Richard Sterban, the bass singer of the Oak Ridge Boys whose low voice carried the hook of the 1981 hit “Elvira,” died Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He was 83.[1] His family and the band announced the death.[1] He died of complications from bronchitis and pneumonia after a long illness with cancer.[2]
Related: Rock Hall Inducts Phil Collins, Oasis and Wu-Tang Clan as Several Stars Skip the Ceremony.
A final year away from the road
Sterban stepped away from touring with the Oak Ridge Boys for health reasons in May 2025.[2] He disclosed a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in September 2025.[3] He rejoined the group in January to sing “Elvira” at the Grand Ole Opry.[2]
“We appreciate all of your love, support, and prayers,” the Sterban family said in a statement released Saturday.[3]
From backing Elvis Presley to the Oak Ridge Boys
Sterban was born April 24, 1943, in Camden, New Jersey.[1] He grew up in nearby Collingswood.[3] He began singing at age 6 in Sunday school and sang tenor in his seventh-grade glee club.[1] He studied music at Trenton State College, now The College of New Jersey.[3]
He helped found the Keystones, a gospel quartet, and later joined J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet.[1] That group backed Elvis Presley on stage and appeared in the 1972 concert film “Elvis on Tour.”[3]
Sterban joined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1972 after bass singer Noel Fox left.[1] The lineup paired him with lead singer Duane Allen, baritone William Lee Golden and tenor Joe Bonsall.[1] Bonsall died in 2024 at age 76.[2] The group was then a gospel quartet and had not yet moved into country music.[3]
‘Elvira’ and a run of country hits
The group’s 1981 recording of Dallas Frazier’s “Elvira” put Sterban’s bass on the “oom poppa mow mow” line.[2] The single reached No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3] It sold more than 2 million copies.[2] It won a Grammy Award and single of the year honors from the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.[3]
Sterban described the recording session in a 2012 interview with Billboard. “We looked at each other and said, ‘We think this is the song we’ve been looking for,'” he said.[3]
The Oak Ridge Boys placed 34 singles in the country top 10, and 17 of them reached No. 1.[1] The No. 1 singles spanned 1978 to 1990.[3] “Bobbie Sue” reached No. 12 on the Hot 100 in 1982.[3] The group has sold more than 41 million records.[2] More music coverage is in The Boston Report’s Music section.
Honors and tributes
Sterban won five Grammy Awards with the group.[3] The Oak Ridge Boys joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2011.[3] The group entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.[2] Sterban was also inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.[3]
“Richard Sterban was a musical bridge builder,” Kyle Young, chief executive of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement Saturday. Young said Sterban “used his unmistakable bass voice to connect commercial country music to its deep gospel roots.”[3]
Sarah Trahern, chief executive of the Country Music Association, said Sterban’s voice “not only defined the sound of The Oak Ridge Boys, but also brought warmth, soul, and character to every performance.”[3]
Survivors
Sterban is survived by his wife, Donna, two daughters and three sons.[1] He also leaves eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.[1] Other recent obituaries are on The Boston Report’s People page, and more arts news is in the Entertainment section.
Sources
- Variety: Oak Ridge Boys’ Richard Sterban, Whose Distinctive Bass Voice Powered ‘Elvira’ and Other Country Smashes, Dies at 83
- Deadline: Richard Sterban Dies: Oak Ridge Boys Bass Singer Behind “Elvira” Riff Was 83
- Billboard: Richard Sterban, Oak Ridge Boys Bass Singer Who Helped Make ‘Elvira’ a Hit, Dies at 83
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