Joe Bonsall was a singer and author who spent 50 years with the country music vocal group The Oak Ridge Boys.
Joe Bonsall’s Ebroa
Joe Bonsall was the “new guy” in The Oak Ridge Boys. A vocal group formed in 1943 as the Oak Ridge Quartet, they were focused on Southern gospel music until the 1970s, when they began to focus more on country. Philadelphia-born Bonsall joined them in 1973 after spending time with the Keystone Quartet, the last full member to join the band. In fact, with the Quartet, Bonsall had already recorded and performed many Oak Ridge Boys songs.
Bonsall was an official Oak Ridge Boy tenor when they had their 1981 crossover hit, “Elvira,” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard’s Hit 100 and No. 1 on the country charts. They repeated their crossover success the next year with “Bobbie Sue.” Bonsall’s voice is prominent on many of the group’s 17 No. 1-charting country singles, and he toured consistently with them until his retirement in 2023, when amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, robbed him of his ability to perform.
He was also an author, penning 11 books in all. They include “On the Road with The Oak Ridge Boys: Forty Years of Untold Stories and Adventures;” his memoir, “I See Myself;” and short-story collections like “Christmas Miracle.”
Bonsall is in the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame, Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Notable quote
“We love the music and have a ton of respect for each other and what each brings to the table.” — Interview with the Kerusso Blog, 2018
