The Oak Ridge Boys have sold more than 41 million records and are synonymous with “America, apple pie, baseball, and country music.” In addition to their many awards and accolades in the country music field, they have garnered five GRAMMY® Awards, nine GMA Dove Awards, and two American Music Awards. In 1981, their double-platinum single, Elvira, set the pop charts on fire and paved the way for three more pop-charted singles, Bobbie Sue, American Made, and So Fine.

Since that time, Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban—The Oak Ridge Boys—have come to be known worldwide as one of recording history’s most extraordinary musical successes. Registering multiple gold, platinum, and double-platinum singles and albums, they have charted more than 30 Top 10 hits and 14 Top Ten albums, including Deliver, Fancy Free, and 17th Avenue Revival.

The Oak Ridge Boys are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame (2015 inductees), the Grand Ole Opry (since 2011), and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (2000 Inductees). They are also recipients of the Academy of Country Music Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement.

In Aug. 2020, when the world needed a positive message, the group went into the studio with award-winning Nashville producer Dave Cobb to record their Front Porch Singin’ album. It was their fourth project with Cobb.

“I think God had a plan for this album. I really do,” says tenor singer Bonsall. “I think it was bigger than the four of us even realized when we were working on it.”

For more information about The Oak Ridge Boys, visit www.oakridgeboys.com.

A native of Taylortown, Texas, Duane “Ace” Allen had formal training in both operatic and quartet singing before becoming a member of the Oaks in 1966. He is a member of the Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame and has written a book on the history of Gospel music. He also holds an honorary doctorate from a Christian college.

Allen graduated from Paris Junior College and then Texas A&M University at Commerce, Texas. He received a BS in music from Texas A&M, studying with Metropolitan Opera stars Richard Webb and William Abbott. For his classical music degree, Allen concentrated on voice, piano, and composition. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from both Paris Junior College and Texas A&M in 2017. He and his wife Norah Lee underwrite a scholarship fund for Texas A&M University department of music students.

During the time he studied at Paris Junior College, two operettas were written based on his life—one entitled College Go Round and the other entitled Let’s See Paree (Paris). He received a music scholarship to Texas A&M, and while he was a student there he starred in a lead role of Annie Get Your Gun. He also sang in an elite chorale group, which toured through the United States, as well as internationally.

In 2014, Allen received a special honor from his hometown community of Cunningham, Texas. On April 15, Lamar County officials dedicated the Duane Allen Memorial Bridge on the newly designated Duane Allen Road. The bridge crosses the Big Sandy Creek just a few hundred yards from where Allen was born and raised on the Allen family farm. While in Lamar County for the event, Duane and Norah Lee presented a check to the Red River Valley Veterans Memorial in Paris, Texas. Proceeds were used to support the memorial and to honor family members who had served in the military.

On August 9, 2014, Allen was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony that included fellow members of The Oak Ridge Boys, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban as honorary inductees. An Oak Ridge Boys’ exhibit at the Hall of Fame was unveiled the same day.

Back in Hendersonville, Tenn., where Allen and his family have lived for more than 50 years, he enjoys spending time on his 72-acre farm, which has been the home to a menagerie of animals, from beef cattle to horses, burros, and Canadian geese.

A superb businessman, he is credited with keeping the Oaks on firm financial footing during their switch from Gospel to Country in the late 1970s. He also loves to find new music for the group. Since the new millennium, he has taken on the role of co-producer and executive producer. He co-produced, with Michael Sykes, eight of the group’s Spring Hill/Gaither Music albums and nine tracks on the 2011 It’s Only Natural album for Cracker Barrel. He is the executive producer of The Boys Are Back CD (produced by David Cobb) and the Back Home Again CD (produced by Ben Isaacs), as well as co-producer, along with Isaacs, of the Oaks’ 2012 Christmas Time’s A-Coming album, Rock of Ages, the group's 2015 hymns and gospel favorites project for Gaither Music, and the 2016 release, Celebrate Christmas. Allen also produced the Oaks’ first live “Country hits” album, Boys Night Out, which was released by Cleopatra Records in April 2014.

