After decades of performing, the Oak Ridge Boys have established themselves as one of the most iconic country groups of all time. In 2015, all of their hard work was rewarded when they were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The group has released dozens upon dozens of albums, with their most recent being Celebrate Christmas. The album was released in October 2016, and managed to break into the Top 50 on the charts.
Although it’s only been a few months since the release of Celebrate Christmas, the Oak Ridge Boys are already making plans for a new album.
Speaking to The Boot and other reporters, tenor singer Jone Bonsall said that they’re hoping to record new music this year. “We have some plans in motion to record some new music with a top producer; we’re really hoping that that comes together and happens, and it looks like it just might happen,” he said.
It’s been over 5 years since the Oak Ridge Boys last released a studio album that fell under the country genre. Their last two studio albums were both gospel records.
After all this time, Bonsall says that the group is looking forward to finally getting some new country-themed material out there for their fans. “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,” he said. “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.”
While it seems that plans for a new Oak Ridge Boys album are well under way, Bonsall didn’t indicate any sort of a timeline for its release. But that’s alright, knowing how good the group’s material is, it will be well worth the wait!
Even without a new album, the Oak Ridge Boys have hit the ground running in 2017. They’re already on tour, and have packed their schedule full of performances. The tour will carry them across the country, taking them everywhere from Kansas City, Missouri to Newark, Ohio.
The Oak Ridge Boys’ tour has them performing in Texas from January 19-25. Since inauguration day falls during that time, the group said they would be unable to perform in Washington D.C. for the festivities. Still, they said “it would have been an honor” to be able to play at the inauguration.
We are singing in Texas during inauguration but if we could have performed it would have been an honor to have done so… 🇺🇸
— The Oak Ridge Boys (@oakridgeboys) January 4, 2017
While the Oak Ridge Boys’ tour is just getting started, it’s going to consume a large portion of their year. Maybe they’ll eventually have some new music to share from the album they’re planning!
Of course, we’ll always love the group’s classic hits, especially “Elvira.” Tune in below to watch them perform it at the Grand Ole Opry.