40 years and still having fun
By Kellen Olshefski
Staff Writer
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the group’s current line-up, the Oak Ridge Boys is set to take the stage Aug. 30 at the Walworth County Fair.
Featuring Richard Sterban, 70, Duane Allen, 70, Joe Bonsall, 65, and William Lee Golden, 74, the boys plan to get up on stage and put forth their best show, as they’ve always done.
“I think if you asked anyone of the four of us 40 years ago, if we thought, here, 40 years later, we would still be doing this at this level, I don’t think any of us would have believed it,” Sterban said.
The group’s roots go back to the 1940s when it began performing gospel music under the name, “The Oak Ridge Quartet,” in Oak Ridge, Tenn., where the atomic bomb was being developed.
Cycling through more than 30 members before Sterban and Bonsall joined the group in 1972 and 1973, respectively, the group began to refine its sound, crossing-over into the country genre.
Sterban, who filled the vacant bass position, said with 23 number one country records and close to 50 chart records, concertgoers can expect a “great night of country music and a great night of family entertainment.”
“The most important thing is it’s a total family show,” he said.
“We’re kid friendly, we encourage parents to bring their kids … grandma and grandpa will enjoy the show and everyone in between.”
Sterban said traditionally Wisconsin has been a great state to the band, providing them with many friends and fans.
With an extensive catalogue of hits, Sterban said the group will be playing their classic country and gospel stylings, coupled with some patriotic tunes, encompassing Oak Ridge Boys’ hits such as “Thank God for Kids,” “Ya’ll Come Back Saloon,” and “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight.”
Sterban also assured the group’s 1981 hit, “Elvira,” – which earned the Oak Ridge Boys their fifth Grammy Award in 1982 – would be on the set-list.
“If we didn’t do it, I think the country music police would come and bust us,” he said.
With a younger generation taking over the country charts, Sterban noted new artists still respect the Oak Ridge Boys, realizing they “blazed the trail for them.”
Sterban admits the group doesn’t necessarily fit in with today’s business, he said he’s not too worried as country is becoming today’s version of pop radio.
“When I see what kids are doing now, that is really not us anymore, the kids have raised the bar,” he said.
“They’ve brought a lot of young people to listen to our music and while we really don’t fit in, I don’t worry about it because the business is in good hands.”
Periodically being able to go into the studio and reinvent themselves, recording music relevant to the current marketplace, Sterban said the group loves the creative process.
“New music puts new life and new energy into us and our show,” he said.
“We try to stay true to ourselves, we don’t change who we are, but we periodically travel down some different roads musically.”
As for the group’s longevity and success, Sterban said he credits the group’s teamwork and a second-to-none friendship they’ve developed over the years.
“We know each other so well we just kind of fall into things naturally, even on stage,” he said.
“A lot of acts have disappeared, we’ve seen them come and go, we’re still strong.”
As for the future of the band, Sterban said the group is working on something new they’ve never done in their 40-year-history; a live album encompassing their greatest hits.
Hoping to be ready early next year, Sterban said they’ve recorded several of their 40th anniversary shows and have been working in the studio, putting it all together into one project.
“We’ve been in the process of trying to find a happy medium between putting out a quality sounding product without over-tuning it so much where it doesn’t sound live,” he said in regards to tweaking the recordings.
With people still paying hard-earned money and coming out to see the band by the thousands, which Sterban said is a huge compliment, he stressed while this is the band’s 40th anniversary tour, it’s is by no means a farewell tour and the band has no plans to retire.
“We’re still having fun, touring, still drawing good crowds,” he said. “As long as that continues, as long as the good Lord above continues to bless the four of us with good health, we’ll be out here doing this because it’s what we love doing.”
If you go:
What: Oak Ridge Boys live
When: Friday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Walworth County Fairgrounds, 411 E. Court St., Elkhorn.
Tickets: $9 for teens/adults ages 13 and older, $3 for children ages six to 12, free for children five and younger.
Information: (262) 723-3228 or walworthcountyfair.com
