I used to like those guys they had some cool songs. One of the guys used to sing backup for Elvis for his 70's material.

[Edited 3/29/14 21:38pm]

JoeBala said:

I used to like those guys they had some cool songs. One of the guys used to sing backup for Elvis for his 70's material.

[Edited 3/29/14 21:38pm]

I remember them singing at some church performance as a kid...

MickyDolenz said:

Defintely lifted the music from this song...

purplethunder3121 said:

One reason why the early 80s sucked, this song was never more than a joke to me, all that nonsensical "Gidday up giddayup a bom, bow, hi ho silver for Elvira".

Never had I been more convinced that rednecks should not be singing

Adorecream said:

Never had I been more convinced that rednecks should not be singing

Just because someone makes country music does not mean they're rednecks and rednecks are not the only people who listen to country. What do you know about the group to make such a statement? I like the Oak Ridge Boys (and country music) and I used to have the album this came from (Fancy Free) on cassette, but it broke.

Part of the reason I have gone off the org in a big way lately, express an opinion and get shot down by the so called moral majority.

For gods sake Mickeydolenz, its a joke, they dressed in cowboy/redneck type shirts, had long beards and come from a rural country area not known for its good relations towards blacks. They probably ahd confederate ancestors for all I know and the song is real hee haw type stuff to me.

It was only a hit, because it was a throw away novelty songs, they had a few more big country hits, but this was pretty much their only huge crossover hit. And yes I know the song was huge, the biggest country song on the Pop Chart until another piece of dogshit on toast called "Achy Breaky Heart" hit #1 in 1992.

They had some other tunes that were better. They were a great harmony group. They had a bunch of hits in the 80's when Country got big again. Trying To Love Two Women and Come On In were huge hits.

Adorecream said:

Part of the reason I have gone off the org in a big way lately, express an opinion and get shot down by the so called moral majority.

For gods sake Mickeydolenz, its a joke, they dressed in cowboy/redneck type shirts, had long beards and come from a rural country area not known for its good relations towards blacks. They probably ahd confederate ancestors for all I know and the song is real hee haw type stuff to me.

It was only a hit, because it was a throw away novelty songs, they had a few more big country hits, but this was pretty much their only huge crossover hit. And yes I know the song was huge, the biggest country song on the Pop Chart until another piece of dogshit on toast called "Achy Breaky Heart" hit #1 in 1992.

Not liking the song and calling them rednecks are two different things. Western clothes and coming from a rural town does not make someone a redneck anyway. Although current group is most known and longest lasting lineup, there's only one early member William Lee Golden, the one with the long beard, and he's not an original himself. He joined in the early 1960s and didn't start growing the beard until the late 1970s. The group did have the long sideburns in the early 1970s, but that was the style then with many males, not just country ones. The Oak Ridge Boys started out as a gospel group in the 1950's and wore suits and ties, not cowboy gear and were clean shaven. The original group originated from the Oak Ridge, Tennesee area, but none of the "classic lineup" are from there and not from Tennessee at all. Two members are from northern states. They started doing secular music in the mid-1970's. Here's some footage from around 1965 or 66. William Lee Golden is 3rd from left.

[Edited 3/30/14 9:56am]

Here's one of their early albums from the 1950s. Their name was changed to "Boys" later.

This is from 1975. I think it is the 2nd album with all 4 "classic lineup" members William Lee Golden, Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, and Richard Sterban. William still hasn't grown a beard yet. He's 3rd down on the right.

Apparently they're still touring--right now--and putting out a new album.

William backstage at a Jacksons concert, standing behind Mike.

with Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles, & Dottie West

MickyDolenz said:

Just the hit the youtubes to track down the original version (by Dallas Frazier) and listen to some other versions. One by Kenny Rogers and First Edition (the best comment was one that said "This was back before Kenny learned how to control living with Bee Gee's Disease." Another by Rodney Crowell (didn't find it on youtube, but it's out there). Crowell's is apparently what led to the Oak Ridge Boys'. Way slower, kind of sort of blues-ish feel.

They vary quite a bit. The Oaks win.

EddieC said:

Just the hit the youtubes to track down the original version (by Dallas Frazier) and listen to some other versions. One by Kenny Rogers and First Edition (the best comment was one that said "This was back before Kenny learned how to control living with Bee Gee's Disease." Another by Rodney Crowell (didn't find it on youtube, but it's out there). Crowell's is apparently what led to the Oak Ridge Boys'. Way slower, kind of sort of blues-ish feel.

They vary quite a bit. The Oaks win.

I didn't know Elvira was a remake, other than it sounding like Searchin' by The Coasters. I just listened to the Kenny Rogers & First Edition version and it doesn't sound like The Coasters song. It seems the original is by Dallas Frazier and released in 1966, the vocals sound like Searchin' but it doesn't have Searchin's piano like on the Oaks version. So Kenny changed the arrangement to make it dancable.

Thanks for posting the youtube links--I've never managed to get clips to embed when I've tried to in the past, so I didn't try.

EddieC said:

Thanks for posting the youtube links--I've never managed to get clips to embed when I've tried to in the past, so I didn't try.

No problem.