The Oak Ridge Boys are, from left, Joe Bonsall (tenor), Duane Allen (lead tenor), William Lee Golden (baritone) and Richard Sterban (bass).

The Oak Ridge Boys’ iconic bass singer Richard Sterban called swark.today to talk about the current leg of the internationally famous singing group’s tour which will bring them to the Hempstead Hall stage Friday April 29th. He explained how the group travels, the intent behind their most recent studio album, what it takes to preserve their voices, named what he thinks is his best but most overlooked recording and describes an early influence on his singing.

Later next week, the group will be travelling toward us in two busses from Nashville, where they will be performing at the Grand Ole Opry Thursday the 28th. One bus, Sterban said, is equipped with bunk beds but their second bus, which contains lounges in the front and back, also carries a necessity for this time of year, “Duane Allen and William Lee Golden, they hang out in the front of the bus. Myself and Joe Bonsall. We hang out in the back of the bus. And, and we have satellite TV. We have all we have the baseball packages, all the sports channels, we have all the movie channels.,” Sterban said.

When prompted for memories of the group performing in Arkansas, Sterban mentioned a show in Pine Bluff in 1982 which had Charlie Daniels as a guest star: “We have played in Arkansas many many times. I tell you about Arkansas, Jeff, this sticks out in my mind just many years ago, we did an HBO special, the first one ever on HBO for country music.”

The group’s most recent album is Front Porch Singin’, whose cover features the group sitting in rocking chairs as a big, happy dog sits up front and smiles at the camera. The recording has a looseness but also a warm presence, with the vocals and instruments seeming to melt into the night. Sterban credits the producer Dave Cobb for this effect: “He said what I want to do is I want to create a feeling of just four guys just kind of gathering on a front porch in a very informal, very unstructured way. Dave Cobb is a master. He's a genius at capturing feelings like that. He did that for us.”

Cobb, known for his work with such diverse artists as Lady Gaga, Barry Gibb, John Prine, Chris Stapleton, Shooter Jennings and others got some specific orders from the Oak Ridge Boys when deciding song choices. They wanted a selection of country and gospel songs like those to which their audience was accustomed, but with an appropriate quality for an audience that had gone through hard times. “We told them . . . make sure it's very inspiring and something you can feel in your heart, because that's what we need right now, with all the problems we have in this country. Gospel and heartfelt music is what we really need. So most of the most of the music on this project was of a really inspirational, very healing nature.” Sterban said.

The group will perform a share of songs from the new album, whose jaunty take on “Swing Down Chariot” Sterban called emblematic of the producer’s loose approach: “We walked through the door one morning. And I say morning, it was afternoon. Most of us do not do mornings. But we walked through the door. And Dave Cobb said, fellas, if you guys were on the bus, and you are getting ready for a show, and you want to warm up, what would you sing? He said, it does not have to be one of your hits. It does not have to be something that you recorded before. What would you sing?

“Immediately Duane Allen, our lead tenor, starts singing ‘Swing Down, Sweet Chariot,’ the old spiritual that we've known for years, but we've never recorded and immediately the four of us we knew the song. We joined in and started harmonizing with him. Dave Cobb said, That's it. That is it. Get to the microphones right now. We had just walked through the door. We had no idea we were going to record in less than an hour. And there was only a bass player there. The other musicians hadn't even gotten there yet. And that song was a done deal, probably less than an hour after we walked through the door of the studio.”

Those attending the Hempstead Hall show should also expect current versions of their hits as well as a sampler of the new album. “When we come your way . . . you're going to hear me do that you're going to hear me do oom-papa-mow mow. You're going to hear William Lee Golden singing “Thank God for Kids,” probably our most requested, but we're going to do some of this new music as well. And what we just started doing sometime in the last few weeks, we bring out stools, and we sit on stools, and we act like we're sitting on a front porch. . . . We'll probably do some patriotic music. We love to honor our country and our rights. But just a great lot of good country.” Sterban said.

The group’s publicist told me during a call to arrange the Sterban interview that the group members try not to speak much on concert days, to save their voices. Sterban said he takes tender care of his own voice and for him one way he does so matters above all: “We are not young guys anymore. And it's very, very important that we take care of ourselves. You know, we do not plan to retire. We do not plan to retire at all, but we want to keep going as long as we possibly can. And I think for me personally, the most important thing is, is to get enough rest. I went to the Vanderbilt Voice Center, and they basically they told me, sir, you are not going to sing like you did 30 or 40 years ago. But the best thing that you can do before a show is to take a nap. So that's what I do.”

Asked what song he sang on during his recording career that was the equivalent for great performance but little fanfare of The Beatles’ “Rain,” the b-side that Ringo Starr says features his best drumming, Sterban cited “Fancy Free,” the title track of the 1981 album that also contained the best-selling “Elvira” and “Bobby Sue” singles. “A lot of people overlooked that record. But it was one of the biggest records we've ever had, you know. It was written by a guy that used to work for us Jimbeau Hinson. He wrote that song. And he just passed away recently, you know? So it was a special song. But it was one of those songs that was almost like an afterthought. But it was really a big record.”

Sterban said, when asked to cite an influence on him that many might find surprising, that it would have to be Elvis, especially in his approach to gospel music. In fact, before Sterban oined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1972, he sang backup for Elvis with Gospel Music Hall of Famer JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet. “I spent a lot of time back in those days singing gospel songs with Elvis,” Sterban said. “He loved gospel songs. He loved spirituals. And if you listen to the song I talked to a little while ago, ‘Swing Down Sweet Chariot,’ Elvis recorded that song himself. If he was alive today, he would love that song. So singing gospel music with Elvis was a big influence on me.”

A few dozen tickets are still available in the balcony seating for $24. The house opens Friday, April 29 at 6 pm and the music starts at 7 pm.