Blount and Beyond Online Magazine - Magazine - Page 15
Tennessee Connection 3 The Oak Ridge Boys
Gospel Music Roots in Oak Ridge
The Oak Ridge Boys roots go back to World War II. The original group called themselves the Oak Ridge Quartet. The
group started performing Country and Gospel music in Oak Ridge where parts of the atomic bomb were being developed.
They began regular Grand Ole Opry appearances in the fall of 945. In the mid-fifties they were considered one of the best
Gospel groups in the nation.
The Oak Ridge Quartet changed their name to the Oak Ridge Boys sometime after 1961 and the members of the group at
that time were Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, Noel Fox, and Willie Wynn.
In the early 1970s Richard Sterban and Joe Bonsall joined the group. They were a gospel quartet but looked more like a
rock band with their bell bottom pants and long hair, something not heard of at the time. From that time until 1987
Richard Sterban, Joe Bonsall, Duane Allen, and William Lee Golden made up the group affectionately called The Oaks.
Pictures of Oak Ridge Boys Album.
The Oaks had around forty pervious members and Marshall Lon