Joe Bonsall’s Career: A Look Back at the Late Singer’s Musical Past With The Oak Ridge Boys

Joe Bonsall, a former tenor vocalist in The Oak Ridge Boys, has died at the age of 76 as a result from complications from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative nervous system disease. His management team shared the news on July 9 via a post to the group’s Instagram account.

The announcement comes in the same year that he chose to leave the long-time gospel and country musical group. Read on to find out more about the singing career of Joe Bonsall and his departure from The Oak Ridge Boys in early 2024.

When did Joe Bonsall join The Oak Ridge Boys?

Bonsall, who was born in Philadelphia in 1948, began his singing journey by performing in gospel groups around the Northeastern U.S. His career really took off though when he joined The Oak Ridge Boys in 1973.

The popular American country and gospel quartet originated in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which inspired its name. However, the group began as The Oak Ridge Quartet when it was founded in 1943. That remained the case until they changed the name in the early 1970s.

The Oak Ridge Boys rose to popularity in the Southern gospel genre, but later evolved to a country spin. This has continued to be their focus and brought them much success.

When Bonsall began lending his vocal talents to the group, he became the 30th performer to join. To date, there have been 35 total performers in The Oak Ridge Boys. The roster has included a mix of temporary fill-ins and long-term members.

Accomplishments in Joe Bonsall’s career

During his 50-year career with The Oak Ridge Boys, Bonsall walked away with a number of achievements. The group had two songs climb their way up on the Billboard Hot 100 while he was a member. “Elvira” (1981) and “Bobbie Sue” (1982) topped the country chart before becoming top 20 hits at No. 5 and No. 12, respectively.

The Oak Ridge Boys also received honors throughout the years during Bonsall’s time with the group. In August 2011, they became members of the Grand Ole Opry following an announcement during a Friday Night Opry performance.

Recognition for the talent continued when the Country Music Hall of Fame inducted Bonsall and the rest of the quartet in the category of modern-era artists. In October 2015, Kenny Rogers presented the group’s induction during the Medallion Ceremony.

As part of his career, Bonsall was also inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, The Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame alongside his fellow members.

Check out highlights of his career in the video below:

Why did Joe Bonsall leave The Oak Ridge Boys?

In early January, the singer took to social media to announce his retirement from the musical group. “Many of you know I have been battling a slow onset (over 4 years now) of a neuromuscular disorder,” he wrote in the post. “I am now to a point that walking is impossible so I have basically retired from the road. It has just gotten too difficult.”

He went on to share that he was thankful for his 50 years with The Oak Ridge Boys, and for all the love and support he received from the group. Bonsall also added that he wanted to thank those who continued to pray for him.

When he left the group, singer Ben James joined to fill the absence of his departure. “His sound is different than mine but he brings a ton of talent to the table!” Bonsall said to his fans.

Joe Bonsall’s other artistic ventures

Music wasn’t the only creative endeavor Bonsall pursued during his life. He also dabbled in writing both fiction and non-fiction novels, with 11 published in total.

In 1997, he authored four books in a children’s series titled The Molly Books. Bonsall later went on to write a book about his parents’ lives during and after World War II, called GI Joe and Lillie, along with a number of other works. His memoir entitled I See Myself is set to be released in November by Fidelis Publishing. He will be missed.

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