Introduction
Title: William Lee Golden Opens His Heart: On Loss, Healing, & The Power of Music After a Painful Year for The Oak Ridge Boys
There are seasons in a singer’s life when the music becomes more than melody — it becomes medicine. For William Lee Golden, the bearded baritone and soulful storyteller of The Oak Ridge Boys, this past year has been one of reckoning, reflection, and resilience. In a rare and deeply personal moment, Golden has opened up about the toll of loss, the quiet work of healing, and how the unbreakable power of music has carried him — and his bandmates — through one of the most difficult years in their five-decade journey together.
William Lee Golden on Loss, Healing, & Power of Music After a Painful Year for the Oak Ridge Boys — the headline itself feels heavy, but there’s light inside it too. Because when Golden speaks, he doesn’t dwell in sorrow; he searches for meaning. His voice, both onstage and off, carries that unmistakable blend of wisdom and weather — the sound of a man who’s seen both glory and grief and learned to find grace in between.
For The Oak Ridge Boys, 2025 has been a year marked by heartbreak and gratitude in equal measure. The passing of longtime member Joe Bonsall, the group’s fiery tenor and beloved brother, left a silence that no harmony could fill. Bonsall wasn’t just a voice in the quartet; he was its spark — a man who brought humor, faith, and energy to every performance. When he died, it felt to fans like the end of an era. But to William Lee Golden, it felt like losing family.
“I’ve sung beside Joe for more than half my life,” Golden shared in a recent interview, his voice calm but thick with emotion. “When you’ve traveled the world together, prayed together, laughed together — when you’ve shared that many years — losing someone like Joe leaves a hole you can’t patch. But you carry his spirit forward. That’s what he’d want.”
Golden, now in his mid-eighties, has never shied away from speaking his truth. Through personal trials — from leaving the group in the 1980s to finding his way back home to it years later — he’s learned that life’s greatest hardships often become its greatest teachers. And in this season of mourning, he’s leaning on that lesson again.
“It’s been a year of loss, yes,” he admits. “But also a year of gratitude. We’ve been reminded how precious time is, how powerful love is, and how healing music can be.”
Music, after all, has always been Golden’s compass. From the earliest days when The Oak Ridge Boys were still a gospel quartet, to their rise into country music legends, he has seen firsthand how songs can reach people in ways words alone never could. “When you stand on that stage,” he says softly, “and see someone out there wiping tears because of a song you’re singing — that’s when you realize this is more than entertainment. It’s connection. It’s healing.”
Even now, after decades of touring, Golden still believes that music holds the power to bridge loss and life. “Joe may be gone from the stage,” he reflected, “but when I hear his voice on those old records, I feel like he’s still right there beside me. That’s the beauty of what we do — the music never dies.”
Golden’s perspective has always been grounded in his love of family, faith, and art. Away from the spotlight, he spends much of his time painting, writing, and cherishing moments with his sons — several of whom have followed in his musical footsteps. Those who’ve visited his Tennessee home describe it as a sanctuary of sorts: filled with old photographs, instruments, and paintings that capture the soul of the South. “Art and music — they’ve both kept me alive,” he said. “They’re how I talk to God, and how I remember the people I’ve lost.”
In his reflections, there’s also gratitude toward fans — generations of them — who’ve stood by the group through every triumph and tragedy. “The people who love The Oak Ridge Boys are family to us,” Golden emphasized. “They’ve been part of our story for fifty years. And when something happens — like losing Joe — they feel it too. That kind of love is rare, and we don’t take it for granted.”
As The Oak Ridge Boys continue their farewell tour, each show feels like both a tribute and a prayer. Golden, standing at center stage with his golden mane flowing and his heart wide open, has become the symbol of endurance — proof that even after the hardest year, the harmony still holds.
William Lee Golden on Loss, Healing, & Power of Music After a Painful Year for the Oak Ridge Boys isn’t just a reflection — it’s a reminder. A reminder that music doesn’t just entertain; it preserves. It carries the voices we’ve lost and the memories we refuse to let go of.
And as the lights dim and that unmistakable harmony rises once more, William Lee Golden’s quiet strength reminds us all: even in sorrow, there is song. And through that song, the spirit of The Oak Ridge Boys — Joe, Duane, Richard, and William Lee — will live on forever.