Oak Ridge Boy Joe Bonsall Officially Retires From Touring

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Joe Bonsall. Photo: Brandon Wood / Indie Bling Studio

Joe Bonsall, tenor singer for The Oak Ridge Boys for the past 50 years, has officially announced he is retiring from touring.

Bonsall shared this message with Oak Ridge Boys fans: “Many of you know I have been battling a slow onset (over four years now) of a neuromuscular disorder. I am now at a point where walking is impossible, so I have basically retired from the road. It has just gotten too difficult. It has been a great 50 years, and I am thankful to all The Oak Ridge Boys, band, crew, and staff for the constant love and support shown to me through it all. I will never forget, and for those of you who have been constantly holding me up in prayer, I thank you and ask for you to keep on praying. There is a young man named Ben James singing for me out there, and he needs your love and encouragement … his sound is different than mine, but he brings a ton of talent to the table! The Oak Ridge Boys will finish the ‘Farewell Tour’ without me, but rest assured, I am good with all of it! God’s Got It!!!”

During a Dec. 30 concert in Greenville, Mississippi, fellow Oaks Duane Allen, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban introduced James to an enthusiastic audience at Harlow’s Casino Resort.

The Oak Ridge Boys are planning a full touring calendar for their “American Made: Farewell Tour” beginning Jan. 20. They anticipate returning to the studio with Dave Cobb in late January, their fifth pairing with the super-producer.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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