A New Oak Ridge Boys Album in 2017? ‘It Just Might Happen’
The Oak Ridge Boys -- Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, Joe Bonsall and Richard Sterban -- have accomplished plenty in their more than 40 years together: They've released dozens of albums and toured all over the world; they've racked up more than 20 major awards, including five Grammys; they've become members of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame ... and they're still going.
"I think what’s on our 'bucket list' is making it all work every year," Allen recently told The Boot and other reporters. "We love what we do; we loved what we were doing before we ever got a record deal. The awards are just icing on the cake for us ...
"And when you come right down to it, after you’ve had a bunch of hits like we’ve had, but it’s been a while since we’ve had them, when you look at touring, the excitement starts from us," Allen adds. "And if we’re excited about something, our fans pick up on it."
Count a new album among the list of things that the Oaks still have left to achieve; they hint that one is in the works.
"We have some plans in motion to record some new music [in 2017], with a top producer; we’re really hoping that that comes together and happens, and it looks like it just might happen," Bonsall shares. "And a brand-new country album from the Oak Ridge Boys would be really cool; it would be the thing that would get us going in 2017. Even if nothing is a hit, it will get us attention, and, for us, we’ll have new music to sing, and new music always creates new excitement. It would be great for our shows ..."
The Oak Ridge Boys last released a new studio project, Rock of Ages, Hymns and Gospel Favorites, in 2015. A list of all of the quartet's upcoming tour dates is available on their website.