NASHVILLE, Tenn. – GRAMMY Award-winning and Country Music Hall of Fame members The Oak Ridge Boys have released a music video for “Elvira” for the first time ever! In 1981, “Elvira” became a crossover pop smash with Joe Bonsall’s tenor lead and bass singer Richard Sterban’s unforgettable ‘oom papa mau mau’ refrain. The song brought the Oaks one of their five Grammy Awards, went double Platinum, and won the Single of the Year award from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, along with many other awards. To turn this video into the experience of the century, they invited several of their closest friends to appear in “Elvira,” including Andrea Pearson, Ben James, Big & Rich, Chase Matthew, Danni Stefanetti, Deborah Allen, Denzel & Angelina Irwin (aka Santa and Mrs. Claus from Santa’s Pub in Nashville), Hillary Williams, Kid Rock, Lorrie Morgan, Ray Stevens, Stephon Riley, T. Graham Brown, Tenille Arts, The Gatlin Brothers, Tico Herandez, Trace Adkins, and Zach Williams. The Oak Ridge Boys’ “Elvira” video was directed and produced by Brandon Wood / IndieBling and was premiered by Billboard.
“We’re particularly excited because so many of our friends could join us on what, believe it or not, is the first and only music video we’ve ever done for ‘Elvira,’” said Sterban. “And more than 40 years after it was released.”
“Brandon Wood, our music video director, was about four years old when the song came out, and like a lot of kids, as well as adults, at that time, he fell in love with the song. After we met him and started working with him in 2017, one of the first things Brandon told us was that he had always dreamed of putting together a music video for “Elvira.” The idea of doing that—and the concept he envisioned—came together in late 2023 when our record label got excited about it,” William Lee Golden added. “We also appreciate Logan Rogers the President of Lightning Rod Records for his enthusiasm for this project and everything we do with him.”
The Oak Ridge Boys continue to tour the country on their American Made Farewell Tour, which is still being booked. The Boys were also excited to launch their new website recently with a new look, store, videos, and more!
The Oak Ridge Boys have received four Academy of Country Music, two American Music, five Billboard, four Country Music Association, five Grammy, and twelve Gospel Music Association Dove awards, to name a few. They are members of the Grand Ole Opry, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. They have achieved seventeen #1 hits, including “Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight,” “Bobbie Sue,” “Trying To Love Two Women,” “(I’m Settin’) Fancy Free,” “American Made,” and the unforgettable “Elvira.” With an astounding thirty-seven Top 20 country hits, with twelve gold, three platinum, and one double-platinum album, The Oak Ridge Boys have long made their mark in every facet of the gospel, pop, and country music industry.
William Lee Golden (1965) and Duane Allen (1966) joined the group in the late sixties, followed by Richard Sterban in 1972 and Joe Bonsall in 1973. Ben James joined in January 2024 following Bonsall’s retirement.
Joe Bonsall retired from the road in January 2024 and spent the next few months finishing his personal memoir, I See Myself: Musings and Memories of a Blessed Life, which will be released in mid-November.
“Elvira” Awards ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS
Single of the Year (Elvira), 1981
BROADCAST MUSIC INCORPORATED (BMI)
Most Performed Song of the Year (Elvira), 1981
CASHBOX
Country Crossover Group Pop/Singles, 1981
COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION AWARDS
Single of the Year (Elvira), 1981
GRAMMY AWARDS
Best Vocal Performance by a Country Group or Duo (Elvira), 1982
JUKE BOX OPERATORS OF AMERICA
Song of the Year (Elvira), 1981
MUSIC CITY NEWS FAN AWARDS
Best Single of the Year (Elvira), 1982
RADIO & RECORDS COUNTRY MUSIC POLL
Single of the Year (Elvira), 1981
RECORD WORLD
Top Country Crossover Group, 1981
OAK RIDGE BOYS UPCOMING TOUR DATES
AUG 15 – Harvester Performance Center / Rocky Mount, Va. AUG 16 – Harvester Performance Center / Rocky Mount, Va. AUG 17 – Shenandoah Valley Music Festival / Orkney Springs, Va. AUG 18 – Kentucky State Fair – Texas Roadhouse Main Stage / Louisville, Ky. AUG 20 – Grand Ole Opry / Nashville, Tenn. AUG 23 – Georgia Mountain Fair / Hiawassee, Ga. AUG 29 – Midwest Old Threshers – Old Threshers Fairgrounds / Mount Pleasant, Iowa SEP 05 – Grand Ole Opry / Nashville, Tenn. SEP 06 – The Palace Theatre / Greensburg, Pa. SEP 07 – Weinberg Center For The Arts / Frederick, Md. SEP 08 – Wayne County Fair / Wooster, Ohio SEP 12 – Prairie Band Casino & Resort – Great Lakes Ballroom / Mayetta, Kan. SEP 13 – Grand Casino & Hotel Events Center / Shawnee, Okla. SEP 14 – Waco Hippodrome Theatre / Waco, Texas SEP 15 – Kansas State Fair / Hutchinson, Kan. SEP 20 – Country Tonite Theater / Pigeon Forge, Tenn. SEP 21 – Grand Ole Opry / Nashville, Tenn. OCT 01 – Beth White Fundraiser – Cowboy Dance Hall / Saratoga, Wyo. OCT 05 – Mississippi Coliseum / Jackson, Miss. OCT 06 – Pensacola Saenger Theatre / Pensacola, Fla. OCT 18 – Turfway Park / Florence, Ky. OCT 19 – Walker’s Bluff Casino / Carterville, Ill. OCT 25 – Greenville Municipal Auditorium / Greenville, Texas OCT 26 – Arlington Music Hall / Arlington, Texas NOV 13 – Medina Entertainment Center / Medina, Minn. NOV 14 – Prairies Edge Casino Resort / Granite Falls, Minn. NOV 16 – Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel / Tama, Iowa NOV 21 – Performing Arts Center – Kent State Tuscarawas / New Philadelphia, Ohio NOV 22 – Macomb Center for the Performing Arts / Clinton Township, Mich. NOV 23 – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort / Mount Pleasant, Mich.
For more information on The Oak Ridge Boys, visit their website or follow them on social media.
The Oak Ridge Boys have sold over 41 million units worldwide and are synonymous with “America, apple pie, baseball, and country music.” In addition to their awards and accolades in the country music field, the Oaks have garnered five GRAMMY Awards, nine GMA DOVE Awards, and two American Music Awards. The group—Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban—was inducted into the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame (2015 Inductees) and the Grand Ole Opry (since 2011)—and is known worldwide as one of recording history’s most extraordinary musical successes. They have charted single after single and album after album, celebrating two double-platinum albums and more than 30 Top 10 hits, including No. 1 chart-toppers “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue,” “Thank God For Kids,” “American Made,” and “Y’All Come Back Saloon,” among dozens more. Ben James replaced Joe Bonsall, who announced his retirement in January 2024. For more information on The Oak Ridge Boys and their ‘American Made: Farewell Tour,’ please visit oakridgeboys.com.