To relax and stay in physical shape, he walks 20-30 miles each week and works out with a personal trainer. He is also an avid basketball fan and enjoys shooting hoops whenever he gets the chance. Allen is an antique car buff. He has more than two-dozen classics in a collection that is housed in a museum he calls Ace On Wheels.

“It’s a great way to relax,” he says of the restoration process. “I get a lot of pleasure out of going down there and sanding and painting with no real sense of urgency.”

Allen and his wife, Noah Lee, raised two children, Jamie and Dee, and now enjoy spending time with their two grandsons, March and Kell, and two granddaughters, Texas LeeAnna and Tallant. Allen’s children, as well as his grandchildren, are also gifted in music.

(Headshot photo credit: Brandon Wood/IndieBling)

He was born and raised in Philadelphia, Penn. and since childhood he has loved the Philadelphia Phillies. “I live and die with the Phillies, no matter where they are in the standings," he said. "They have been playing great of late and that makes me happy!”

Now a Nashvillian for almost five decades, Bonsall is also a Tennessee Titans football fan. He has had season tickets since they arrived in Nashville in 1998.

Bonsall is an avid writer and songwriter. He became a published children’s book author in 1997 with The Molly Books, a four-book series published by Ideal’s Children’s Books. In 2003, New Leaf Press published G. I. Joe and Lillie: Remembering a Life of Love and Loyalty, an inspirational biography Bonsall penned about his parents. His song by the same name was included on the Oaks’ Colors album, released the same year. A music video of the song reemerged in the summer of 2009 and became a YouTube phenomenon with more than six million views. His latest book, On the Road with The Oak Ridge Boys, released from Harvest House Publishers in May 2015.

Bonsall also wrote the title song to the Oaks’ The Journey album, as well as the text for the Oaks’ coffee table book, An American Journey. New Leaf also published his Christmas story, An Inconvenient Christmas. In September 2010, Journey Press, a division of Sheaf House, released his latest hardbound book, From My Perspective, a collection of commentaries, stories, and other writings. Christmas Miracles, a collection of short stories and commentaries, originally published in 2008, was updated in 2012. He's working on a new book for possible release next year.

For relaxation, Bonsall retreats to his farm on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line and can often be found on his John Deere tractor mowing part of his 350-acres—or sitting on his front porch and playing his banjo, an instrument he has played for almost 11 years! He plays a step-out lead on the Oaks’ Rock of Ages CD.

Bonsall has been singing since he was about four-years-old and in his mid-teens fell in love with southern gospel music harmony. He joined the Oaks in 1973, just prior to the group’s emergence on the country music scene. As with the other group members, much of his time is spent on the road performing, but Bonsall has found his own way to get the maximum possible enjoyment out of touring.

“My life is really pretty simple,” says the Oak who is the principal spokesman on stage. “I go out there and try to sing the best I can and give them physically and mentally every single thing I’ve got. When it’s done, I go back to my room, call home, eat my pizza or sushi, get on my Apple laptop, watch the sports scores and say to myself, ‘Hey, I’ve done what I’m supposed to be doin’ and I feel great about it.’”

Bonsall and his wife, Mary, have two daughters, Jennifer and Sabrina; two grandchildren, Breanne and Luke, who is now serving in the U.S. Navy; and one great grandson, Noah Chance. Bonsall and Mary also have four cats, Mitty, Crockett, Barney, and Maggie Mae.

Bonsall is a born again Christian and is always quick to give God the credit for anything he has accomplished. You can follow him on Twitter @joebonsall and @oakridgeboys or read more about him on his personal website, www.josephsbonsall.com.

(Headshot photo credit: Brandon Wood/IndieBling)

These days, he is all about balance. Balancing his work with The Oak Ridge Boys and his life at home with wife Simone, the love of his life, as he enters the middle part of his fifth decade with the iconic group.

