The Oak Ridge Boys "Tennessee Music Pathways" Marker Reveal

TENNESSEE TOURISM AND THE CITY OF OAK RIDGE TO HONOR THE OAK RIDGE BOYS WITH  
“TENNESSEE MUSIC PATHWAYS” MARKER NOVEMBER 20

The Oak Ridge Boys have sold over 41 million units worldwide and are synonymous with “America, apple pie, baseball, and country music.” In addition to their awards and accolades in the country music field, the Oaks have garnered five GRAMMY® Awards, nine GMA DOVE Awards, and two American Music Awards. The group, Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban, members of the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame (2015 Inductees) and the Grand Ole Opry (since 2011)—is known worldwide as one of recording history’s most extraordinary musical successes. They have charted single after single and album after album—gold, platinum, and double-platinum, and more than 30 Top 10 hits, including No. 1 chart-toppers “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue,” “American Made,” and “Y’All Come Back Saloon,” among dozens more.

When they first performed in 1943 at Oak Ridge's Grove Theater during the Manhattan Project, they were a country, comedy and gospel music group called Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers. They were allowed to enter the "Secret City" on Saturdays to perform in the morning for children and then in the evening for adults.  To enter the top-secret city, you had to be badged and very few people came in that were not workers. The group was invited to perform at the Ryman and in 1947 moved to Nashville. In 1948, the group started the "All Night Singings" at the Ryman, and they decided to update their name to the Oak Ridge Quartet. Later the name was changed to the Oak Ridge Boys when they developed a broader sound.

Photo and interview opportunities include:

·         William Lee Golden, member of The Oak Ridge Boys

·         Richard Sterban, member of The Oak Ridge Boys

·         Mark Ezell, Commissioner, Tennessee Dept. of Tourist Development

·         Warren Gooch, Mayor of Oak Ridge

·         John D. Ragan, State Representative

WHEN:

Monday, November 20 at 3PM ET

WHERE:

Historic Grove Theater

123 Randolph Road

Oak Ridge, TN