![Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://2paragraphs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/The_Oak_Ridge_Boys_by_Gage_Skidmore-620x375.jpg)
The Boys from Oak Ridge, Tennessee have enjoyed quite a ride. The origins of the group predate even the current foursome, and these Oak Ridge Boys — Duane Allen, Joe Bonsal, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban have been aboard this unstoppable music train for 45 years. The current quartet’s history begins in 1973 when they made their first records for the Columbia label. Golden and Allen actually joined the Oaks, as they’re also sometimes known, in the mid-1960s. And even that makes them latecomers, since the foundation of the Oak Ridge Boys dates back to the World War II era. Now considered a country act, the Oaks deep roots are in gospel music. And boy do they know how to put on a show.
These fully mature Oaks sit with veteran reporter Dan Rather to talk about their long journey — and their sweet sound — on AXS-TV. Rather’s “THE BIG INTERVIEW” program on AXS delves deep into the lives of great entertainers — and Rather reliably turns up the secrets of their successes. The Oak Ridge Boys have been practicing their magic for so long they have truckloads of wisdom to share. Texas-born (like Dan Rather) Duane Allen is 75. Pennsylvania-born Joe Bonsall is 69. The Alabama-born — and astonishingly bearded — William Lee Golden is 79. New Jersey-born Richard Sterban is 75. As AXS TV likes to say, set your DVR for “THE BIG INTERVIEW” on Tuesday May 1 at 9/8C.
William Lee Golden, photo by Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
