Tonight’s CMA Awards featured plenty of great performances and memorable moments. However, for my money, nothing beats seeing the Oak Ridge Boys on stage even if they didn’t sing a note. Some fans may not realize that the group’s predecessor, the Oak Ridge Quartet formed in the early ‘40s. Three decades and several lineup changes brought about the group of top-tier vocalists who recorded timeless hits like “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue,” and “American Made.” In short, the group symbolizes what can come from years of perseverance and passion.
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That perseverance and passion were on full display tonight when the current Oak Ridge Boys lineup took the stage to present Vocal Group of the Year to Old Dominion. Before announcing the winner, the remaining original members of the group gave a heartfelt tribute to their fallen member, Joe Bonsall.
No one would have blamed Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban for deciding to call it quits after their longtime tenor, Bonsall passed away in July after a long battle with ALS. While Bonsall had retired from the group earlier this year, his passing dealt a heavy blow to the group. Instead of hanging it up, though, they added a young tenor named Ben James to the group.
I assume that James is more than a replacement for Bonsall. If the Oaks continue as they have for the past 81 years, James will serve as a torchbearer for the next generation of the group, the “original member” who ushers the group on for another few decades. At least, that’s what I’d like to believe. For me—and generations of other fans—the Oaks have been a constant in an ever-changing world. And, seeing them on the stage tonight surrounded by current stars was the heartwarming moment I needed to carry me through the rest of the week.
Joe Bonsall Hand-Picked the New Member of the Oak Ridge Boys
Ben James was a longtime Oak Ridge Boys fan and a member of Daily & Vincent’s band when he took the stage with the group for the first time. The Oaks were on tour with the bluegrass duo and called them out to do an all-sing rendition of “Elvira” to close the show. James stood beside Bonsall, who he had always looked up to, during the song. Before the second verse, Bonsall passed James his microphone telling him, “You’ve got the next verse.”
“We all looked at each other, went, ‘Wow! This kid can sing,’” Richard Sterban recalled. “He knew everything Joe had ever sung,” he added.
“I’m not sure I will ever get over that moment,” James said of Bonsall handing him the microphone and symbolically passing the torch.
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