THE ELVIS SECRET HE KEPT FOR DECADES! Why Oak Ridge Boys Star Richard Sterban Left The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll!
NASHVILLE, TN — Country music fans tuning into CBS Nashville’s Talk of the Town expected a standard trip down memory lane. What they got instead was a jaw-dropping, emotional bombshell that left the studio audience in stunned silence.
Richard Sterban, the legendary, deep-voiced bass singer of the Country Music Hall of Fame quartet The Oak Ridge Boys, sat down for an exclusive interview that will go down in Music City history. With a career spanning over half a century, Sterban is best known for his immortal, floor-shaking lyric: “Oom-pa-pa-oom-pa-pa-mow-mow” from the 1981 mega-hit “Elvira.”
But on this fateful morning broadcast, Sterban didn’t just talk about the music. He stripped away the glitz and glamour to share the harrowing, top-secret crossroad that nearly altered the course of American music forever—a secret that involved none other than Elvis Presley.
Leaving The King: The Secret Phone Call That Changed Everything
Before anchoring the deep register for The Oak Ridge Boys in 1972, a young Richard Sterban was living every musician’s wildest fantasy. He was a vital member of J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, which meant one thing: he was singing backup for Elvis Presley every single night.
“I was on top of the world,” Sterban confessed to the Talk of the Town host, his voice dropping into that familiar, resonant baritone. “We were recording with Elvis, appearing in his movies like Elvis on Tour, and living in the middle of absolute mania. It was the biggest stage in the entire world.”
But then came the secret bombshell that Sterban kept close to his chest during those chaotic days in the early ’70s. Right in the middle of Elvis’s absolute heyday, Sterban received a classified, unexpected phone call from William Lee Golden of The Oak Ridge Boys.
The Oaks were looking for a new bass singer. They wanted him.
The studio grew completely quiet as Sterban described the agonizing pressure of that moment. He was forced to make a choice behind closed doors: stay with the undisputed King of Rock ‘n’ Roll or risk it all for an unstable gospel-country group that hadn’t even crossed over into mainstream radio yet.
“Everyone Thought I Was Crazy!”
When Sterban ultimately handed in his notice to Elvis’s management, the industry reaction was brutal.
| The Ultimate 1972 Dilemma | Singing with Elvis Presley | Joining The Oak Ridge Boys |
| The Status | The biggest tour in music business history | Struggling gospel-turned-country quartet |
| The Perks | Sleeping over at Graceland, private jets | Endless touring on cramped buses |
| The Risk | Zero. You are backing the King | High. No guarantee of mainstream radio success |
“My closest friends thought I had completely lost my mind,” Sterban admitted with a sharp nod. “People told me I was throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime. To walk away from Elvis Presley at that moment felt like career suicide to everyone on the outside.”
But Sterban revealed the hidden truth that guided his heart: he didn’t just want to be a background singer in someone else’s shadow—even if that shadow belonged to Elvis. He saw a rare, untapped potential in the blending harmonies of The Oak Ridge Boys. He wanted to help build a legacy from the ground up.
History, of course, proved him right. Decades later, his iconic bass line in “Elvira” would solidify his place in the annals of music history, leading to Grammys, CMA awards, and a permanent spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
A Triumphant Return Amid Personal Battle
The sensational Talk of the Town appearance didn’t just focus on the secrets of the past; it also touched upon Sterban’s immense real-life resilience. After facing recent health battles that kept him away from grueling tour schedules, Sterban’s return to the spotlight has been nothing short of a miracle for his millions of devoted fans.
His recent surprise appearances at the historic Grand Ole Opry alongside his musical brothers sent shockwaves of joy through the country music community, proving that the legendary brotherhood of the band is stronger than ever.
“Having Richard on stage with us again was one of God’s greatest blessings,” lead singer Duane Allen recently shared, echoing the sentiments of thousands of emotional fans who gave Sterban roaring standing ovations for his trademark vocals.
Sterban’s revealing interview reminds us that true legends don’t just take the easy road to fame—they follow their instincts, even when it means walking out on the King.