Richard Sterban, member of the celebrated country and gospel group The Oak Ridge Boys, dies at 83

Richard Sterban, the bass vocalist of the Grammy-award winning gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys and a country music hall of famer, died Saturday, his family and the band said in a statement. He was 83.

Sterban, who had been with the band since 1972, died in Hendersonville, Tennessee, due to complications from bronchitis and pneumonia after a long battle with cancer, they said.

Sterban left his job as a backup singer for Elvis Presley to join the vocal group, which perhaps became best known for its rendition of “Elvira.” Sterban toured regularly with the group until 2025, when his health deteriorated.

The Oak Ridge Boys won five Grammy awards and were nominated 23 times. They performed for presidents, on American Bandstand, at the Grammy Awards ceremony and at the Grand Ole Opry. They toured with Johnny Cash and sang backup vocals on Paul Simon’s hit “Slip Slidin’ Away.”

Sterban and the band’s three other members were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015, joining Presley. They joined the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001. And in 2011 they gained membership in the Grand Ole Opry.

A native of Camden, New Jersey, Sterban was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame in 1994 along with Joe Bonsall, another Oak Ridge Boys member who died in 2024 and who sang with Sterban in the Keystones.

In a statement, Country Music Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young said Sterban “used his unmistakable bass voice to connect commercial country music to its deep gospel roots” and called him a “steady force and a foundational figure in country music.”

“He helped the supergroup achieve seventeen No. 1 hits, legions of fans the world over, and a well-deserved place in the Country Music Hall of Fame,” Young said.

The band’s golden period in the ’80s and beyond included 1981’s “Elvira,” the 1982 hit “Bobbie Sue” and 1983’s “American Made.” “Elvira” was a massive crossover moment for the group, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100.

Sterban is survived by his wife, Donna; daughters Lauren and Tori; sons Rich, Doug and Chris; and 11 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.