LOWVILLE, New York (WWNY) – The Oak Ridge Boys take the stage at the Lewis County Fair Friday night, and will celebrate 40 years of their biggest hit, ‘Elvira.’
Tickets for the show, which starts at 7:30, are still available.
“I think if you listen to ‘Elvira,’ you can’t help but smile. There’s something about the song, it’s very infectuous,” said Richard Sterban, one of the Oak Ridge Boys.
“When you listen to it, you’ve got to stand up and dance, you’ve gotta sing along.”
Sterban is the bass singer for the quartet – he’s the guy who does the ‘giddy up, omm pappa omm pappa mow mow’ part.
“It’s our signature song. It’s 40 years old, which is hard to believe, but it’s the song people recognize the Oak Ridge Boys by,” he said.
But it’s far from their only hit – by one count, the Oak Ridge Boys have had 17 number 1 singles and have recorded more than 30 albums.
They’re basically a country gospel group, but have played a little of everything over their long career. They covered the White Stripes’ “7 Nation Army,” John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom,” Neil Young, and on their most recent album, Keb Mo’s “Life Is Beautiful.”
One constant: songs of faith and praise.
“We were raised in Christian homes. We were taught right from wrong when we were little kids,” Sterban told 7 News.
“As you get older in life, that pays dividends. We’ve been able to carry that through to our adult life and to our music career.”
What can concert goers expect?
“I think people expect to hear great songs, and people expect to have a lot of fun. People expect to forget about their cares and their troubles, and for an hour and a half, two hours, just enjoy themselves,” Sterban said.
And of course, ‘Elvira.’ They’ll be singing it, along with their other hits. Says Sterban: “That’s the law.”
(If you want to go: the concert is sponsored by the AmeriCU Credit Union. Purchase tickets here. Tickets are $30 and $35. Gates open at 5:30.)
Copyright 2021 WWNY. All rights reserved.
