Richard Sterban | |
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![]() Sterban in 2019 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Richard Anthony Sterban |
Born | Camden, New Jersey, U.S. | April 24, 1943
Genres | Country, gospel |
Occupation | Bass singer |
Years active | 1972–present |
Member of | The Oak Ridge Boys |
Website | oakridgeboys.com |
Richard Anthony Sterban (born April 24, 1943) is an American singer. He was born in Camden, New Jersey. In 1972, he joined the country and gospel quartet the Oak Ridge Boys, in which he sings bass.
Sterban was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015 as a member of the Oak Ridge Boys.
Born in Camden, New Jersey, Sterban grew up in Collingswood, New Jersey, [1] After graduating from Collingswood High School, Sterban attended Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey). [2]
Prior to joining the Oak Ridge Boys, Sterban toured with J. D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, who were singing backup for Elvis Presley at that time. Sterban ultimately became best known for his "oom-pa-pa-oom-pa-pa-moww-moww" bass solo in the Oak Ridge Boys' 1981 single "Elvira" and sang lead vocals on a select few of the group's songs, including a cover of the Righteous Brothers' hit "Dream On", which was a top-ten hit.
Sterban has recorded public service announcements for NOAA Weather Radio. He served as the voice of The Roadhouse , the classic country Sirius Satellite Radio channel. Sterban was a minority owner of the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team from 1978 to 2008, along with entrepreneur Larry Schmittou and other country music stars, such as Conway Twitty, Larry Gatlin, and Cal Smith. [3]
Since 2023, Sterban has taken prolonged absences from the Oak Ridge Boys' tours. Aaron McCune, the bass vocalist for Dailey & Vincent, serves as Sterban's designated fill-in. As of September 2023, the band has stated that the issues that led to Sterban's absences have been resolved. [4]
Collingswood is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Center City Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 14,186, an increase of 260 (+1.9%) from the 2010 census count of 13,926, which in turn reflected a decline of 400 (−2.8%) from the 14,326 counted in the 2000 census.
Haddon Township is a township in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,407, an increase of 700 (+4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 14,707, which in turn reflected an increase of 56 (+0.4%) from the 14,651 counted in the 2000 census.
The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Since 2024, the group consists of Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, Richard Sterban, and Ben James. The group was founded in 1943 as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was changed to the Oak Ridge Boys in the early 1960s, and they remained a gospel group until the mid-1970s, when they changed their image and concentrated on country music.
The Delaware Valley, sometimes referred to as Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia metropolitan area, or Philadelphia tri-state area, is a major metropolitan and tri-state region in Northeast United States that centers on Philadelphia, the 6th-most populous city in the United States, and spans part of three states: Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and Northern Delaware. With a core of metropolitan statistical area population of 6.288 million residents, while the combined statistical area population of 7.366 million, Delaware Valley is the eighth-largest metropolitan region in the United States and the 68th-largest metropolitan region in the world.
Haddon Township High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in Haddon Township, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Haddon Township School District. The school offers courses in math, science, languages, humanities and various vocational skills. It also offers athletics and after-school clubs and organizations. The school follows a quarter-semester system, uses a 5-point GPA scale, and offers Advanced Placement and honors-level courses, both of which use a weighted average grading system.
"Elvira" is a song written and originally recorded by Dallas Frazier in 1966 on his album of the same name. Though a minor hit for Frazier at the time of release, the song became a bigger and much more famous country and pop hit by the Oak Ridge Boys in 1981. "Elvira" is now considered one of the Oak Ridge Boys' signature songs.
Eastern Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades from Berlin Borough, Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township, three communities in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Eastern Camden County Regional High School District. The high school is located in Voorhees Township.
Skylite Recording Company is a Memphis based gospel music label started by The Statesmen Quartet and The Blackwood Brothers in 1959. Along with The Blackwood Brothers and The Statesmen Quartet, Skylite signed, among others, The Speer Family, and the Oak Ridge Quartet. In 1966, the Statesmen-Blackwood team sold the record company to a group of investors led by Joel Gentry, with main offices on Music Row in Nashville, Tenn.
Camden Catholic High School (CCHS) is a four-year comprehensive private coeducational Roman Catholic high school, located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area in Cherry Hill, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1934. Camden Catholic students come from the local area and from Norway, Nigeria, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Vietnam, Korea, and China. Many of these students live on campus in the Nazareth House, a convent re-purposed to accommodate foreign students with full-time care-providers on staff, while others live with host families in the surrounding area.
Paul VI High School is a private Catholic high school located in Haddon Township, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As there is no post office in Haddon Township, the mailing address is Haddonfield. The school, founded in 1966, is named in honor of Pope Paul VI and is overseen by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1979 and is accredited until July 2030.
Collingswood High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Collingswood in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of Collingswood Public Schools.
Trenton Central High School is a three-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in tenth through twelfth grades from Trenton, in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Trenton Public Schools.
Step On Out is the 10th country studio album from American country music quartet The Oak Ridge Boys, released in 1985. It contains the #1 singles "Touch a Hand " and "Little Things", as well as the #3 single "Come On In ". The title song was co-written by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member and former Byrds bass player Chris Hillman and former Crawdaddy magazine editor Peter Knobler. "Staying Afloat" would be covered two years later by Sawyer Brown on their self-titled debut album.
Larry Schmittou is an American entrepreneur and former baseball executive and coach. He owns L&S Family Entertainment LLC, which operates a chain of bowling centers in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
The Boys Are Back is the thirtieth studio album of country music group The Oak Ridge Boys. It was released in 2009 under the Spring Hill Music Group label. The album marked the group's return to secular country music after releasing gospel albums since 1992. The track "Seven Nation Army," a cover of The White Stripes's 2003 song from their album Elephant, was released as the album's first single.
William K. Dickey was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and as chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority.
American Dreams is a studio album by American country music group The Oak Ridge Boys. It was released in 1989 via MCA Records. The album peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It includes the singles "An American Family" and "No Matter How High", the latter of which was the group's last number one hit on Hot Country Songs. "Turning for Home" later served as the title track to Mike Reid's 1991 debut album Turning for Home.
The Penn-Jersey Athletic Association is a sports conference of private schools in the Delaware Valley including schools in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.