OAK RIDGE BOYS - PROGRAM SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: OAK RIDGE BOYS (DUANE ALLEN), OAK RIDGE BOYS (JOE BONSALL), OAK RIDGE BOYS (STEVE SANDERS), OAK RIDGE BOYS (RICH STERBAN) - HFSID 298232

THE OAK RIDGE BOYS
21 page program, reflecting the group's membership between 1987 and 1995
Program signed: "Duane Allen", "Richard/Sterban", "Steve Sanders" and "Joe Bonsall/87". 21 pages, 11x13½. The program features photos and biographies of the members. Formed in 1961 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the Oak Ridge Boys vocal quartet underwent an image makeover in the late 1960s, growing their hair long and singing almost nothing but pop-oriented material. In the early 1970s, they gradually incorporated more gospel back into their repertoire. In 1973, DUANE ALLEN (lead vocals), JOE BONSALL (tenor), RICHARD STERBAN (bass) and William Lee Golden (baritone) made their first entry in the country charts with Johnny Cash's "Praise the Lord and Pass the Soup". In 1987, Golden, who had been with the group since 1964, was fired by the rest of the group, who believed that his burly appearance and long beard no longer fit their image. He was replaced by longtime backing-band guitarist STEVE SANDERS (1952-1998) who left the group in 1995 and committed suicide in 1998. After problems with record studios early in the new millennium, the group has come back strong with mainstream country themes in recent years. The Oak Ridge Boys, who now have their own theater in Branson, Missouri, were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry in 2011. Lightly worn. Otherwise, fine condition.