When I read the news that Oak Ridge Boys singer Joe Bonsall had passed away on Tuesday (July 9), my first thought was one of sadness at the loss of a man who will be remembered by everyone in country music as one of the industry's true bright spots.
My second thought was, “Wow…what an irreplaceable loss for this group.”
When I say “irreplaceable,” I don't necessarily mean in a musical sense: Bonsall retired from the Oak Ridge Boys' touring roster in January, and was in fact replaced by a young singer named Ben James, who is singing Bonsall's old parts very well during the group's farewell tour.
Singers can be replaced, but what Joe Bonsall brought to The Oak Ridge Boys was far more important than any vocal part, song or onstage performance. The Country Music Hall of Fame, which inducted Bonsall along with the other Oak Ridge Boys in 2015, said it best in their online tribute, calling Bonsall the group's “spark.”
Joe Bonsall was the Oak Ridge Boys' biggest cheerleader, their biggest fan, their biggest publicist and their biggest promoter – all in one.
I first interviewed Joe Bonsall for ToC partner site The Boot back in 2014, and what immediately struck me was his obvious, unbridled and genuine passion and enthusiasm for the group he is a part of.
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“Far from the usual cynicism of many career musicians, Bonsall speaks enthusiastically about this new project and his bandmates as if this were his first album, and his enthusiasm is contagious,” I wrote. “It's not hard to imagine that if anyone tried to resist the Oak Ridge Boys' career goals, the irrepressible singer would use his trademark enthusiasm, charm and wit to convince them to do whatever he wanted — and they'd never even realize it wasn't their idea to begin with.”
When Bonsall spoke about the Oaks' longevity, it was clear he wasn't putting on an act.
Well, we are all different, like night and day. I believe that every member is unique and brings a different type of talent and energy to the table. We all love each other and respect each other as friends. And as the years have gone by, it's all actually become easier. There are no weird egos here. It's just like, “Let's get on the bus and go sing.”
Look, I've always believed — and this might be a message to the kids singing right now — that the music business can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. I mean, what if we just did this — we all got along, we got on stage, we gave it our all, we got our arms around each other's necks, we got on the bus, we got our checks, we shook hands and we went to the next town. It's that simple, you know?
When I interviewed Bonsall again in 2015 for a book project, he again spoke of the band and his bandmates in the most glowing terms possible.
“To be honest, there has never been any bad language between us all these years,” he said. “Even if there was, if we had a disagreement about something, we would clarify it, discuss it, discuss it thoroughly, put it on the table. You can't just sit back and think about it. You always have to be open to the fact that your sibling or your partner might actually have a better idea than you.”
Bonsall, then in his 40th year in the band, had a humorous response when asked if he'd ever thought about how the group would end.
“I think the end is a little scary. I'm not going to talk about it,” he said. “I think I've been able to plan every aspect of my career except for how it's going to end, so I guess I'll just have to leave that to God.”
“I think God will let us know when the Oak Ridge Boys are no more. It won't be us. We'll probably just collapse singing somewhere and that'll be the end of it,” he said, laughing. “It'll be settled for us. 'Where's Joe?' 'Oh, he's not coming,'” he added, laughing again. “'God said it's over.' So that's pretty much how we think about it.”
To the surprise of no one, Bonsall continued to sing and perform until near the end of his life, performing seated for some shows as his battle with ALS progresses in 2023. The Oak Ridge Boys have concerts scheduled through December, but those shows are sure to be bittersweet for a band that, according to Bonsall, never wanted to see it end.
“All four of us in the Oak Ridge Boys are forward thinkers and none of us slow down,” he told ToC. “They never give up. They're always thinking, 'What do we do next? How can we be better tomorrow than today?' That's the glory, because all it takes is one. I don't think any of us in this group want to see this tradition end. All these decades, this long road, these songs, this water under the bridge. Who wants to be the one to say, 'Let's call it a day'? Nobody. No one.”
Sterling Whitaker is a senior writer and senior editor at Taste of Country. He focuses on covering celebrity real estate and related shows such as Yellowstone and 1883, 1923. He has interviewed performers such as Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott, and Harrison Ford, and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country music legends such as Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, and Ricky Skaggs.
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Gallery credit: Carena Liptak