"We did and It's called The Front Porch Singin' Tour which is named after our latest album which is called "Front Porch Singin'" and it's interesting to note that it's not singing with a "G" on the end; It's "Singin'," explained legendary vocalist and member of The Oak Ridge Boys, Richard Sterban as he talked about their recent album and upcoming tour which makes a stop in Bensalem, PA on June 11 at Parx Casino.
As legendary as they come, The Oak Ridge Boys have entertained us with their brand of vocal harmonies and stylings for approximately five decades; bringing us hits such as "American Made," "Thank God For Kids," "Bobbie Sue" and of course, "Elvira." Along the way they have won Grammy, ACM and CMA awards and managed to get themselves inducted into The Country Music Hall of Fame.
However, like so many other iconic artists, even though their catalog may have timeless classics, they don't rest on their laurels and The Oak Ridge Boys are certainly no different. Sterban says that this time around they undertook a project at the urging of their producer and although it's a bit "Different" it is pure Oak Ridge Boys nonetheless.
"Well, you know, we are produced right now by a guy named Dave Cobb and I don't know if that name rings a bell but he's one of the hottest guys in Nashville and we actually recorded this project during the pandemic," he began. "All of the studios were closed and we had to kind of wait, you know until finally things started to open up a little bit. Dave Cobb got in touch with us and he said he was very eager to record and he said, "What I wanna do on this project is to create the feeling of just four guys just kind of gathering on the front porch and just singing in a very informal and very unstructured way" and Dave Cobb is a master at capturing things like that. I think he was able to do just that and we found some great material, some old gospel songs, some old country songs that are familiar and that people can sing along to but yet at the same time; Dave Cobb has a relationship with some of the new young songwriters here in Nashville and they wrote some brand-new country songs for the project as well. So, it's a nice mixture, It's a nice balance of old and new but I think the most important thing is that most of the material is very inspirational in nature and is very healing in nature. They are songs that give people hope and that's what we're trying to do on this project and I think we were able to do so and we are really happy with the way it turned out and like I said it's called "Front Porch Singin’."
"This primarily is featuring our four voices," he continued, "There's not that much instrumentation on the project, we mainly concentrated on just the four of us and so the four voices are heard much out in front. A great example of how we recorded; there's a spiritual on this album called "Swing Down Chariot" and I remember one morning we walked up into the studio; we were just barely settled down and Dave Cobb said, "Fellas, if you guys were on the bus and you were getting ready for a show and you wanted to kind of warm up on the harmonies; what song would you sing?" He said, "It doesn't have to be one of your hits or something that you've recorded; just something to warm up with on the bus" and immediately, Duane, our singer started singing that old spiritual "Why Don't You Swing Down Sweet Chariot Stop and Let Me Ride." We all knew the song but we had never recorded it before. So, we jumped in and started harmonizing and Dave Cobb said, "That's it! That's it! Get to the microphones" and we just walked through the door of the studio; we were not planning and we had no idea that we were going to record that song and right there on the spur of the moment, we sang that song and in less than an hour it was a done deal. So, that's that's an example of how informally we've recorded part of this project."
This album is a collection of cover material they have fancied over their career along with some of the earlier mentioned new material from some of Nashville's brightest young writers but the question is; how did they choose the material that would eventually comprise the final album?
"Well, you know, we've been listening to songs, Wayne listened to songs along with Dave Cobb and we had some songs picked out and Dave Cobb has a stable of writers; they don't just write for him but he does this work at RCA Studio A, which is probably the most historic recording studio in Nashville and I think in the most upper level of that building they have what they call a writers room and these guys are up there writing music. They were actually writing songs for us while we were recording. Yeah, you don't see that very often and the other thing we told them was, write us some really cool music but make sure it's music that is meaningful 'cause specially during the pandemic; we wanted to do something that meant something to people and I think these young kids came up with some great new material. So, along with the old songs, we just kind of put our heads together as far as all the familiar songs and we kind of liked it."
Sterban mentioned that this new offering was done during the pandemic and when asked for a bit more detail, he readily replied.
"We spent several months being sequestered at home which is unusual for us 'cause we've been singing together forever. We hardly ever go too many days without seeing each other even when we're not working but in this case, there were several months where we had not seen each other and we just had to get together and when Dave Cobb called and said, "I think we can start recording now," we jumped at the opportunity; we really did. Well, now we're going on tour and let me add this; while it is called The Front Porch Singing Tour, and yes, we're gonna do some of this music from the album but we're also gonna do a lot of the hits. You can expect that, you can count on the fact that you're gonna hear me do "Giddy-up a oom papa oom papa mow mow;" that is definitely going to happen. You're going to hear "Elvira" and you know our first hit "Y'All Come Back Saloon" which is probably our most requested song. "Thank God for Kids" and just a lot of the hits along with some of this new music. Just so you know, we plan a great time and great night and a good concert; it's really gonna be family entertainment and even though it's going to be in a casino, it's still gonna be family entertainment; it really is."
