Richard Sterban, the bass vocalist behind the “oom poppa, mow mow” hook on one of The Oak Ridge Boys‘ biggest hits, “Elvira,” and whose career launched as a backing singer for Elvis Presley, died on Saturday (Nov. 14). He was 83.
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Sterban passed away due to complications from bronchitis and pneumonia in Hendersonville, Tenn., his family shared. He died after a long battle with cancer, and after retiring from touring last year.
“We appreciate all of your love, support, and prayers,” the Sterban family said in a statement released on Saturday. “Please continue to lift us up in this difficult time. We find comfort knowing that he is currently face to face with Jesus.”
Sterban, a member of The Oak Ridge Boys for more than 50 years with Duane Allen, William Lee Golden and the late Joe Bonsall, revealed a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in September 2025, saying at the time that he was “under the care of the best cancer doctors in the country and, with the help of the Good Lord above, I believe I will be able to get through this.”
“Elvira” — The Oak Ridge Boys’ highest-charting single on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, a song that became one of the quartet’s numerous No. 1s on the Hot Country Songs chart, and the winner of a trio of major awards (a Grammy Award, a CMA Award and an ACM Award) put Sterban’s deep vocal front and center in the hit’s chorus.
The Oak Ridge Boys had 47 entries on the Hot Country Songs chart, including 17 No. 1s that spanned 1978-90. They also had 39 entries on the Top Country Albums chart, including three No. 1s (Fancy Free in 1981, Bobbie Sue in 1982 and Deliver in 1984).
On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, the group notched four entries, including two top 40-charted hits: “Elvira” (No. 5 in 1981) and “Bobbie Sue” (No. 12 in 1982).
Sterban was born in Camden, N.J., in 1934, and grew up in nearby Collingswood, where he sang at Sunday school and in his seventh grade glee club. He went to Trenton State College, now The College of New Jersey, to study music.
Before his professional journey in music led him to The Oak Ridge Boys, Sterban helped found the gospel quartet The Keystones in the Philadelphia area; Bonsall, who would go on to join The Oak Ridge Boys with him, also sang in the group.
In the early 1970s, Sterban found himself singing as a backing vocalist for superstar Elvis Presley.
For more than a year, he performed with Elvis onstage with J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, who appeared in the concert film Elvis on Tour (1972).
By 1972 the opportunity to join The Oak Ridge Boys — then a gospel four-piece who hadn’t yet shifted to the sound that would make them a household name in country music — came. The group’s previous bass singer Noel Fox had departed. Sterban decided to take the gig.
Johnny Cash featured The Oak Ridge Boys on tour, and the quartet would go on to sign with Cash’s manager, Jim Halsey, who’s credited with encouraging them to get into country.
Throughout his decades-long career with The Oak Ridge Boys, Sterban won five Grammys, including the award for best country performance by a duo or group with vocal in 1982 for “Elvira,” which had already been named single of the year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
Sterban’s deep voice was a centerpiece on the recording, which was penned by Dallas Frazier and produced by Ron Chancey.
“We looked at each other and said, ‘We think this is the song we’ve been looking for,’” Sterban recalled in a 2012 interview with Billboard timed around the release of his autobiography, From Elvis to Elvira. “To this day, I remember the look was on everybody’s faces in the studio. They all were having so much fun, and smiling. I remember Jimmy Capps was playing rhythm guitar, and he had such a grin on his face. I remember Ron telling me, ‘You need to sing that oom papa mow mow part,’ and on Dallas’ version, as well as the one by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, the line was on there, but not as predominant. He said, ‘Take it and make it your own.’”
In later years, Sterban was inducted into the Philadelphia Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Oak Ridge Boys became members of the Grand Ole Opry in 2011.
In a statement emailed on Saturday, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young wrote, “Richard Sterban was a musical bridge builder. He used his unmistakable bass voice to connect commercial country music to its deep gospel roots. Growing up in New Jersey, a dream was born when he heard J.D. Sumner sing. Richard later joined J.D. and the Stamps Quartet, accompanied Elvis Presley onstage, and became a member of the Oak Ridge Boys in 1972. He helped the supergroup achieve seventeen #1 hits, legions of fans the world over, and a well-deserved place in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Like his signature vocal style, Richard Sterban was a steady force and a foundational figure in country music.”
Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern wrote, “Today we mourn the loss of an essential part of the quartet that has become a cornerstone of our genre. Richard’s deep bass not only defined the sound of The Oak Ridge Boys, but also brought warmth, soul, and character to every performance. His talent helped shape songs that became truly timeless. Our hearts go out to Richard’s friends and family during this difficult time.”
Of his time performing with The Oak Ridge Boys, in 2012 Sterban told Billboard, “We are a very unique group. If you look at the four of us, we are so different from each other — like night from day. But, there’s something magical and special about us as a foursome. I think we realize we need each other, and we are a true team. We still look forward to getting on stage every night and taking our music to the audiences. I think that’s very important.”
Oak Ridge Boys tenor vocalist Joe Bonsall died from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2024.
Sterban stepped away from performing live due in 2025 due to his health, but he did rejoin the current formation of the group to sing “Elvira” at the Grand Ole Opry on Jan. 30 and 31, 2026. He also sang on their 2026 album Buried Treasures, which arrived in October.
Sterban is survived by wife Donna; daughters Lauren (Tyler) and Tori (Mitchell); sons Rich (Chele), Doug, and Chris; grandchildren, Mali (Zachary), Nikolas, Tyler (Ryann), Madelyn, Alexandra, Rex, Owen, and Charli Grace and great-grandchildren Salem, Asher, and Theo. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.
