Oak Ridge Boys bringing farewell tour to Tama

It’s easy to be skeptical when it comes to swan song tour announcements. The Eagles, Cher, Motley Crue and Kiss are just some of the recording artists who announced final tours but returned to the road for extended jaunts.

The Oak Ridge Boys are on their “American Made” farewell tour and the group seems sincere about saying goodbye to the rigorous grind of going from city to city.

Charming vocalist Joe Bonsall missed several Oak Ridge Boys tour dates in 2022 after being hospitalized. In January Bonsall released a statement announcing his retirement from touring with the Oak Ridge Boys due to ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Bonsall died in July from complications of the disease at age 76.

It’s hard to imagine the Oak Ridge Boys without the playful Bonsall, but the venerable country and gospel quartet, performing Saturday night at the Meskwaki Casino’s Veterans Convention Center in Tama, is on the road, belting out such fan favorites as “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue” and “American Made.”

The Oak Ridge Boys remain in fine form. The act still delivers wonderfully deep, rich harmonies. There’s no need for Pro Tools when a group possesses the baritone of William Lee Golden, Richard Sterban’s deep bass and tenor Ben James, who replaced Bonsall. The group, which also includes lead vocalist Duane Allen, delivered a terrific performance in July at the Ocean City, N.J., Music Pier.

It was a homecoming for Sterban, who grew up in New Jersey, but it was a bittersweet show since the gig was just weeks after the death of his best friend, Bonsall. The longtime pals were close before becoming part of the Oak Ridge Boys in 1972, since Bonsall grew up on the other side of the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

“I worked in a department store in Philadelphia and Joe would sometimes come in and buy a shirt from me,” Sterban said from Ocean City. “But it was much more than that. When Joe would come in, we would talk about music and singing. Who knew that we would both end up in the Oak Ridge Boys and record and perform together for so many years?”

The Grammy-winning act started out as a gospel group, but went country-pop during the mid-’70s and enjoyed a great degree of success. However, during the ’90s, the group left the secular world behind.

“We followed our gut,” Sterban said. “We never had any regrets.”

There has never been a need for regret for the Country Music Hall of Famers, who have enjoyed performing before a loyal audience for more than a half century.

“It’s been an incredible ride,” Sterban said.

The ride for Sterban pre-dates the Oak Ridge Boys. Before joining the group, Sterban was part of The Stamps, cutting backing vocals for Elvis Presley.

“It was such an honor and a privilege to sing with Elvis Presley,” Sterban said. “Elvis was the biggest star in the world, and I'll never forget those times.”

Sterban chronicled his time with the King — and beyond — in the entertaining memoir, “From Elvis to Elvira.” Sterban’s life is unusual, from the gritty streets of Camden, N.J., to Nashville.

“So much started for me with Elvis,” he said.

However, Sterban made it in his own right, and has been so successful that he co-owned the Nashville Sound, the Milwaukee Brewers AAA affiliate from 1978 through 2008. Sterban always has baseball on the brain, but he has balanced that with music on his mind.

“Music is obviously a big deal to me,” he said. “It’s my life, along with baseball.”

The game of baseball rolls on after its Hall of Famers retire, and the same goes for music, but it won’t be the same once the Oak Ridge Boys are done with touring.

“We’ve had such a great run,” Sterban said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of the support the fans have given us. It’s just been an amazing experience.”