The Heindl Center hosts Oak Ridge Boys

Photo credit: The Oak Ridge Boys team

The Heindl Center for the Performing Arts at Northwest Mississippi Community College is hosting fancy free, Grammy Award-winning group, the Oak Ridge Boys on Sunday, Aug. 13 at 3 p.m.

“It’s an honor to host one of the most iconic country music groups in the history of music,” said Kerry Goff, director of the Heindl Center. “The Oak Ridge Boys have 50 years of history to share with us, making for a special afternoon at the Heindl Center.

The Oak Ridge Boys have a distinctive sound that has earned them dozens of awards including Grammy, Dove, CMA and ACM awards. The band has been around for 50 years and is just as fresh as they were when they stepped on stage for the first time in the 70s. They have gone gold 12 times and platinum three times with one double platinum album.

The upbeat foursome is made up of lead singer, Duane Allen of Taylortown, Texas; tenor, Joe Bonsall of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; baritone, William Lee Golden of Brewton, Alabama; and bass, Richard Sterban of Camden, New Jersey.

The Oak Ridge Boys represent a tradition that dates back to World War II. Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, home to the Tennessee Volunteers, the original group began performing as the Oak Ridge Quartet in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where the atomic bomb was developed. By the time of the late 60s, more than 30 members had come and gone from the Oak Ridge Quartet, finally leaving them with Allen, Golden, Noel Fox, and Willie Wynn.

In the 70s, they re-evaluated and realized the need for bass and tenor which is when Sterban and Bonsall came aboard strengthening the group into the legendary sound they’re known for now, spanning over multiple genres including gospel, country, and pop.

For more information about upcoming shows or to buy tickets, please visit www.heindlcenter.org.