What are oak ridge boys?
The core group that would eventually lead to the Oak Ridge Boys first recorded together in 1943 as Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers. When Wally Fowler decided to focus on gospel music, he formed the Oak Ridge Quartet with himself, Lon “Deacon” Freeman, Curly Kinsey, and Johnny New. In 1949 the other three men split from Fowler to form a new group and Fowler hired an existing group, the Calvary Quartet, to re-form the Oak Ridge Quartet. In 1957, Fowler sold the rights to the “Oak Ridge Quartet” name to group member Smitty Gatlin in exchange for forgiveness of a debt. As a result of more personnel changes, the group lost its tenor, so they lowered their arrangements and had Gatlin sing tenor while the pianist, Tommy Fairchild, sang lead. They recorded an album for Cadence Records, then in 1958 they hired Willie Wynn to sing the tenor part, Fairchild moved back exclusively to the piano. At this point the group consisted of Fairchild at the piano, Wynn, Gatlin (singing lead), barit
The Oak Ridge Boys are a country and gospel group that is based in the United States. The group was founded in 1945 as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular during the 1950s. Their name was changed to the Oak Ridge Boys in the early 1960s, and they remained a gospel-oriented group until the mid 1970s, when they changed their image and concentrated more on country and pop music. The band’s current lineup consists of lead singer and second tenor Duane Allen, baritone William Lee Golden, tenor Joe Bonsall, and bass Richard Sterban. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oak_Ridge_Boys With their latest album, the evergreen Oak Ridge Boys prove that they are not only enduring, they are evolving. The Boys Are Back is a roots-music revelation wherein the veteran quartet explores blues, country, Gospel and rock textures. Producer David Cobb brought the group styles and songs it has never attempted before, from John Le
