The Oak Ridge Boys' enduring, beloved classic “Elvira” was released in 1981 and quickly became the legendary quartet's fourth No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart — as well as their biggest pop hit, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
But the song came out two years before the launch of The Nashville Network, the first country music cable television network — and, incredibly, never had an accompanying video. So far.
The cheerful music video, premiering below, features the band surrounded by some famous friends (including Trace Adkins, Kid Rock, Lorrie Morgan, The Gatlin Brothers, Ray Stevens and Big & Rich) performing the song. Filmed in October at John Rich's Redneck Riviera bar on Nashville's Lower Broadway, it was the final video of Oaks member Joe Bonsall, 50, before his death on July 9 at age 76.
But before fans see the band and familiar faces, the video opens with a series of up-and-coming artists, including Chase Matthew and Danni Stefenetti, singing along to the song they've heard since birth. Introducing a new generation of artists as an intentional torch-passer, video director Brandon Wood says, “My goal since working with the Oak Ridge Boys has been to help them expand their reach to younger demographics through creative means of promoting their new album and releases. It only made sense that our group of unsuspecting karaoke singers would be an influential group, with their own respected audience.”
That angle helped turn around Oak Ridge Boy singer Duane Allen, a member of the band since 1966. “When they started talking about doing a video with Elvira, I wasn't really into it,” he says. Advertising sign. “It took me a while to rally around the idea. Then me [realized] What they did was really pay homage to the song, not to us, and how that song affected everyone who heard it. [Then]I was gung-ho — because I really feel like once someone hears that song, it's just magical.”
Certainly, between Richard Sterban's inimitable bass performance on “Um-poppa-um-poppa, I cut, I cutThe chorus, Bonsall's effervescent vocals and Oaks' trademark harmonies, the song has captivated fans of all ages for five decades. (As if any proof were needed, the end of the video includes footage of four-year-old Wood singing the song.)
Allen knows the song's appeal. He remembers hearing it for the first time in 1966, after coming across the original version — recorded by the song's writer, Dallas Frazier. “I sat up on my bed when I first heard it. Fast forward to 1981 and [Oaks producer] Ron Chauncey is calling. We had finished recording [the album], and he's like, 'Ace, I have an idea for a song that I just found. I would like to show it to you. It will be a big hit for you if we do it Oak Ridge Boys style…” Within about 30 minutes, everyone gathered at my house and the song that was playing, I already knew — because never i forgot this song I could almost sing it word for word, having never heard it before in 15 years.”
Unlike the original, Bonsall shaped up on the last pass on the chorus, which, with Sterban's delivery, made the song truly Oaks' own. The new version of “Elvira” will be included on an upcoming Oaks album that will include covers of past hits and new songs.
Bonsall was in high spirits on the day of the video shoot, Wood says: “Joe was a pro. He always gave 1000 percent and always had fun doing it. This day was no different. The energy he got from being in that room with his peers who loved him was magical. We all felt it, but I think he had a blast hugging the necks and celebrating this amazing song. At one point, when we were on a break, he took my hand across the table and shared a few words with me. He ended it with “I love you man.” I will always remember that.”
In the video, Bonsall looks radiant as he sings the song and has fun with friends singing along. Although he had already been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) four years earlier, the team shot the video “while he was feeling really good,” says Allen. “It was just a great day. It was like creating another piece of magic. You turn on the cameras and the song starts playing and everyone's having fun.”
The final shot of the video features Bonsall smiling, which Wood says was “spontaneous… That was in the first track from the beginning. The focus was never deliberately more on Joe than any of the other boys.'
For Allen, playing “Elvira” never gets old. “The song has meant so much to the Oak Ridge Boys' career,” he says. “It still happens every time we run it. There's something magical happening.”
And the band has played it a lot – both over the decades and recently. The Oaks kicked off their American Made Farewell tour celebrating their heritage last September. Bonsall made it to the end of the year.
“He said, 'I'm going to do my best to do all the Christmas dates. If I do the Christmas dates I will try to do all the dates you put in the book [2024],” Allen recalls. “So we got to the last Christmas date, we carried him off the stage, put him in a wheelchair and he said, 'I'm done.' And the next morning, he called Ben James and said, “I'm done. The seat is yours. Put on your britches.” [Joe] he was a soldier to the end, he never made a complaint of any kind. He didn't want to be pitied or pitied. And his voice was strong, right down to the last note in the last Christmas carol we did. I loved him like a brother and miss him every day. I miss it so much.”
It's been an unspeakably brutal few months for Oaks personally. In addition to Bonsall's death, Nora, Allen's wife of 54 years, died on March 31. Then on July 1, eight days before Bonsall's death, William Lee Golden's son Rusty died.
Allen says the unbreakable bond between the team and their fans has become more special than ever since the tragedies and that the road has been a respite from the grief. In fact, after burying his wife, Allen changed clothes, got on the tour bus and headed to Florida for a show.
“I got to feel the love not only from my singers but also from the people,” he says. He broke down singing the second verse of “Fancy Free” and the line “Oh Lord you don't know how it hurts to say goodbye/ He did his best to stay, can't say he didn't try.” “When I started singing that second verse, man, it blew up and the crowd knew what I'd been through and they started standing up and cheering and I got what I needed,” he says, tearing up. “And it's been there ever since.”
The Farewell tour was originally planned to honor Bonsall and his final outing, but Allen says that while it's technically still a farewell tour, there's no longer a definitive ending. Furthermore, Allen adds wistfully, “I ain't got no one to go home to now.”
He says the tour, which was supposed to end this year, will probably go into 2025. “I think the Eagles are on their third farewell tour, so we can at least do our first farewell tour and finish it at the end of '25. I think we'll probably try to work as many dates as we can and get to places we weren't able to cover this year,” says Allen. “We need the public and we have to thank them all. The date book continues to fill up. I guess that's God saying, “It's not time yet, so keep singing.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/country/oak-ridge-boys-elvira-video-joe-bonsall-1235747736/