It's been almost three weeks
since I stood on the turf of creaky old Cardinal Stadium, holding an umbrella
over my head and praying any downpours would stay away.
The Oak Ridge Boys were playing
at the Kentucky State Fair for the 39th year. They've become as much a fixture
in late August as funnel cakes, corn dogs and Freddy Farm Bureau.
Actually, they have been there a
lot longer than the current Freddy, who replaced the original several years
back, but if you are from Kentucky, you get my drift. When it's time for the
Kentucky State Fair, you know the Oaks are going to be in the concert lineup.
I don't know how much longer
that is going to be the case. Three of the four singers have passed their 70th
birthday. Even though their concerts have more energy than many groups whose
members are half their age, time really doesn't stand still.
The Oak Ridge Boys just make it
seem to.
Back on Aug. 17, the rain
poured for a while, but when the sun started peeking through about two hours
before the show, it looked like the weather would hold off.
But, as someone with cochlear implants, I made sure I would be close to cover,
just in case the clouds opened again, which they did. Instead of staying in some prime seats,
my daughter and I strolled to the side of seating layout, then stood and
watched another incredible evening with some of the giants of the music
business.
Hey, seats close to the front
are cool, but I wanted to be able to hear on Monday morning. Suffice it to say
that rain and electronic artificial ears do not match.
But back to why I will go far
and near to attend a concert by a group that has not had a Top 10 hit in over
20 years.
What I witnessed on Aug. 17,
just like I had back in August, 1973 and 25 times in between was a group of
ultimate professionals.
The first time I saw the Oaks,
only a handful of people had filed into a high school auditorium
in Lexington. I am not exaggerating when I say no more than 150 people were there.
But even with the small crowd,
The Oaks of 1973 gave an incredible show that day. I was all of 15 years old,
but what that show taught me has been branded in my thinking ever since: If a
job is worth doing, it is worth doing right, no matter who is there or how many
can see your work.
I don't remember a lot about
that concert, other than talking with Willie Wynn, the group's tenor at the
time, in the lobby and buying some 8-track tapes – remember them? –
from him. I can't say how long that afternoon concert lasted, but I would bet
our cows got a late supper that evening.
Forty-one years later, the cast
had changed considerably. Duane Allen and Richard Sterban are still around. The
clean-shaven Bill Golden, who had styled dark hair back in 1973, is now William
Lee Golden. His gray beard has been growing for over 30 years and is easily one
of the most recognizable faces in the music business even today.
The four-piece band of that day
has grown to six instruments and none of the musicians were with the Oaks that
first day I saw them.
But the group still has that
same professionalism. On Aug. 17, Joe Bonsall, who replaced Wynn a few months
after my first Oaks concert, thanked the crowd for braving the elements and
said, “We will sing as long as it's safe.”
And like every other Oaks show
I have attended, people of all ages were having a blast. Near me, an usher was
boogeyin' as Golden sang The Allman Brothers classic, “Ramblin' Man.” Just to
my right a group of 20-somethings were dancing to their hearts content during
“Roll, Tennessee River” and “Elvira.”
But there are plenty of great
acts out there. What makes the Oak Ridge Boys STILL play to packed houses
nearly everywhere they go?
I believe it is the messages of
their songs.
When my personal Concert No. 1
got underway, Duane Allen stepped to the mike singing, “Jesus is the universal
language and love is the key to brotherhood, peace and understanding and living
in harmony. … I believe in Jesus, I believe in love.”
It was a gospel version of Mac
Davis’ mega-hit, “I Believe in Music.”
I can remember that moment
simply because I had learned to play Davis’ song on my guitar about the same
time. Funny how certain things stick with you.
Forty-one years ago, the Oaks
were a progressive gospel quartet. With a full band behind them, I just thought
they were cool.
Today, these guys are still
cool, and while their music is classified “Country” now, the positive message
of family values and faith are still there.
“Reach out and touch a hand,
make a friend if you can.”
“Every day, I want to shake
somebody’s hand.
Every day, I want to make
somebody know that they can.”
And, every concert I have
attended, even after the crossover, has looked back at those gospel roots,
whether it be rousing “Heaven Bound” or classics like “Have a little talk with
Jesus” and the a cappella “Amazing Grace” encore.
In a world where bad news and
pessimism abounds, this positive outlook is like a breath of fresh air.
Yep, I am a fan, a huge fan, of
The Oaks.
And I am looking forward to
Concert No. 28 and beyond.
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