Not gonna lie, this one hurts.
I’ve been an Oak Ridge Boys fan as long as I can remember. I’m pretty sure some of the first words I ever said were “Giddy up, oom papa mow mow” as I was singing along with their classic hit “Elvira.”
And one of the coolest moments of my career came just a few months ago when I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to the legendary Oak Ridge Boys. It was like sitting down with royalty – and they were just as nice in person as you would expect them to be.
The group that would become the Oak Ridge Boys has been around since 1941, when the quartet out of Oak Ridge, Tennessee got their start as Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers. But because they were often asked to sing for service members and their families at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the group changed their name to the Oak Ridge Quartet before becoming the Oak Ridge Boys in 1961.
The current lineup of the Oaks was completed in 1973, and for the last 50 years has featured lead singer Duane Allen, tenor Joe Bonsall, baritone William Lee Golden (and his iconic beard), and bass Richard Sterban.
Over the past 50 years The Oak Ridge Boys have become icons of country music with hits like “American Made,” “Bobbie Sue,” “Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight,” “Fancy Free,” and of course their biggest hit, “Elvira.” And they’ve also become well known for the mark they’ve left on the gospel world, having even performed “Amazing Grace” at the funeral of President George H.W. Bush back in 2018.
But as they celebrate 50 years together, The Oak Ridge Boys are also announcing their farewell tour.
Speaking on the American Made: Farewell Tour, William Lee Golden said it was an opportunity to thank the fans who have been there for the last 50 years:
“We are doing a farewell tour because we owe it to our fans to say goodbye. They have always been there for us through the good times and the bad. I will always be thankful to every person who came out to a show, bought a t-shirt, played our music, and overall, loved us enough to spend their hard-earned money whenever they could. This tour is for you!”
And Allen adds that, although they don’t know how long the tour will last, they hope to hit as many parts of the country as possible to say goodbye to their fans:
“For all of my career I have always been a planner, sometimes planning 2 or 3 years in advance, what we will do, where we will go, and when we record. As we celebrate 50 years of being together, just as you see us, we will, also, begin our American Made: Farewell Tour.
I don’t know how long the tour will last, but we hope to return to as many parts of the country as we can. Thank you so much for these 50 years. For me, it’s 57 1/2 years. I have given you the best part of my life and you have rewarded me with a wonderful career.
Thank you, our dear fans. Thanks to God for His divine guidance. Thank you to our wonderful organization. Thank you to all the supporting companies who represent us. And thank you to our families.”
Obviously the idea of a farewell tour was inevitable at some point: As Joe Bonsall points out, he was 25 years old when he joined The Oak Ridge Boys, and he’s 75 now.
Father Time is undefeated, after all, but it’s still tough to think about such an iconic part of country music – and American culture – hitting the road for the last time.
The Oak Ridge Boys Upcoming Tour Dates:
SEP 20 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
SEP 21 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
SEP 22 – Capital Region MU Health Care Amphitheater / Jefferson City, Mo.
SEP 23 – Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center / Huntington, Tenn.
SEP 28 – Norsk Hostfest Great Hall of the Vikings / Minot, N.D.
SEP 29 – Chester Fritz Auditorium / Grand Forks, N.D.
SEP 30 – Swiftel Center / Brookings, S.D.
OCT 01 – Deadwood Mountain Grand / Deadwood, S.D.
OCT 04 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
OCT 05 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
OCT 06 – Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City / Kansas City, Mo.
OCT 07 – Richard Drake’s Party Barn / Powderly, Texas
OCT 11 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
OCT 12 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
OCT 13 – Arlington Music Hall / Arlington, Texas
OCT 14 – Arlington Music Hall / Arlington, Texas
OCT 18 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
OCT 19 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
OCT 21 – Rome City Auditorium / Rome, Ga.
OCT 26 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
OCT 27 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
OCT 28 – Neewollah Celebration – Jim Halsey Auditorium / Independence, Kan.
NOV 01 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
NOV 02 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
NOV 03 – Brown County Music Center / Nashville, Ind.
NOV 04 – Crossroads Arena / Corinth, Miss.
NOV 08 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
NOV 09 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
NOV 11 – Grand Ole Opry / Nashville, Tenn.
NOV 15 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
NOV 16 – The Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts / Branson, Mo.
NOV 21 – Vern Riffe Center for the Arts / Portsmouth, Ohio
NOV 24 – Honeywell Center / Wabash, Ind.
NOV 25 – Paramount Theatre / Anderson, Ind.
NOV 30 – Weldon Mills Theatre / Roanoke Rapids, N.C.
DEC 01 – Renfro Valley Barn Dance / Mount Vernon, Ky.
DEC 02 – Anderson Music Hall / Hiawassee, Ga.
DEC 07 – Firekeepers Casino / Battle Creek, Mich.
DEC 08 – Island Resort & Casino / Harris, Mich.
DEC 09 – Island Resort & Casino / Harris, Mich.
DEC 12 – Ryman Auditorium / Nashville, Tenn.
DEC 14 – Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center / Paducah, Ky.
DEC 15 – Effingham Performance Center / Effingham, Ill.
DEC 16 – Crystal Grand Music Theatre / Wisconsin Dells, Wisc.
DEC 17 – Egyptian Theatre / Dekalb, Ill.
