BREAKING: The Oak Ridge Boys’ Richard Sterban Passes At 83

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Richard Sterban. Photo: Annie Leibovitz (1984)

Country Music Hall of Fame member Richard Sterban of The Oak Ridge Boys has passed away due to complications from bronchitis and pneumonia after fighting a long battle with cancer. He was 83.

Sterban was born April 24, 1943, in Camden, New Jersey and began singing at age six as a soprano in Sunday school. After graduating from Collingswood High School, he studied music at Trenton State College, now The College of New Jersey. In the Philadelphia area, he helped found the Keystones, a gospel quartet in which a young Joe Bonsall would also sing.

His path then led to J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, where Elvis Presley hired Sterban to sing backup vocals. Sterban toured with Presley for a year and a half, appearing in the 1972 concert film Elvis on Tour.

Sterban joined The Oak Ridge Boys in late 1972. The band was first featured by Johnny Cash in his touring show, leading to a record deal with Columbia Records in 1973. After two albums, the band signed with Jim Halsey and became the first country group to perform in the Soviet Union. After joining ABC/Dot Records, the band’s 1977 single “Y’all Come Back Saloon” reached No. 3 on the country chart. “I’ll Be True to You” became the group’s first No. 1, followed by “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” “Trying to Love Two Women” and “(I’m Settin’) Fancy Free.” In 1978, the Country Music Association named the Oaks Vocal Group of the Year, and the Academy of Country Music named them Top Vocal Group.

In 1981 came “Elvira.” The track reached No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on the pop chart, sold more than two million copies, was named Single of the Year by both the CMA and the ACM, and won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

In 1982, “Bobbie Sue” became another No. 1 country hit for the band and reached No. 12 on the pop chart, and “American Made” (1983) became both a No. 1 single and a familiar advertising jingle. Sterban stepped to the front himself on “Dream On,” a 1979 remake of a Righteous Brothers song that reached No. 7 on the Billboard country chart and No. 1 in Canada. It was the only Oak Ridge Boys single to feature him on lead vocal.

The group went on to have 34 singles reach the top 10 at country radio including 17 No. 1 tracks. The Oak Ridge Boys earned Grammy, CMA and ACM awards, and became members of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

With producer Dave Cobb, the band released The Boys Are Back (2009), 17th Avenue Revival (2018), Front Porch Singin’ (2021) and Mama’s Boys (2024).

Outside of music, Sterban was among the investors in the Nashville Sounds when the minor league club began play in 1978 and remained a part owner for 30 years. He was a fitness buff and avid cyclist, and his interest in weather led him to record public service announcements for NOAA Weather Radio, the voice of the National Weather Service. He also served as the voice of the Classic Country channel on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Sterban is survived by his wife, Donna; his daughters, Lauren (Tyler) and Tori (Michael); his sons, Rich (Chele), Doug, and Chris; his grandchildren, Mali (Zachary), Nikolas, Tyler (Ryann), Madelyn, Alexandra, Rex, Owen, and Charli Grace; and his great-grandchildren, Salem, Asher,and Theo. He was preceded in death by his mother Victoria Sterban, brother Joseph Sterban, and grandson Zachary.

Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

Lauryn Sink
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