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Show 1rri THE ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT THE UNlVERSlTY JOURNAL• SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY• MONDAY, fANUARY 26, 1998 I Oak Ridge Boys to begin tour in Centrum Feb. 5 The country/pop/gospel group, the Oak Ridge Boys, has.recorded three platinum couple of gospel songs with him. It was an incredible experience for us," said Bonsall. and 10 gold albums, scored hits such as "Elvira, 11 11 American Made, 11 and "Thank In the fall of 1945 the quartet was performing at the Grand Ole Opry. By the midCod For Kids," performed for the crowned heads of Europe, three presidents of the 'SOs earned a nod from Time magazine as one of the top gospel acts in the country. United States-not to mention millions of others from the public-and won pretty In the '60s the four men who now are the subjects of this biography were Oaks much every award every a music act can get, and they're kicking off their 25th fans, and well involved in their own gospel singing pursuits in the South and Anniversary Tour in Cedar City. Northeast. The performance is scheduled for "I gravitated toward gospel because Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the SUU it was something new that I loved," Centrum. says Philadelphia native Bonsall. Tickets are available at the Centrum Sterben said when the Oak Ridge box office 586-7872 or Smith Tix 1Boys came to his church it "freaked [him] out." "I became a big gospel 800-888-TIXX. The Oak Ridge Boys are not actually fan back then," he said. from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This Allen grew up in Texas. He Tennessee town was created to develop received operatic training, but said the "Big One," and when residents that he always had a deep love for gospel. He sang with the needed distraction from bomb research, they began bringing in a Southernaires before he joined the gospel group called the Georgia Oaks. Clodhoppers. They nicknamed them Golden, who grew up 'in the the Oak Ridge Quartet. The name southern Alabama town of Brewton, stuck. sang gospel with his sister Lanette on The contemporary Oaks arc baritone his grandfather's weekly radio show, William Lee Golden who joined in making his professional debut at age seven. 1965, lead singer Duane Allen who 11 All of us were very much m oved joined in '66, bass Richard came on in ' 72, and tenor Joe Bonsall in '73. and influenced by the great Southern However, the name has been around style gospel quartets like the Blackwoods and the Statesmen," said quite a long time. About a year ago the Oaks were ......-..~Golden. playing in Missouri. They were told The Oak Ridge Boys is riding the that there was an older gentleman out harm ony and their hits into the next century. Whether it be on CD, in the audience named Leon "Deacon" ~!!!!~!!=~~~~~~!!! television, radio, record or live and Freeman, who had s ung with the Oak The Oak Ridge Boys, from left, are Joe Bonsall, Duane Allen, William Lee Golden and in person, the Oak Ridge Boys say Ridge Boys in the '40s. Richard Sterban. They'll be singing in the Centrum Feb. 5. they plan on still singing. "We brought him up on stage, sang a ..,......,_...,~-I It~, not what~, on the outside that counts... 0 \\\\ |