Joe Bonsall Dies: Longtime Oak Ridge Boys Singer Was 76
Joe Bonsall, the longtime member with the Oak Ridge Boys who retired in January following a four-year battle with the neuromuscular disorder Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, died today, July 9. He was 76.
His death was announced by a spokesperson for the Bonsall family.
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The news comes less that ten days after the July 1 death of Rusty Golden, the 65-year-old musician son of The Oak Ridge Boys’ William Lee Golden. Both Golden and Bonsall were residents of Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Bonsall joined the popular country and gospel singing group the Oak Ridge Boys in 1973, and his tenor vocals and high harmonies quickly became an integral part of the group’s sound on on such hits as “Elvira” and “Bobbie Sue.”
The Oak Ridge Boys, which has sold more than 41 million records, won five Grammys and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015. The group was founded in 1943 as the Oak Ridge Quartet, changing its name to the Oak Ridge Boys in the 1960s as it moved from its original bluegrass sound to gospel and eventually country.
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Bonsall was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Bonsall’s memoir I See Myself will be released in November. The book will be Bonsall’s 11th, with others including a four-part children’s book series titled The Molly Books and a 2003 book about his parents titled GI Joe and Lillie.
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The Bonsall family’s announcement today read, in part, “Joe loved to sing. He loved to read. He loved to write. He loved to play banjo. He loved working on the farm. And he loved the Philadelphia Phillies. But Jesus and his family always came first—and we will see him again on the Promised Day.”
Born May 18, 1948, Bonsall said at the time of his retirement in January, “Many of you know I have been battling a slow onset (over four years now) of a neuromuscular disorder. I am now at a point where walking is impossible, so I have basically retired from the road. It has just gotten too difficult. It has been a great 50 years, and I am thankful to all the Oak Ridge Boys, band, crew, and staff for the constant love and support shown to me through it all. I will never forget, and for those of you who have been constantly holding me up in prayer, I thank you and ask for you to keep on praying.”
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Bonsall also offered kind words for his replacement in the group: “There is a young man named Ben James singing for me out there, and he needs your love and encouragement.”
Bonsall is survived by wife Mary Ann; daughters Jennifer and Sabrina; granddaughter Breanne; grandson Luke; greatgrandsons Chance and Grey; and a sister, Nancy. He is preceded in death by parents Joseph S. Bonsall Sr. and Lillie Bonsall.
At Bonsall’s request, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The ALS Association or to the Vanderbilt Medical Center ALS and Neuroscience Research Center.
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