The Oak Ridge Boys: Our Story

by Ellis Widner, Walter Carter

A look at the singing group follows their forty-year career and the many personnel changes and reveals the problems of spending much of the year on the road and the temptation of drugs

258 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Oak Ridge Boys: Our Story traces the history of The Oak Ridge Boys (originally a gospel quartet, later country crossover band) from their early roots through their rise to fame. The book does a good job of capturing the group’s gospel beginnings, their transition into more commercial country music, and the cultural context in which they operated. For fans of American roots, gospel, or country music, the narrative provides insights into how the group navigated the shift from religious centered bookings (stressing the difficulties working with other Christian quartets) to mainstream audiences.
The text includes anecdotes, personal recollections, and black-and-white photos, and a skimming of the controversies of the group and how they were handled. Written just before the exit of baritone, William Lee Golden, the authors—Ellis Widner and Walter Carter—can be excused for papering over the ‘current’ issues the band was having.
Because there are so many years and people to include (an amazing story is the personal interest Johnny Cash took in the members of the band), the coverage does jump around and the thread of the story can get lost. What one does come away with are the unaccepting attitude of many music traditionalists and the fact that the Oak Ridge Boys do not receive the credit they deserve for how innovative they were in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This is certainly a grassroots perspective and the basis as an oral history reveals much about the performance culture and the personal experiences of those involved.
Widner and Carter give an enjoyable read, if not the final word on The Oak Ridge Boys.