Ages Of The Oak Ridge Boys

The Oak Ridge Boys Ages are as follows:

Oak Ridge Boy formed in 1943 has seen a lot of members. The band became popular in the 1950s because of its gospel singing.

In the 1970s they started shifting toward country music. In 2015 the band was inducted into The Country Music Hall Of Fame.

First, the three original members left the group in 1949 and Flower hired other members. In 1957 Flower sold the rights of the band.

The group lost its tenor because of personnel changes so Gatlin hired Wille to sing the tenor part. In 1962 Ron left the group and Gary McSpadden came as replacement.

McSpadden left the boys to fulfill his promise and join The Imperials, Jim Hamill was chosen as his replacement. Hamill didn't get along with the group although they released an album together.

Golden took Hamill's place when he left the group. Gatlin left the group and Duane came in his place at Golden's request.

Oak Ridge Boys have seen a lot of member change during the decades with Golden being kicked out and returning. All the changes happened because of changes in priority.

Within the decade of establishment, the band saw more than 30 members coming and leaving. The group had a hard time finding a member who would stay for a long time.

The member kept on changing because of better options, solo career, and family time. The group's album sales were not too good until 2000.

The band signed for Spring Hill Records in 2000 after which their fortune started to change. The current members saw the success of the band and have been performing together for a long time.

Oak Ridge Boys current members are Richard, Joe, Duane, and William. The four have been performing together since Golden returned to the band in 1995.

1. William Lee Golden

William is an American country music singer, born on January 12, 1939. Golden is known for his waist-length beard and hair making him a popular face in the industry.

Golden was voted out of the band by other members in 1987 as they wanted a change in the band's image. He then started performing as a solo artist.

In 1995 Sandres left the group and William returned to the band on New Year's Eve the same year. He is one of the most recognized personalities in the gospel and country music.

2. Duanne Allen

Duane Allen was born on April 24, 1943, and he joined the group in 1966. He is considered as the president and CEO of the group.

Allen is the lead singer of the group with his voice being heard in most of the songs. He plans most of the tour of the band.

In 2014, he received a memorial bridge in his hometown. Paris Junior College in Lamar County named a stage after him in his honor in October 2018.

3. Joe Bonsall

Joe Bonsall joined the group in October 1973. He was born on May 18, 1948, and has been singing since the age of four.

Bonsall is also an author he has published a four-book series named The Molly Books and G.I Joe and Lillie a book about his parents. He is also a renowned songwriter.

4. Richard Sterban

Richard Antony Sterban was born in New Jersey on April 29, 1943. He joined Oak Ridge Boys in 1972 where he sings bass.

Prior to joining Oak Ridge Boys, he sang for Elvis Presley as a backup. Baseball has been one of his passions and he is an ambassador for the Nashville Sound minor league baseball team.

Oak Ridge Boys original members were Wally Fowler, Lon Deacon, Curly Kinsey, and Johnny New. They were named Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers.

The band was formed in 1943 and was requested to perform for staff members and their families during World War II at Oak Ridge National Library. They decided to name themselves as Oak Ridge Quartet after they were asked to perform there too often.

1. Wally Fowler

John Wallace Fowler is known as Wally Fowler he was born on February 15, 1917. He was a popular gospel singer, songwriter, manager, and businessman.

Fowler is best known for his gospel and country songs that formed the group that started performing for children. He left the group selling the right of the group to Smity Galtin in exchange for debt.

On July 3 1994 his body was found floating in the water. He apparently suffered from a heart attack while fishing from a dock on Dale Hollow Lake.

2. Lon Deacon

Lon Deacon "Freeman" was born in 1921 at Breetyon. He began singing as a child in a Baptist church and served Army Air Force during World War II.

Freeman later joined the group as a guitarist and singer. He performed with the group for many years travelling with them.

Deacon decided to leave the group in 1949, because of constant traveling which kept him away from his family. Later on, he took a broadcasting job at a radio station in Rome.

He was passed away at the age of 82 in the year 2003.

3. Curly Kinsey

Curly Kinsey was a member of the group from 1947-1949. He left the group with the Deacon and Johnny.

4. Johnny New

Johnny was in the band from 1947 and left with the other two. He was among the founding members of the band.

Calvin Newton and Gary McSpadden of the Oak Ridge Boys have passed away along with the original members.

1. Calvin Newton

Calvin Newton the American singer passed away on March 3, 2023.  He was born on October 10, 1929, in Illinois and is known for his gospel singing.

Newton was the part of group from 1953 to 1956. All of his family members are involved in gospel and country music and he is known as a bad boy who is good at singing.

He even served in the Korean War and was a member of the GMA Gospel Hall of Fame. The veteran left the world at the age of 93.

2. Gary McSpadden

Gary McSpadden was an American singer, pastor, television host, producer, and motivational speaker. He was born on January 6, 1943, and passed away on April 15, 2020.

As a young boy, Gary started singing in the church. In 1962, he joined the Oak Ridge Boys and released three albums with the group.

He has recorded 30 albums 16 of them solo. Gary even worked as a pastor for 13 years along with his father pastoring faith and wisdom in church.

Gary was diagnosed with cancer earlier in 2020 and was admitted to hospital in March. He lost the battle with cancer on April 15, 2020.