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The Oak Ridge Boys tour through year's end
The hard-working Oak Ridge Boys are touring through the fall and will go straight into their Christmas schedule, which launches in early November.
The country/gospel legends resume their outing tonight (9/23) with multiple shows at their Oak Ridge Boys Theatre in Branson, MO. A few more three-night stands at that venue are booked through mid-November, and the group will visit a host of US cities stretching from the Midwest to the East Coast through late December. Holiday-themed performances, which start Nov. 4, make up the biggest part of the itinerary. Details are included below.
When The Oak Ridge Boys recently discovered they didn't have a gig on New Year's Eve, they couldn't believe it.
"We're going, 'Wow, New Year's Eve off. What are we going to do with ourselves?'" the vocal group's tenor, Joe Bonsall, told The Associated Press.
Oak Ridge Boys manager Jim Halsey came up with an idea: Put the date on eBay. So the quartet--Bonsall, lead singer Duane Allen, baritone William Lee Golden and bass singer Richard Sterban--set out to auction a private New Year's Eve concert to the highest bidder. The asking price was $25,000 and the 10-day auction closed last Sunday (9/21), according to AP. The highest-bidder will get to pick the venue and decide what they want to hear.
"I think they should run the whole show if they win," Bonsall said. "We can go more gospel, patriotic, straight country hits. Whatever they want. We can do it all."
The Oak Ridge Boys' roots date back 65 years to the formation of The Oak Ridge Quartet. The group's former members number in the dozens, but its current lineup is its most popular incarnation to date, thanks to its string of '70s- and '80s-era hits including "Y'all Come Back Saloon," "You're the One," "I'll Be True to You," "Bobbie Sue" and Grammy-winning crossover hit "Elvira."
The Boys' four-part harmonies and upbeat songs have earned them a host of gold and platinum albums, and more than a dozen No. 1 singles, as well as Grammy, Dove, CMA and ACM awards, according to their bio. Earlier this month, the group was honored with an ACM pioneer award.