Golden’s story began as the son of a farmer in rural south Ala. Surrounded by music, he started singing at the age of seven and began performing regularly on his grandfather’s weekly radio show along with his sister, Lanette. It was there that his love of harmony came alive and by his teenage years, Golden grew to appreciate the country Gospel, doo-wop, and pop quartets. And, sure enough, it wasn’t long before he was joining up with The Oak Ridge Boys.

Nobody back home in Brewton, Ala. could’ve imagined all that Golden would accomplish with The Oak Ridge Boys since joining the band in 1965 or during his successful period as a solo artist while on a break from the quartet.

But for as much success as he’s had as a recording artist, Golden’s no one-dimensional artist. He’s found considerable success with his paintings and he’s finding even more success with his new visual medium, photography, where he often focuses on landscape portraits and scenes. Many of his favorite shots can be found on his official Facebook and Instagram pages.

Family has long held a special meaning to Golden. In addition to his wife Simone, Golden has four sons in Rusty, Chris, Craig, and Solomon. He also has six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Also, through his marriage to Simone, he has step-daughter Megan and another grandchild.

Golden recently released his new autobiography titled Behind the Beard, an honest memoir which shares stories from his childhood, through marriage and personal life, to details about being an Oak Ridge Boys member. He even answers the burning questions about his famous beard! Golden and his sons "The Goldens" have released their long-awaited three albums, Old Country Church, Country Roads, and Southern Accents. "The group came together to record over thirty classic songs spread amongst several genres—all having impacted their lives throughout the years. Each family member brings their own distinct flair to their favorite tunes on the Golden Classics.""

(Headshot photo credit: Brandon Wood/IndieBling)

He began his singing career as a six-year-old soprano in Sunday school in his native Camden, New Jersey. He was a tenor in the glee club in seventh grade, but when he returned for eighth grade in the fall, he was a bass!

He loved sports and music, decided he had more talent for the latter, and developed a simple goal: “I wanted to be in the best vocal group in the world.”

Prior to joining The Oak Ridge Boys in 1972, Sterban sang with various groups, eventually joining J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, which afforded him the opportunity of a lifetime—the chance to sing with Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll, singing with him every night on stage, recording with him, and appearing in one of his movies (Elvis on Tour). It was during this time in the midst of Elvis’ heyday that Sterban was offered the position as bass singer for The Oak Ridge Boys, and he had to make a major decision—remain on the big stage or chase his own dream. This period of Sterban’s life is covered in detail in his book, From Elvis to Elvira, co-written with Steven Robinson. The book includes many great Elvis stories and stories about The Oak Ridge Boys that have never been told.

Baseball has also been a longtime passion for Sterban. For many years, as a part owner of the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers AAA club), he attended spring training and took bus trips with the team. He now serves as the team’s “official ambassador,” attends games when he is in town during the season, and often does color commentary. A long-time fan of the Vanderbilt Commodores, he also does color commentary for the school’s baseball team.

Sterban’s well-tailored clothing reveals one of his other loves.

“When I was singing part-time and working in a clothing store,” he recalls, “I developed a real interest in fashion, and it’s something that has carried through.”

He also enjoys fine restaurants, collecting wine, and traveling—particularly to the seashore, where he likes sailing and snorkeling. A fitness buff, he has a bicycle at home and keeps another stowed in a bay under the tour bus. He even has a case so he can check a bicycle aboard airplanes.

Because of his longstanding interest in weather (he enjoys watching the Weather Channel!), a few years ago Sterban recorded public service announcements for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio network, which is the “voice” of the National Weather Service. He is also the “voice” for the Classic Country channel on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Sterban and his wife, Donna, have two daughters, Lauren and Tori. Tori and her husband, Michael recently welcomed their first son, Michael Owen Fagan IV. Likewise, Lauren and her husband, Tyler recently welcomed their first child, a son, Alexander Thomas Estep. Sterban also has three older sons, Rich, Doug, and Chris, and their five grandchildren. His personal website is located at www.richardsterban.com.

(Headshot photo credit: Brandon Wood/IndieBling)