Richard Sterban of The Oak Ridge Boys Loves New Country Artists

The Oak Ridge Boys are coming to Cheyenne to perform on Friday, November 30. Richard Sterban visited with us about the history of the band, dealing with social media and his admiration for new country artists like Blake Shelton and Chris Stapleton.

Richard started his career singing with legends like Johnny Cash and Elvis.

Richard - "That's true. For about 2 years prior to joining The Oak Ridge Boys, I sang in a group called JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet and for about a year and a half of that, I sang with The King. I sang with Elvis...Later on after I joined The Oak Ridge Boys, we came in contact with Johnny Cash, the man in black. I don't think there would be an Oak Ridge Boys today if it wasn't for Johnny Cash and his influence. "

The world has changed a lot since The Oak Ridge Boys started. Social media has changed the way that the band is able to interact with fans.

Richard - "Social media has certainly changed the way we do things...years ago, when we first came on the scene...things were much more simple and we would rely on regular mail from the postal service to communicate with our fans...now it's like instant communication. If you don't have a presence on social media, you are going to be left behind."

Richard has an appreciation for the new country artists that have helped this music reach an even bigger audience.

Richard - "I think we all are...our latest album was produced by Dave Cobb...he produces all of Chris Stapleton's stuff...I think as a result of working with him, we've gotten more in touch with some of these guys that are really happening right now...You'll hear Chris Stapleton on The Oak Ridge Boys bus."

Richard shared the story of how the band was contacted by Blake Shelton and even performed live with him live on an awards show.

Richard - "It was Blake's idea to put a couple choruses of 'Elvira' on at the end... I'll never forget when we hit the choruses of 'Elvira'...the whole arena went crazy...a bunch of young kids out there that you know were not born when 'Elvira' was a hit...they were dancing and singing along..."

The Oak Ridge Boys will be performing at the Cheyenne Civic Center on Friday, November 30 and the Casper Event Center on Monday, December 17. Get your tickets for the Casper show through the official Casper Event Center website.