The Oak Ridge Boys
ALBUMS
The Oak Ridge Boys are paying tribute to their favorite songs without losing sight of their gospel roots in a stunning and inspiring new album, Buried Treasures.
Produced by Anderson East and executive produced by Dave Cobb, Buried Treasures gathers together classic songs made popular by seminal voices such as Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole, as well as essential songs written by Billy Joe Shaver, Paul Simon, and Bill Withers. The vocal group’s spiritual side shines through on recordings of “Deep River,” “How Great Thou Art,” and “Softly and Tenderly,” yet there’s also a hint of romance in the enduring ballad, “You Are So Beautiful.” The album’s only new song, “Buried Treasure,” was written specifically for the project by Academy Award-winning songwriter Aaron Raitiere.
“Every song on the album is about something that’s dear to us,” Oaks member Duane Allen says. “These songs are all ‘buried treasures,’ meaning we had never previously recorded these great hits.”
“It was a lot of fun, reaching back to some of these classic songs,” fellow Oaks member William Lee Golden adds. “I feel like this album touched on our love of life, love of family, love of our mates that we’ve chosen in life, and also the love of God.”
Recording Buried Treasures also provided healing after a period of personal challenges for The Oak Ridge Boys. Duane Allen’s wife of 54 years, Nora Lee Allen, died in March 2024. The group then mourned the loss of tenor singer Joe Bonsall in July 2024. Just days before Bonsall’s death, William Lee Golden lost his eldest son, William “Rusty” Golden Jr. In addition, last year bass singer Richard Sterban began scaling back his concert appearances due to an illness. Through it all, The Oak Ridge Boys continued to tour and record, finding solace in music.
Buried Treasures is the second studio album with the group’s new tenor singer, Ben James, who joined the group in December 2023. Bass singer Aaron Lee McCune officially joined The Oak Ridge Boys’ road lineup in August 2026 due to Sterban’s extended leave of absence. Sterban still makes cameos when he can.
