Richard Sterban – Iconic Bass Voice of the Oak Ridge Boys – Has Died
Richard Sterban wasn’t just a singer. He was the secret weapon of the Oak Ridge Boys. It allowed them to go places other vocal groups in country and Gospel just couldn’t without a bass singer. He sang all those memorable Oak Ridge Boys bass parts on songs like “American Made” and “Elvira.” That’s why the music world lets out a collective “om papa om papa om papa maw maw” at word that Richard Sterban has moved on to that great all-star Gospel choir in the sky.
When Richard Sterban joined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1972—matching up with Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, and the following year with Joe Bonsall (who passed away in 2024)—the most recognized and successful lineup of The Oak Ridge Boys was officially formed. Though the legacy of the Oak Ridge Boys includes scores of members tracing all the way back to the 1940s, this would be the lineup enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015. This is the lineup that will always be remembered in the hearts of music fans.
Though Richard Sterban wasn’t the leader of the band (nobody really was, though Duane Allen has sometimes been credited as such), Richard Sterban and his voice is the reason The Oak Ridge Boys went from a beloved Gospel quartet to an iconic country band recognized the world over. Nobody could sing as low and clear as Sterban, though we all tried when those legendary parts of “Elvira,” or their cover of The Righteous Brothers’ “Dream On” came on the radio.
Originally from Camden, New Jersey, Richard Sterban was born on April 24th, 1943. He began singing at the age 6 as a soprano in Sunday school. As he grew older and his voice changed, he stared singing tenor. By the time he was in in eighth grade though, his voice had dropped to the well-known bass sound.
Sterban officially started out in the music business performing with a Gospel quartet called The Keystones that he co-founded. He would go on to perform with J.D. Sumner, and later The Stamps behind Elvis Presley, including performing with Elvis on tour, and appearing in the Elvis On Tour film.
With a voice like Richard Sterban’s, it was in high demand beyond music as well. He also did public service announcements for NOAA Weather Radio. He was also the voice of the classic country station on Sirius/XM, The Roadhouse, now known as Willie’s Roadhouse, among many other appearances. Sterban was also a minor owner of the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team from 1978 to 2008.
Over the last few years, Richard Sterban had been regularly absent from live performance amid the band’s farewell tour, with bass singers Aaron McCune of Dailey & Vincent, and Tim Duncan filling in. Sterban took some extended time off in 2022 as well for undisclosed reasons. Then he announced a Cancer diagnosis in 2025 that took him away from the band more permanently, though he did appear with them on the Grand Ole Opry on January 30 and 31, 2026, and said then he was feeling better and hoped to make a return.
Ben James officially joined the group to fill in as tenor after the passing of Joe Bonsall. The oldest tenured member of The Oak Ridge Boys remains William Lee Golden, who first joined the group in 1965. Golden appears to be willing to continue the Oak Ridge Boys legacy for now, despite the group initially announcing a farewell tour in 2023.
Richard 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.
“We appreciate all of your love, support, and prayers. Please continue to lift us up in this difficult time, we find comfort knowing that he is currently face to face with Jesus,” the Sterban family said in a statement.
Sterban is also survived by millions of music fans, who still have his bass voice echoing through the chambers of their hearts. It’s a sound, and a voice, that won’t fade from memory easily, or anytime soon.
He was 83 years old.
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November 14, 2026 @ 7:41 pm
Duane said Arron Mccunne was the new bass singer and William lee talked Duane out of the farewell tour, in 2027 the oaks are going to announce the next generation tour, they already have merchandise for it. Duane said he wants the oaks to continue long after William lee and he are gone. Their new album sounds so strange without Joe and Richard, but, it is a great album. I miss Joe and I’ll miss richard, but the oaks will go on as long as the current and future members want it the go on. This is not the end of the oaks, it’s only the beginning. RIP RICHARD, you will be missed.
November 14, 2026 @ 8:16 pm
RIP Richard Sterban
November 14, 2026 @ 8:17 pm
I got to know Richard, along with the rest of the group, in the early 80s when their careers exploded. Besides being the owner of one of the most memorable voices in country music, he was a true gentleman and always took time for his fans.
This year has been devastating for country music and the people who love it. The Oaks will be remembered as one of the genre’s most iconic acts.
November 14, 2026 @ 8:18 pm
Sad.
it’s interesting that when the Oak Ridge Boys moved toward mainstream, secular country in the 1970s and made changes in the line-up, they brought in two northerners–Sterban and then Bonsall. I wonder if Duane got any pushback or complaints from fans of the original group for bringing in “Yankees.” [Well, Joe might have smacked me for saying that, because he was famously a huge Phillies fan and sometimes appeared with the announcers and visited with the players..] Now, both of the northern boys are gone, and they’re back to being an all-Southern Quartet with Ben James and Aaron McCune.
Interesting tidbit. Joe, who was the most athletic of the Oak Ridge boys (and seemed to fancy himself as the white Michael Jackson with his dance moves at their concerts on “I Wanna See You Dance,” was the youngest of the group, but lost the ability to walk, at the end and passed first. Wiliam Lee was a year older than the other two. Duane Allen and Richard Sturbin were almost exactly the same. Richard was born April 24, 1943 in Camden, NJ and Duane was born April 29, 1943 in Lamar County, Tex. I’m glad I got to shake Richard’s hand the last time that he appeared with the group in Lancaster, Pa, in 2024.
The Oaks just issued a new album with the current line-up.