William Lee Golden has performed on almost every stage, as part of The Oak Ridge Boys. But Golden took on a new stage, when he and his family band, William Lee Golden and The Goldens, performed on TBN‘s Huckabee.

Ahead of their performance, Golden reflected on being part of The Oak Ridge Boys, and country music history, for almost 60 years, ever since joining in 1965.

“It don’t seem like long when you look back on it, but you look back again and you realize that’s how long it is,” Golden said. “I grew up in South Alabama on a cotton and peanut farm. My sister taught me how to play music when I was seven and eight years old. She taught me to play rhythm guitar and sing harmonies … I’ve always needed someone to help me out.”

Golden’s son, Chris, also opened up about being part of The Goldens, and being the son of one of country music’s most famous figures.

“He joined The Oaks when I was just a small child, so it’s something that we just grew up with,” Chris shares. “It wasn’t anything different. When they were a gospel group, I always thought they were as big as the Beatles back then, ’cause they the cool suits and boots, ran around on buses and played, and looked like they were having a whole lot of fun.”

“I’m kind of glad my dad wasn’t a mechanic at that point, or a house builder … But it was something that came easy for us, because my dad got his start on his granddaddy Golden’s radio show,” he continued. “His grandfather was a fiddle-playing holiness preacher, and had a radio show. Dad got his start on that show when he was young, and now it’s cool to see this generation getting to go out and play and sing with their grandfather.”

Golden is spending most of 2024 on the road. In addition to touring with The Oak Ridge Boys on their American Made: Farewell Tour, he’s also performing as part of The Goldens. It might be a busy schedule, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Being on the road 150 to 200 days a year, I was an absentee father 150 to 200 days a year,” Golden told The News-Enterprise, explaining why The Goldens is so important to him. “And it bothers you being away from home, but that was the only way to do what we loved to do,”

William Lee Golden and The Goldens might have never happened, if not for COVID-19, which brought everyone home again.

“It was during the pandemic that I got my family all back together,” Golden recalls. “I had a vision to do that a couple of years prior to the pandemic and I couldn’t get everyone all together. They had their solo careers going on.”

Golden Classics, three albums with a total of 34 songs, is out now. Find all of The Goldens’ music and upcoming shows at WilliamLeeGoldenandTheGoldens.com.