By Nate Day When the Grammy-winning Oak Ridge Boys are introduced on stage, the band’s spokesperson likes to joke that they have more Christmas music than Andy Williams and Kenny Rodgers combined.
And after nearly 45 years together, several Christmas albums and EPs, and 29 years of touring to perform holiday tunes, that just may be the case.
“The Christmas tour has become the biggest part of our year every sing year,” said Richard Sterban, bass vocalist with the Oak Ridge Boys. “It’s a good problem to have.”
Sterban, who had previously played with Elvis Presley, joined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1972, and is perhaps best known for the outlandishly low line “giddy up oom poppa oom poppa mow mow” in the band’s biggest hit “Elvira.” However, he notes that it isn’t just his signature line, or even his vocals as a whole that make the group special.
“It takes all four of us to create the success that is the Oak Ridge Boys,” said Sterban. “Each guy brings something different to the table. That’s part of our appeal, the fact that we’re so different, but we respect the differences between the four of us.”
Beyond that, they’ve built a strong camaraderie.
“We realized a long time ago that we need each others,” Sterban said. “There’s a true brother hood and a friendship that is second to none between us. I think we even get along better now that we’re older than we ever did before.”
Their career
The Oak Ridge Boys, who are Country Music Hall of Fame inductees, are known for their vocal harmonies and began in the 1940s as a gospel group until transitioning into country music.
The band’s gospel background is an influence on their Christmas music and performances, but it was their record label that recognized the potential in holiday music.
After recording and releasing “Y’all Come Back Saloon” in 1977, their label asked them to produce a Christmas album. That album, “Christmas,” became the 13th Christmas album to be certified gold. Since then, 3 of their albums have been certified gold.
Following the album’s release, Kenny Rodgers asked the Oak Ridge Boys to join him for a Christmas tour, and afterwards, according to Sterban, the band though, “we can do this,” and launched their own.
Their most recent album, “17th Avenue Revival,” was released in March of 2018, and was produced by Dave Cobb. Cobb is one of the most prestigious and sought-after producers in country music, having worked with artists like Chris Stapleton, The Zac Brown Band and more. The album also features songs by some of country’s strongest songwriters, such as Brandy Clark and Vince Gill.
“11 years ago, we did a project called ‘The Boys are Back’ and (Cobb) produced it,” Sterban said. “He took us down roads musically that we’d never traveled before, and this time around, we wanted to do something special to commemorate our induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and we knew he was they guy.”
Sterban said that since Cobb is in such high demand, they had to wait their …read more
Via:: Vail Daily