The Oak Ridge Boys’ Best Songs: ‘Elvira,’ ‘American Made,’ More

The Oak Ridge Boys got their start in the 1940s, when they came out of Knoxville, Tennessee, singing gospel as the Oak Ridge Quintet, and they kept the classic vocal group tradition alive when they went country in the slick 1970s and 1980s. The Oaks’ casual-sharp look and equally pliant musical outlook made their crossover moves feel easy, including appearances on other artists’ tunes (like their beautiful low-key turn on Paul Simon’s “Slip Slidin’ Away”). Their biggest pop moment was “Elvira,” with its jovial gait, horn section, and fun-to-sing hook “Giddy up, um-poppa-um-poppa, mow, mow,” delivered by well-deep bass singer and Camden, New Jersey, native Richard Sterban. (Oaks tenor Joe Bonsall was born just across the Delaware River in Philadelphia.) — J.D.

The Oak Ridge Boys’ 1983 hit warmly celebrated the glories of a homegrown girl by way of comparison with all the foreign goods flooding the American market — from Nikon cameras to blue jeans made in Mexico and French perfume. “From her silky long hair to her sexy long legs/My baby is American Made,” the chorus goes. The song’s trendy protectionist jingoism is delivered with a light touch and goodnatured warmth, so the song never feels mean-spirited, let alone proto-MAGA. It went Number One on the country charts and became an anthem for the band — they even titled their farewell tour after the song. — J.D.

B-b-b-b-building on the success of their recent Number One country and Number Five pop hit “Elvira,” the Oaks stayed lost in that Fifties and Sixties sound and landed another massive crossover hit with “Bobbie Sue,” the title track from their 1982 LP. Penned by Wood Newton with married songwriters Dan and Adele Tyler, “Bobbie Sue” kicks off the tale of “the sweetest grape that ever grew on the vine” with a driving beat reminiscent of “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’,” the 1969 bubblegum hit by Crazy Elephant, followed by some blazing guitar. Things really pop when Richard Sterban adds his rafter-shaking bass vocal on the stuttering chorus, followed by some stellar accompaniment from the Muscle Shoals Horns. “It’s sort of a 1982 ‘Elvira,’” Joe Bonsall said at the time. Forty-plus years on it’s an underrated pop-country m-m-m-m-masterpiece. — S.L.B.

The Oak Ridge Boys’ second country Number One was a Rodney Crowell rave-up that highlighted everything thrilling about the vocal group: their complex harmonies, interweaving powerhouse vocals, and expert phrasing (listen to the way the group tells the song’s whole story of backwoods freedom by drawing out the word crazy when singing, “If she hadn’t started taking/those crazy chances“). “When I sing ‘Leaving Louisiana (In the Broad Daylight)’ up there with the Oaks, I can think of 1979, man,” Joe Bonsall said, reflecting on the song decades later. “I see us pounding out there on tour with Kenny Rogers, with my hair about four times the size as it is now! It’s a fun thought and a fond memory.” —J.B.

Hey, even the God-fearing Oaks know their way around a cheating song. In this 1980 singalong written by the great Sonny Throckmorton, the band reminds every guy out there that it’s unwise to spread your love too thin. “Trying to love two women is like a ball and chain,” they sang. “Sometimes the pleasure ain’t worth the strain.” William Lee Golden took the lead on this one, with the other three Oaks coming in on that cautionary tale of a chorus. — J.H.

Sharon Vaughn, who in 1976 had a Waylon Jennings cut with the second song she ever wrote, “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” would actually have her first-ever hit single with the first song she ever wrote, the Oak Ridge Boys’ version of “Y’All Come Back Saloon.” A sweet and smoky honky-tonk ballad with just enough church-related references to appeal to the quartet’s gospel roots, the Oaks made the talk-show circuit with the tune just as story-songs like Kenny Rogers’ “Lucille” and “The Gambler” were crossing from country to pop. Although this one didn’t reach as high as the band’s later pop entries, it remained a fan favorite. — S.L.B.

The Oak Ride Boys’ The Boys Are Back included this surprising take on the White Stripes staple, which replaced Jack White’s heavy guitar riffs with layered vocal harmonies. The idea to cover the song came from producer Dave Cobb, who pitched the skeptical group before the band entered the studio. “We get in the studio and [Cobb’s] thinking we’re either crazy and going to kill him or he thinks we’re going to say, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’ And we said, ‘Let’s do it,’” Bonsall told The Tennessean. “Recently we’ve been putting it onstage, and we’re tearing places up with it. It’s just so doggone different.” —J.B.

In July 1973, two months after Joe Bonsall joined the Oak Ridge Boys, Paul Simon featured Black gospel group the Dixie Hummingbirds on his smash hit single “Loves Me Like a Rock.” Simon would revisit gospel music again in 1977, this time with assistance from the Oaks, who had been Simon’s labelmates at Columbia Records before they signed with MCA. Taped in front of an audience of 1,400 at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood on Oct. 30, 1986, as part of Cinemax’s Sessions series, this rousing live performance featured Simon on guitar and lead vocal, with the sturdy Oaks backing him up. The harmonies are ethereal. —S.L.B.

The Oaks’ fifth Number One country record spotlights Duane Allen’s lead vocal but relies on the other Boys to add just the right amount of pathos to the sad tale, which finds them “settin’ Fancy free.” But while Fancy might think it’s right to let her go, no one else sounds happy about it. Allen, Bonsall, Golden, and Sterban, however, were sitting on top of the music world, simultaneously watching this song scale the country charts as another woman, “Elvira,” set hearts — and the pop chart — on fire. — S.L.B.

While casual fans may know the Oak Ridge Boys for their country hits, the very roots of the Oaks are gospel songs. In 2018, producer Dave Cobb reconnected the quartet with their hymnbook  stylings on 17th Avenue Revival, a joyous record that celebrated both their heavenly harmonies and their unwavering faith. “Brand New Star,” propelled by vigorous handclaps, acknowledges those who left us for the next life — and it packs an extra emotional wallop in light of Joe Bonsall’s passing. —J.H.