When you're The Oak Ridge Boys and you have the accolades and accomplishments, one might think there is pressure to continue producing hits and remaining on the charts but when asked if they feel that type of pressure or have they settled into an "It is what it is" mode; Sterban chuckled a bit.
"I think the latter," he said with a slight laugh, "There's more truth to the latter, it is what it is; you know? Well, it's been a while as you know, since we've been on country radio and today's country radio appeals to younger kids; they don't play us any longer. So, it's been a while since we've had to worry about recording songs that are suitable for country radio. What we do now is basically just look for good material and songs to record that we like and we record them to the best of our ability. Dave Cobb doesn't care about what is happening on country radio, he just wants to make good music and that's what we've tried to do; I don't think we feel any pressure, especially with this last project. We were anxious to go because we had been on hold for so long so there wasn't really any pressure at all; it was almost like a relief to be able to get out and first of all, see each other and then work together."
The music industry, as we all know, is a trendy place and for years artists were told they had to go to Los Angeles or New York City in order to, "Make it" but more recently it seems that Nashville is the new Mecca for those seeking fame and fortune. During the pandemic, entertainers decided to exploit the internet; Facebook Live, YouTube shows and homemade recorded performances flooded the online world, so much so that it became like white noise to many trying to discover new artists or those in search of entertainment. With the influx of talent pouring into Music City these days; has Nashville itself become "White Noise?"
"No, no," he stated somewhat emphatically, "We all live in a place called Hendersonville, TN, which is basically a suburb of Nashville. Actually, it's really become part of Nashville because Nashville has grown so much that it's swallowing up all the suburbs; you know? So, even though we live in Hendersonville we really feel like we're part of Nashville 'cause Nashville's become so big, it really has. I don't think it's as big as Philadelphia yet but it's kind of heading in that direction. Well, even years ago when we first came on the scene, it was very competitive, there's no doubt about it and for everyone that was trying to make it only a handful actually made it and now I think it's even much more so the case; it is still possible to make it 'cause you see new artists coming on the scene every day. People do breakthrough and they make it but I think it's more difficult now because it is very, very competitive; maybe more so than previous and everybody wants to move to Nashville right now. Nashville; it's kind of become a destination now so to speak and it really has a lot to offer the right characters. Believe it or not, it has some of the best restaurants in the country; we've also got the Country Music Hall of Fame and The Grand Ole Opry and all of those sorts of things but there's really so much more to offer here."
Life is full of decisions and some are very gut-wrenching, others just scary because fear of the unknown has stopped even the greatest in their tracks but there are other times when the phase, "Go with your gut" pays off and for Sterban, nothing could be truer. You see, he was part of Elvis Presley's entourage, on tour with "The King" when the call came to join The Oak Ridge Boys and well; let's just say it's a good thing he trusted his instincts.
"You are absolutely correct about that, I toured with Elvis, the king of rock 'n' roll for about two years. I joined The Oak Ridge Boys in 1972; which is first of all mind-boggling that it was 50 years ago; in October it will be 50 years for me but for about two years prior to joining them I sang in a group called JD Sumner & The Stamps Quartet and for about a year and a half of that period of time I was fortunate enough to sing with The King, the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis and you know, back then Elvis was the biggest star in the world and there was no doubt about it. An Elvis tour was the biggest tour in the music business and it was really very exciting to be a part of it. I have some really great memories of the time that I spent with Elvis. I got to know him just a little bit and it really was a special time, there's no doubt about it. So yeah, I did sing with the King of Rock and roll and it's kind of interesting, while I was singing with Elvis, apparently on top of the world and this was in 1972 when I got a phone call from William Lee Golden; he's the guy in our group with the long beard; he's probably the most recognizable character in our group but back then he did not have that long beard, he was M.r GQ but anyway, he called me and said the bass singer in the group was leaving and The Oak Ridge Boys wanted to know if I would be interested in taking the job. So, there I was, apparently on top of the world, singing with Elvis but I had to make a decision; what do I do? I have to admit, at the same time, I was a big fan of The Oak Ridge Boys, I loved the music that they were making and I felt like the group had a great deal of potential and I wanted to be a part of it. So, in 1972 I made a decision to leave Elvis and to join The Oak Ridge Boys and a lot of people questioned and asked; how could you do that? You know, they were like, wow! I did it 'cause I really believed I was doing the right thing, I kind of followed my heart and you know, now, 50 years later when I look back and really look at it and what has happened to us over the last 50 years, not just me personally but all four of us; we've been very blessed. We've been very fortunate; we've had a great career; so I think back then in 1972 I made a pretty good decision."
To purchase tickets for their upcoming June 11 show at Parx Casino or "Front Porch Singin'," please visit https://www.oakridgeboys.com/.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
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