Description
OAK RIDGE BOYS Our Story Book
The group called The Oak Ridge Boys has weathered more than 40 years of ups and downs, and as many changes in personnel, to emerge as the premier quartet in the country music business. Named after the birthplace of the atomic bomb, the original Oak Ridge Quartet sang gospel music all around the Bible Belt and the South. But their flair for showmanship and their sometimes irreverent choice of music became trademarks that more often than not worked against them. Only the present foursome-Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban – was truly able to overcome the group’s musical identity crisis and become entertainment superstars.
While The Oak Ridge Boys: Our Story offers a complete history of the group, it is these four men who have made the Oaks so worthy of an in-depth look. The history of the group tells much about the music business over the past 40 years: life on the road, booking conflicts (country versus gospel), and the record business. Each singer – Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban – tell about the temptations of drugs, booze, and groupies as well as the sheer joy of singing and performing amid the fickle whims of the music business.
From diverse backgrounds, their common bond is the electrifying four-part harmony that drives such masterful hits as “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue,” and “Ozark Mountain Jubliee.” Whether in small clubs or large stadiums, their extraordinary vocal talents have thrilled audiences all over the world.
The Oak Ridge Boys: Our Story captures the life of four remarkable singers, the effect they have had on the country music industry, and the effect of that industry on their lives. Included in this book are more than 50 black-and-white photographs taken by topflight photographers and complete discographies of the various groups that went by the Oak Ridge name.
