Michael Clarke....
and former Crawdaddy magazine editor Peter Knobler
Peter Knobler
Peter Knobler is an American writer living in New York City. He has collaborated on several national best sellers and was the editor-in-chief of Crawdaddy magazine from 1972 to 1979.- Writing :...
. The group recorded two albums in 1986, one of which was a second Christmas album, and in 1987 they recorded a single called "Take Pride in America", which was used in television public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s about recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
.
1987–1996
In 1987 Where The Fast Lane Ends was released. It was the first with new producer Jimmy Bowen, and was the group's last album before the 1987 departure of William Lee Golden. Golden's departure was preceded by much discussion—both by the public and other members of the group—about his "mountain man" appearance, and lifestyle after he stopped cutting his hair and beard altogether, as well as his cutting solo material for MCA Records, releasing the critically acclaimed 'American Vagabond' in 1986. Golden complained that he felt like the "odd man out". When he was replaced by the band's guitarist, Steve Sanders, he sued the group but eventually settled out of court.The group released four more albums for MCA, including a third Greatest Hits album that contained a previously unreleased single they had recorded for the Take Pride In America campaign. They then switched labels to RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
and made three albums there, including Best Of The Oak Ridge Boys which included a single they had made for the My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys movie soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
. Unfortunately, the move to RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
did not work out because the person who had signed them there moved to another label shortly thereafter, and his replacement wanted to promote Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
more than the Oak Ridge Boys. They switched again and signed with Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
, (Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
's Nashville-based label). They made their third Christmas album there.
Baritone Steve Sanders had been dealing with personal problems (including serious issues with his ex-wife) for some time, and they were increasingly becoming problems for the rest of the group as well. He gave notice in late 1995, but then walked out before fulfilling it and left the group mere hours before a concert without a baritone. The group called Duane Allen's son, Dee, to fly there and fill in; he did so for the remainder of the year, with occasional help from his brother-in-law Paul Martin. (Martin had previously replaced J.P. Pennington as lead singer of Exile
Exile (American band)
Exile, originally known as The Exiles, is an American band founded in Richmond, Kentucky by J.P. Pennington. They started by playing local clubs which led to touring with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars opening shows and providing backup for major rock artists of the period.Their name was shortened...
in the early 1990s until that band's disbanding.) At midnight on New Year's Day 1996, in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Golden returned to the group. That year they made a two disc gospel set, "Revival" (their first full gospel album since 1976) with Leon Russell
Leon Russell
Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
producing. This was sold on TV and later by the Oak Ridge Boys themselves at concerts and through the mail. In 1998 Sanders committed suicide.
1997 to the present
Over the next few years, the group collaborated on an album with polkaPolka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
instrumentalist Jimmy Sturr
Jimmy Sturr
James W. "Jimmy" Sturr, Jr. is a polka musician, trumpeter/clarinetist/saxophonist and leader of Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra. His recordings have won 18 out of the 24 Grammy Awards given for Best Polka Album. Sturr's orchestra is on the Top Ten List of the All-Time Grammy Awards, and has acquired...
and then made an album for Platinum Records called Voices.
After spending many years dealing with problems such as labels that did not seem to want to promote them, studio breakdowns, and record companies going out of business, their fortunes changed when they signed with Spring Hill Records in 2000. In the first four years of teaming with Dove Award-winning producer Michael Sykes, they made a full length gospel album (From The Heart), another Christmas album (Inconvenient Christmas), a patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
album (Colors), a bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
album (The Journey
The Journey (The Oak Ridge Boys album)
The Journey is a studio album released by the country/gospel group The Oak Ridge Boys. The album was released on July 27, 2004.-Track listing:#"Train, Train" - 2:44#"Someplace Green" - 4:00...
), and recorded gospel songs to be added to a special edition version of From The Heart that was available only from Feed The Children
Feed The Children
Feed The Children founded in 1979 is an international, non-profit relief organization guided by Christian values, whose stated mission is "providing hope and resources for those without life's essentials". In FY 2010, Feed The Children distributed more than 133 million pounds of food and other...
. Later, to recoup some of the costs of making the album for Feed the Children, the label took those new songs, two from The Journey, and freshly cut versions of some of their previous gospel hits to make up their 2005 Common Thread
Common Thread (The Oak Ridge Boys album)
Common Thread is a studio album released by the country/gospel group The Oak Ridge Boys. The album was released on May 24, 2005.-Track listing:#"Jesus Is Coming Soon" - 2:42#"He Did It All for Me" - 2:42...
album. They then made another Christmas album and had plans to record Fresh Cuts, which would have contained some new songs and some newly recorded versions of some of their hits. These plans were stalled by MCA releasing some of their country hits on a new compilation.
