Me and the Boys

Dan asked me to write a blog about any subject I wanted, his mistake. I decided I would write on one of the subjects I am most passionate about,the Oak Ridge Boys. I’m sure some of you have heard of these guys, but just in case some of you haven’t, here’s who they are. They’re the guys who made “Elvira” a household name way back in the 80’s and I'm not talking about the "vampiress" on TV.

I was a fan of theirs even before "Elvira" came out. I remember when I was a little kid seeing the guys on some variety or music awards show singing a gospel song. This was during the time when Gospel music was the only thing they sang. I remember how great they all sounded and I just sat there in front of the tv in awe of them and their amazing harmony. It wasn’t until a couple of years later when I bought my very first Oak Ridge Boys’ vinyl album, yes I am that old. I don’t know what made me buy it but it must have been something about that album cover that caught my eye.
The year was 1978 and “Room Service” had just come out. It had a really nice cover on the front of it with all 4 guys hanging out in what looked like a hotel room. I bought that baby and took it back home and played it on my stereo. I was in love with everything about that album and how great it sounded on my stereo. I think I nearly wore it out from listening to it so much. I couldn’t stop playing it and of course I couldn’t stop looking at the front cover. Thanks to that cover I developed my first “celebrity crush” on 3 of the 4 guys. Duane Allen, William Lee Golden (Bill at that time), and Richard Sterban were the ones who caught my eyes. I never caught the “crush bug” from looking at Joe Bonsall. Must have been that crazy hair. LOL!! I was totally hooked. I bought all the albums that followed “Room Service.” I was quite the fan. I never got to see them when they were “HOT” but that didn’t stop me from being a fan.

Then in the mid 80’s William Lee Golden left the group, and I pretty much lost interest in the Oaks and country music. I got into the 80’s pop music and all the “hair bands.” I was a teenage girl hanging out with my friends who all had different music tastes. From the mid 80’s to 1990, I attended quite a few concerts, most of them being rock. I did attend some country shows, but never had any interest in seeing the Oak Ridge Boys.

Sometime in 1989/ early 1990 while working at a factory, I heard this up and coming singer named Garth Brooks singing a song called “Friends in Low Places.” I thought it was a cool song and once again I was getting hooked into listening to country music. I was still listening to the “hair bands” but I was also getting into the “new country” sound. About this time I met Dan and found out he was a big country fan. I started listening to some of his old cassettes of different country music artists that I had also listened to while growing up as a kid. Hooking up with Dan was my way back to appreciating country music. I was listening to more and more Garth….I became a huge fan, and I was also listening to more of the classic country artists as well.

Fast forward to 1995, Dan and I are watching TNN (The Nashville Network) and see the Oaks performing and hosting a show called “Live From Las Vegas.’
It was a music/variety type of a show. I couldn’t believe that these guys were still around. I figured the only rocking they did anymore was in rocking-chairs. Right about this time, William Lee had come back and everything was back the way it should be. The more I watched their show, the more I started listening to their music again . I bought any cassette that I could find of theirs and I would start re-living some great memories. I happened to find a copy of “Room Service” on cassette and I was in heaven. During this time I still had not seen the Oak Ridge Boys in concert but I was determined that I would see them someday.

After having our computers and being on the internet for about 2 years, One night while Dan was “surfing” he came across the official Oak Ridge Boys’ website. He told me about finding it and I immediately started visiting there and reading all the messages from other ORB fans. I could not believe my eyes when I saw on that message board where Joe Bonsall himself had been posting. It wasn’t until around the end of 2001 and early 2002 that I became a regular member of the message board.


Come back again and I will tell about the very first time I ever met "The Boys" in person. I will try to have that posted in the next couple of days.

Cheryl