Just how low can Richard Sterban of the Oak Ridge Boys sing? Low. Really, really low.
And yet, as the famous bass for the celebrated Grammy-winning country music act opens about his life, his love of the craft, and the strong bond he shares with his creative comrades — Jon Bonsall, Duane Allen, William Lee Golden — he exudes a rare kind of lightheartedness.
Manly by way of being boyish, if you will.
Sure, music fans across the globe may immediately link The Oak Ridge Boys with their astonishing chart-toppers “Elvira” or “Bobbie Sue,” but with “Dream On,” “Thank God For Kids,” “American Made,” to note but a few other hits, the guys proved they were worthy of becoming music legends — a far cry from their early beginnings as a Southern gospel group in the 1950s but here we are, more than 60 years later.
The group performs Feb. 18 at Spa Casino Resort in Palm Springs, something Sterban is jazzed about. He tells Palm Springs Life about his own evolution and the key to the group’s longevity.
PSL: What makes you all of you click, creatively?
Richard Sterban: We have developed very special relationships between the four of us. We are the best of friends, and each guy in the group is different and brings something different to the table. We all respect that. You know, we realized a long time ago that we need each other, so we really pull together. We are a true brotherhood.
PSL: Have to ask, why do we all love the song Elvira so much?
RS: Well, it’s a very contagious song and pretty special; a great song you can sing and dance along to. Even after all these years, people really get into it. When we recorded it in 1981, we could tell that we had a very special song on our hands, however it wasn’t until we performed it for our very first time in Spokane, Wash., and the crowd just went crazy—we had to do it again for an encore and it was unbelievable—that we knew we had to do something with it.
Richard Sterban says he adds the foundation to the Oak Ridge Boys’ sound.
The Oak Ridge Boys were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
PSL: In your opinion, what were one or two defining moments you or the group had during the last few decades?
RS: The best thing that every happened to us, I think, was back in October of 2015. We were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It’s difficult to find words to describe how special that was. We’re in there with people like Elvis, Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Dolly Parton. To be part of that group … it really can’t get any better than that.
PSL: What about you? What do think you bring to the group that has been rare or unique?
Well, you can tell by my speaking voice …
PSL: Right. Not deep at all.
RS: [Laughs] I do have an unusual voice. You know, the Oak Ridge Boys sing four-part harmony. That’s what we’re known for. I add that foundation to that—that bass part.
PSL: You talk about some of that in your book, From Elvis to Elvira: My Life On Stage.
First of all, let me tell you this: I am not a writer. I do not pretend to be a writer. But there were stories … You know, people kept asking me questions, because for about two years, prior to joining the Oak Ridge Boys, I sang with a group called J.D. Sumner and The Stamps Quartet, and for about a year and half of that time, I sung for the King of Rock ’n’ Roll — Elvis.
“We love what we do. And that we still love what we do. We’re still having fun.”
So I got together with a good friend of mind, Steve Robinson, who is probably the best Elvis historian I know, and it took us about a year. I talked into his little recorder every chance I could get.
PSL: The stories are woven together well.
RS: Well, I also share stories about growing up and being a boy soprano — if you can believe that — and stories about the Oak Ridge Boys, too. But I also talk about the major decision I made in my life when I got a call from William Lee Golden of the Oak Ridge Boys. Their bass singer was leaving — was I interested in the job? I took it. I was a fan and I wanted to be part of the group. I left Elvis and joined them, and you know, a lot of people questioned that decision. But I really did believe I did the right thing.
PSL: So, what do you think has been the secret to the longevity?
RS: We love what we do. And that we still love what we do. We’re still having fun. We look forward to getting up on stage, live, and taking music to our fans. That creative process—creating new music, I really do think that is the best, and biggest part of it.
The Oak Ridge Boys, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18, Spa Casino Resort, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; sparesortcasino.com/oak-ridge-boys, or oakridgeboys.com.