In 2006 the group completed a new album, Front Row Seats, on Spring Hill Records. The album is a return to mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
country music with modern arrangements and song selection.
In 2007 the group appeared on Shooter Jennings
Shooter Jennings
Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings is an American singer-songwriter active in the country music and Southern rock genres as well as making his first foray into psychedelic rock in 2009...
' (son of Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
) album The Wolf
The Wolf (Shooter Jennings album)
The Wolf is the title of a studio album released on October 23, 2007 by American country music artist Shooter Jennings. The fourth album of his career, it is also his fourth for the Universal South Records label. Two singles have been released from it: a cover of Dire Straits' "Walk of Life" and...
.
In mid-2008, lead singer Duane Allen announced that the group would be releasing a new project in mid-2009 currently being produced by Dave Cobb, who produced Shooter Jennings' album, "The Wolf". The Boys Are Back was released on May 19, 2009, named for the title song written by Shooter Jennings. The album debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and No. 77 on the Billboard Top 200.
In addition to touring extensively throughout the year, playing over 150 dates, the group frequently performs at their Oak Ridge Boys Theatre in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
—a renovated venue formerly owned by Glen Campbell.
The Oak Ridge Boys made a cameo appearance on the History Channel show Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars is an American reality television series on the History Channel, produced in Manhattan by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24-hour family business operated by patriarch Richard...
episode "Packing Heat", which aired on December 13, 2010.
During the July 8, 2011, performance of the Friday Night Opry, Little Jimmy Dickens
Little Jimmy Dickens
James Cecil Dickens , better known as Little Jimmy Dickens, is an American country music singer famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size, 4'11" , and his rhinestone-studded outfits...
announced that the Oak Ridge Boys will be the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
, effective August 6, 2011.
Personnel
- Curly Kinsey [Bass] 1945-1947
- Lon "Deacon" Freeman [Baritone / Guitar] 1945-1949
- Wally Fowler [Lead] 1945-1952
- Little Johnny New [Tenor] 1945-1949; 1952
- Monroe (Curley) Blaylock [Bass] 1947-1949
- Boyce Hawkins [Piano] 1949
- Bob Weber [Bass] 1949-1956
- Pat Patterson [Baritone] 1949-1952 / [Lead] 1952-1953
- Joe Allred [Tenor] 1949-1954 (Left briefly in 1952)
- Bobby Whitfield [Piano] 1950-1952; 1954–1956
- Bob Prather [Baritone] 1952
- Glen Allred [Guitar / Vocals] 1951-1952
- Carlos Cook [Lead] 1952-1953 / [Baritone] 1953-1954
- Calvin NewtonCalvin NewtonCalvin Newton, born in 1929, is a Gospel music singer and pioneering Contemporary Christian music personality from West Frankfort, Illinois.-Youth:Newton was a boy soprano who took up amateur boxing because he was tired of being bullied...
[Lead] 1953-1956 - Cat Freeman [Tenor] 1954-1956
- Les Roberson [Baritone] 1955-56
- Ron Page [Bass] 1956
At this point the Oak Ridge Quartet disbanded. Was started up again by Fowler.
- Bill Smith [Bass] 1957
- Ronnie Page [Baritone] 1957-1962
- Smitty Gatlin [Lead] 1957-1958; 1959-1966 / [Tenor] 1958-1959
- Hobert Evans [Tenor] 1957-1958
- Wallace "Happy" Edwards [Tenor] Fill-In 1958
- Bobby Clark [Tenor] 1958
- Powell Hassell [Piano] 1957-1958
- Herman Harper [Bass] 1957-1969
- Tommy Fairchild [Lead] 1958-1959 / [Piano] 1959-1960; 1961–1972
- Little Willie Wynn [Tenor] 1959-1973
- Gary Trusler [Piano] 1960
- James Goss [Piano] 1960
- Gary McSpadden [Baritone] 1962-1963
- Big Jim Hamill [Baritone] 1963-1964
- William Lee Golden [Baritone] 1964-1987; 1995–Present
- Duane Allen [Lead] 1966–Present
- Noel Fox [Bass] 1969-1972
- Mark Ellerbee [Drums] 197?-1975
- Marty Twinkles Glisson [Piano] 1976
- Don Breland [Bass Guitar] 197?-1975
- Skip Mitchell [Guitar] 1976-1986
- John Rich [Guitar and Steel] 1972-1975
- Tony BrownTony BrownTony Brown may refer to:*Tony Brown , known as Tony Brown, Chief Minister of the Isle of Man*Tony Brown , Australian rules footballer...
