ETSU Martin Center welcomes the Oak Ridge Boys

There are not many vocal groups with the history and resume of the Oak Ridge Boys. Seventeen number one records. Four Academy of Country Music, two American Music, five Billboard, four Country Music Association, five Grammy, and twelve Gospel Music Association Dove awards. 41 million units sold worldwide. Some of the finest four-part harmonies ever recorded have come from these gentlemen, with a lineup and set list that continues to evolve. The group is touring right now, with a stop scheduled at the Martin Center at ETSU on August 28. In preparation for the show, I was able to share a wonderful conversation with William Lee Golden, the baritone voice of the Oak Ridge Boys for more than half a century. Golden has spent a lifetime singing, starting as a six or seven year old singing with his older sister in local shows in Alabama. "My sister was the talented one - she still is," he says. "She played guitar, mandolin, piano - we had a duo and I played rhythm guitar and harmonized and played shows all around. By the time I was eight, we were playing on WEBN in Bruton, Alabama." He continued playing shows with his sister, spending his grammar school years entertaining older students at high school assemblies and later adding his little brother in what would become a family trio. Golden joined the FFA Quartet in high school and began to compete, winning multiple awards and cementing his desire to be a musician. "I grew up in South Alabama, we lived just across the state line from Florida. My family was involved in cotton and peanut farming and after high school, I kept singing, traveling to Florida and more for shows." In 1965, Golden had the opportunity to travel to Nashville and perform with the Oak Ridge Boys. He told the already successful quartet that "if they were ever in the market for a baritone, give me a call." Two months later, he got that call. He was offered a try-out with the group and joined them almost immediately. "They gave me a weekend to drive back to Bruton," says Golden. "I packed up my stuff and drove back and I was in the Oak Ridge Boys." For ten years, the Oak Ridge Boys were a gospel group, finding great success and renown in that genre, but when they began working with Jim Halsey, they knew it was time for a change. "When Jim started managing the Oak Ridge Boys, he got us to record a country album. We signed with MCA and that's where all of our biggest hits came from." They achieved massive country crossover success during the 1970s and 1980s with MCA, releasing iconic chart-toppers like "Elvira," "American Made," and "Y'all Come Back Saloon" through the label. That success led to a lifetime of touring and recording and a group and brand that has carried on through hard times and lineup changes, brought about by losing members along the way or members stepping back due to health reasons. "There are no more original members of the group, but Duane (lead singer Duane Allen) and I have been singing together for 60 years," says Golden. "We've had some great singers in the Oak Ridge Boys and these young guys who are singing with us now are amazing. It seems like in our darkest hour, God shines his light on us. To have these young kids sing with us has been real healing for us. We needed that… I know I did. Music has been the most healing thing for our losses." You can see the new additions to the group August 28 at 7:30 p.m. at ETSU Martin Center for the Arts. Tickets are available now at the Martic Center ticket window and online. "The tour is just getting started. I'm looking forward to it, I'm already looking forward to the Christmas shows and we have a new record coming out this October That Dave Cobb produced with us called 'Buried Treasures'." It sounds like the Oak Ridge Boys are right where they need to be - creating new music, performing on stage and making dedicated fans happy along the way. "I love performing live," says Golden. "It's all right there. That's what excited me about singing with my sister and brother. Walking that tightrope, the energy you get back from a crowd - that's what counts."