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Oak Ridge Boys music biography continued...

40s when they started off as a gospel quartet, first appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and made their first recordings. Numerous line-up changes ensued over the next decade, and in 1961, they were christened the Oak Ridge Boys, and added elements of country and folk to their gospel sound. After further personnel changes and an unsuccessful relationship recording gospel/country with Columbia Records, they were signed to MCA in 1976 and scored a breakout Top Five hit in 1977 with "Y'all Come Back Saloon," the title song from their label debut. The follow-up, "You're the One," reached number two, and their next album, 1978's Room Service, gave them their first number one hit in "I'll Be True to You" as well as two more Top Five hits in "Cryin' Again" and "Come on In." The Oak Ridge Boys had finally established themselves as country hitmakers, but they wouldn't turn into a true music industry phenomenon until 1981, when they covered a 1950s track called "Elvira," which catapulted them to number one on the country charts and in the Top 5 on the pop charts. Its accompanying album, Fancy Free, became their first to top the country charts, and their biggest seller ever. For the remainder of the 80s, the Oak Ridge Boys would find a permanent place on the country and crossover pop charts, fulfilling a destiny that had been etched forty years earlier.

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In 1991, after declining sales, the Oak Ridge Boys parted ways with MCA and signed with RCA, but after just two albums that sold poorly, the relationship came to an end. The group returned to traditional-style country gospel on occasion during the '90s and continued to tour, even as the lineup seemed to be in a state of perpetual flux. Their fortunes changed when they signed with Spring Hill Records in 2000 and recorded gospel, Christmas and patriotic albums. In 2006 the group recorded another album for Spring Hill, which was a return to mainstream country music with modern arrangements and song selection. The effort treated a whole new generation of listeners to the Oak Ridge Boys' timeless sound.