[Piano and Keyboards] 1972-1975 - Richard Sterban [Bass] 1972–Present
- Garland Craft [Piano] 1975-1981
- Joe Bonsall [Tenor] 1973–Present
- Steve Sanders [Baritone] 1987-1995
- Dee Allen [Baritone] Fill-in, late 1995
- Paul Martin [Baritone] Fill-in, late 1995
- Ron Fairchild [Keyboard] 1980-2001, 2002–2009
Country Touring Band
- Chris Golden [Acoustic Guitar/Mandolin] 1995 [Drummer] 1996–Present
- Don Carr [Lead Guitar] 1991–Present
- Jimmy Fulbright [Keyboard] 2001, [Bass Guitar] 2003–Present
- Rex Wiseman [Various Instruments] 2006–Present
- Jeff Douglas [Guitar and Dobro] 1995–Present
- Chris Nole [Keyboard] 2009–Present
Was hired to be baritone in a group started by Wally Fowler called the Country Boys. The group wasn't ready to go and Ron auditioned and won a job as a bass fill-in for the Oak Ridge Quartet. This was initially to be for two months. The plan was to have Armond Morales take the slot when he got out of the army, but the group went bust prior to this time and disbanded. Fowler decided to take the Oak Ridge Quartet name back and called the "Country Boys" the Oak Ridge Quartet Ron then took the baritone position he had won.
Most likely not an authentic member. Not listed in any known source, nor known by historians. Tommy Fairchild never heard of him either. According to the book "The Oak Ridge Boys Our Story" Hobart was the tenor when the group started up again.
Deaths of former members
Oak Ridge founder Wally Fowler, 77, suffered an apparent heart attack and drowned while fishing on June 3, 1994.Longtime lead singer Smitty Gatlin died in 1972 at age 37, following a bout with cancer.
Cat Freeman, tenor who replaced Allred, succumbed to a fatal heart attack in 1989 at 67.
Herman Harper, the bassist from the group's early years, died in December 1993.
Joe Allred, tenor during the early 1950s, died in 1997.
Steve Sanders, baritone from 1987 through 1995, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on 10 June 1998.
Noel Fox, bass singer from 1969 through 1972, died at age 63 on 10 April 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, after surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
following a series of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s.
Lon "Deacon" Freeman, the last surviving original member of the Oak Ridge Quartet, died at the age of 82 on July 20, 2003.
Big Jim Hamill, after a long period of declining health, died in November 2007.
Pat Patterson, baritone from the early 1950s, passed away in the spring of 2010.
Industry Awards
Academy of Country MusicAcademy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
- 1978 Top Vocal GroupAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
- 1981 Single of the YearAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
- "ElviraElvira (song)"Elvira" is a song written by Dallas Frazier which became a famous country and pop hit by The Oak Ridge Boys. A Number One hit on the Billboard country music charts, The Oak Ridge Boys' version is considered one of their signature songs.-Song history:...
"
Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
- 1978 Instrumental Group of the YearCountry Music Association AwardsThe Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
- 1978 Vocal Group of the YearCountry Music Association AwardsThe Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
- 1981 Single of the YearCountry Music Association AwardsThe Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
- "ElviraElvira (song)"Elvira" is a song written by Dallas Frazier which became a famous country and pop hit by The Oak Ridge Boys. A Number One hit on the Billboard country music charts, The Oak Ridge Boys' version is considered one of their signature songs.-Song history:...
" - 1986 Instrumental Group of the YearCountry Music Association AwardsThe Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
Grammy Awards
- 1982 Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with VocalGrammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with VocalThe Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded from 1970 to 2011. The award has had several minor name changes:*In 1970 the award was known as Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group...
- "ElviraElvira (song)"Elvira" is a song written by Dallas Frazier which became a famous country and pop hit by The Oak Ridge Boys. A Number One hit on the Billboard country music charts, The Oak Ridge Boys' version is considered one of their signature songs.-Song history:...
"
External links
- Oak Ridge Boys.com - Official website
- 'The Oak Ridge Boys' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
- Oak Ridge Boys biography at the Country Music TelevisionCountry Music TelevisionCountry Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
website