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Honoring the Oak Ridge Boys’ Joe Bonsall and the Group’s Crucial Role in Country
A look at The Oak Ridge Boys' late Joe Bonsall and the group's crucial role in country music.
The Oaks’ history is one of innovation, though many current country artists and executives may not fully grasp the impact that the quartet — including Duane Allen, Richard Sterban and William Lee Golden — had on the genre. The Philadelphia-born Bonsall immersed himself in vocal harmony at a young age, playing with various local groups until he landed in The Keystones, a gospel act that included Sterban, a bass singer who was born in nearby Camden, N.J. As The Oaks made the inevitable shift from country newcomers to A-list headliners to veteran status, Bonsall expanded into new outlets, writing 11 books and periodically playing banjo with other artists.
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