Boys bringing ‘Elvira’ to Spokane

As unlikely as it seems, “Elvira,” the country crossover hit from 1981, has a Spokane connection.

That’s according to one of the men behind the song, Oak Ridge Boy Richard Sterban.

Sterban, the bass singer responsible for the famous “giddy up a-oom papa oom papa mow mow” in “Elvira,” said recently the first time the band performed the song after recording it was on stage at the Spokane Opera House.

“We recorded the song and we felt like we had something special on our hands so we wanted to try it out on a live audience to see what kind of response it would get,” Sterban said by telephone from his home in Hendersonville, Tenn. “I remember that night. We didn’t say anything about it, we just kind of stuck it in the middle of the show. And people went crazy. We had to encore that song four or five times. It was unbelievable. Then we stuck it at the end of the show and we had to encore it again. So we realized that night when we saw that response that we did have something special our hands. So we will always remember Spokane because of that night.”

Of course “Elvira” went on to become the Oak Ridge Boys’ signature song, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard country chart and No. 5 on the pop chart. You can bet “Elvira” will be on the set list when the Oak Ridge Boys return to that very same stage – now known as the INB Performing Arts Center – for a Christmas concert Monday. In fact, Sterban guarantees it.

With six Christmas albums under their belt, and 23 annual Christmas tours behind him, Sterban said the band these days is known for its Christmas music. The show, which is part of the group’s 40th anniversary tour, will be divided into two parts. The first act will feature the hits from the group’s lengthy career – including “Elvira,” “Thank God for Kids,” and “Bobbie Sue” – “kind of a mini version of what we do normally over the course of the year,” Sterban said. After intermission, it turns into a Christmas show.

“We cover just about every aspect of Christmas. We sing songs about the romantic side of Christmas, we sing songs about the fun side of Christmas,” Sterban said. “We have a great Santa who comes out and we do several songs with Santa. And Santa goes out into the audience and interacts with people. The kids love it. It’s a highlight of the show.”

Yes, this is a family-friendly show, Sterban said, and the band encourages parents to bring their children.

The end of the show centers on what Sterban calls the most important part: songs about the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus.

“We end the show on a very high sacred note, on an inspirational note,” he said.

It’s no surprise that the Oak Ridge Boys perform gospel music on their tour. The group began in the 1940s and had success as a Southern gospel group until the mid-70s, when they shifted their focus to country.

The current lineup – Sterban, Duane Allen (lead singer), Joe Bonsall (tenor) and William Lee Golden (baritone) – has been together since 1973, except for a stint from 1987-95 when Golden left the group. The secret to their longevity has been their friendship and the respect they have for one another as men and as singers, he said.

“We love doing what we do. That is the biggest key to why we’re here 40 years later,” Sterban said. “We still look forward to taking our music on stage every night to our fans. We’re still having fun doing it.”