NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Oak Ridge Boys are in the holiday spirit as they prepare for the opening of their "Christmas in Tennessee" Dinner Show at the Gaylord Opryland Resort.
This year's run of performances will mark the third year in a row of the Oak Ridge Boys' dinner shows coming to the Resort and Convention Center. According to Grand Ole Opry host Kelly Sutton, this is the only group that has performed their Christmas show with the Opry family for three years in a row.
The group's performance has come a long way in those three years. The first was in 2020, during the pandemic. But, rather than cancel the show due to highly uncertain circumstances, they instead moved forward with it, with significant changes to accommodate health requirements and regulations.
"The shows went well; they had them [audience members] kind of separated out — maybe half of what we'd normally have — and every night, I swear, because of all the stuff on the news I thought, 'boy, they're going to shut us down,'" said Oak Ridge Boys' tenor Joe Bonsall. "But they never did, and we ended up having a great time. And it was something we needed, something everybody needed. We got it done."
Then, in 2021, the group came back in a big way, for a more traditional Christmas show experience. The audience was back in Opryland's big ballroom, packed and full of energetic holiday jubilation.
When the Oak Ridge Boys were invited again for this 2022 season spot, all that was asked of them for the return was the promise of a new show.
"Hey, man, we're the Christmas guys!" laughed Bonsall. "We've got more Christmas music recorded than Kenny Rogers and Andy Williams put together."
And so, the boys have put together a new show that's "about 80% different than we were last year," according to Bonsall. There will be 32 total shows during the run, but the boys say they're ready to bring cheer for all of them.
"We've got some songs that we've gone all the way back to the first album we did, which is probably a career album for the Oak Ridge Boys," said lead singer Duane Allen. "It had Thank God for the Kids on it."
Thank God for the Kids was a track on the Oak Ridge Boys' 1982 album titled "Christmas." The song became an instant holiday favorite and then climbed to a number one Country hit by the February following its release. The album it originated on was also wildly successful. It was the thirteenth Christmas album in Christmas music history to go gold — joining the ranks of works by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.
"There've been many since that — we've cut eight Christmas albums, actually — but going back into that first album that got it all started for us is really important for us because we got to handpick all of the ones that everybody talks about and they still talk about today," said Allen. "It's fresh for us. We're looking forward to doing it this year, I think like no other year in the recent past."
There will be grand production elements, including computer-generated screen displays.
"It's quite an event; it's a Christmas event," Bonsall said.
William Lee Golden, the group's Baritone who is known for sporting an impressive beard, was asked if a certain famous bearded Christmas figure would be attending the shows as well.
"We have invited Santa Claus, and Joe said we did get an RSVP that he will be here at all of the shows," Golden said.
Richard Sterban, the group's bass, was also quick to assure fans that there's one track they can count on hearing, despite the fact that it is not a Christmas song.
"The Oak Ridge Boys do not sing without Elvira, and so, you will hear me do 'giddy up, oom poppa oom poppa mow mow' — that is the law. That will happen," Sterban said. "It's a nice mixture. It's a nice balance, and we are certainly looking forward to it."
"It’s about the music," said Allen. "If you can touch people with the music and record things that you love, then you know you’re going to affect someone if it affects you."
"I know that God gave me the ability to communicate it with people, and if I do it right — if I’m honest, if I’m sincere, and I give my gift to the people that come, I know I’m going to get it back. But it's my responsibility to give it right and shine my light to the reflector. I’ll feel it back. That’s God’s gift and I want to keep doing God’s gift," Allen said.
All the Christmas fun begins on November 23 at 6 p.m. The shows run every night through December 25, except for Tuesdays.
Tickets are available on the Gaylord Opryland website, however, some days, including Christmas and Thanksgiving, have already sold out.
"When these are over, we’ll take a couple weeks off and just sit at home and relax, and then we’ll hit it again real hard. That’s what we do every year; that’s how we do it," Bonsall said.
The Oak Ridge Boys' upcoming Front Porch Singing Tour in 2023 will include the group's celebration of their 50th anniversary. Already, eight dates of the tour have also been scheduled to be at Opry.
