July 4th might be history for another year, but for The Oak Ridge Boys, their patriotism continues all year. The four-man group, made up of William Lee Golden, Duane Allen, Richard Sterban and Joe Bonsall, released their version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” for Independence Day, a rendition that can be played all year long.
Hope you had a great GREAT 4th God Bless America 🎤🎤🎤🎤🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/FXeRFk4sXB
— The Oak Ridge Boys (@oakridgeboys) July 5, 2023
The Oak Ridge Boys recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of their song, “American Made,” celebrating all that they love about the country they call home.
“It’s hard to believe that ‘American Made” has been going strong for 40 years,” Bonsall said. “Every night the audience still sings every word with us. It’s a fun song to sing!”
The Oak Ridge Boys likely never imagined when they recorded “American Made” that it would still be as popular in their live shows as it is now, four decades later.
“1983, ‘American Made.’ It was a big record, and today people love it,” Bonsall told Fox 13. “They sing it with us, and it’s a big moment on the show every night.”
The Oak Ridge Boys will go down in history as one of the longest-running groups in country music. The current formation of the group has been making music together for 50 years, with Bonsall being the last to join the group in 1973. Although they have certaily accomplished enough to retire, Bonsall says that isn’t in the cards for them, at least not yet.
“We’re the old guys on the block, but we just don’t know how to slow down,” Bonsall said. “The Oak Ridge Boys sing. That’s what we do. And we’ve been able to plan every aspect of everything we do. Except we’ve never been able to plan how to slow down, let alone stop.”
Courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry / Chris Hollo
The Grand Ole Opry members have enjoyed a lengthy career not only by recording great music, and continuing to tour and perform, but by being outspoken advocates for those who are serving and have served in the military.
“There’s a lot of support right here ..we love our military, and we’ve done a lot of things for the military over the years,” Allen said. “I hope we do more, and we thank you for your service.”
The Oak Ridge Boys join Alabama for “Jesus and John Wayne,” out now. The song is from the upcoming Gaither Tribute: Honoring the Songs of Bill & Gloria Gaither, which will be released on August 26.
The Oak Ridge Boys have plenty of dates on the calendar over the next several months. Find their music and a list of all of their upcoming shows at OakRidgeBoys.com.