The Oak Ridge Boys Honored With Tennessee Music Pathways Marker

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Pictured: William Lee Golden, Simone Golden, Richard Sterban and Donna Sterban with the families of Lon “Deacon” Freeman and Wally Fowler at the Tennessee Music Pathways Oak Ridge Boys marker in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Photo: Jeremy Westby/2911 Media

The Oak Ridge Boys were honored with their own Tennessee Music Pathways marker from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in Oak Ridge, Tennessee yesterday (Nov. 20).

William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban were in attendance to represent the Oaks at the unveiling along with Tennessee Representative John Reagan, Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, and family members of former Oak Ridge Boys’ Wally Fowler and Lon “Deacon” Freeman, both original members of the Oak Ridge Quartet. Gooch also presented the group with a key to the city and a proclamation honoring their contributions.

“It was a very special day,” shares Golden. “Being part of this remarkable group is something I never take for granted. Our journey has been uniquely blessed and one that very few have had the opportunity to achieve. I am thankful to Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall and Richard Sterban for their contributions to the Oak Ridge Boys, along with our band and co-workers. A special thank you to Gus Arrendale and Springer Mountain Farms for helping make this day possible!”

“I can’t think of anywhere I would rather have been than at the Grove Theater in Oak Ridge with the kind folks at the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development who worked so hard to design this marker,” expresses Sterban. “The Oak Ridge Boys as a group goes back 80 years to the original members, Wally Fowler, Lon “Deacon” Freeman, Curly Kinsey and Johnny New, and we have never forgotten them or their contributions. It has been a privilege to build on that.”

The Oak Ridge Boys’ Allen (1966), Bonsall (1973), Golden (1965) and Sterban (1972) celebrated their 50th anniversary this year and recently announced their “American Made: Farewell Tour.”

Lorie Hollabaugh
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