Who Was Richard Sterban? 5 Things About the Oak Ridge Boys Singer – Hollywood Life

Richard Sterban, the Oak Ridge Boys bass singer whose booming voice helped make “Elvira” a crossover hit, died November 14 at 83. His family and the band said he died in Hendersonville, Tennessee, from complications of bronchitis and pneumonia after a long battle with cancer.

Learn more about the late singer below.

He Sang Backup for Elvis Presley

Sterban was singing gospel with J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet when Elvis Presley hired the group to back him.

Sterban told The Arts Fuse that he spent about 18 months singing with Elvis and recorded backing vocals on “Burning Love.” Some of his fondest memories came between shows, when Presley would find a piano backstage and sing gospel with the quartet. Sterban can also be seen in the 1972 documentary Elvis on Tour.

He Joined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1972

William Lee Golden called Sterban in 1972 to offer him the Oak Ridge Boys’ soon-to-be-vacant bass spot. Sterban already collected the group’s records, and he left Presley’s tour to join the quartet while it was still singing gospel. The Oaks scored their first country hit in 1977 with “Y’all Come Back Saloon.” Looking back on Golden’s call, Sterban told Chicago Concert Reviews it was “a decision that changed my life.”

He Sang the Signature Bass Line on ‘Elvira’

Dallas Frazier first released “Elvira” in 1966. For the Oak Ridge Boys’ 1981 version, producer Ron Chancey gave the low refrain to Sterban while Joe Bonsall sang lead.

“I kept thinking how well Richard Sterban would do those low-pitched ‘papa-oom-mau-maus,’” Chancey told Billboard that year. The recording reached No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

He Entered the Country Music Hall of Fame With the Oak Ridge Boys

Sterban entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015 alongside Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall and Golden. It put him in the same Hall of Fame as Presley, a connection Sterban said he never could have imagined when he was singing backup.

In a statement after Sterban’s death, Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young said the singer had used his bass voice “to connect commercial country music to its deep gospel roots.”

He Returned to the Grand Ole Opry Stage in 2026

After stepping away from regular touring in 2025, Sterban rejoined the Oak Ridge Boys at the Grand Ole Opry on Jan. 30 and 31, 2026. He sang his trademark bass part on “Elvira,” and the Opry audience gave him standing ovations.