OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — A man who spent decades singing country music inspired by traditional gospel music sang in Oak Ridge said on social media that he would not be able to complete his band's farewell tour.
The Oak Ridge Boys' history stretches back to the 1940s when the Oak Ridge Quartet would sing gospel and country music in a city where the atomic bomb was being developed. The quartet's fame grew, but members came and left and eventually helped connect members to form a new group.
That group would become The Oak Ridge Boys, performing as a band in the 1970s. Its current members include Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, Richard Sterban and Joe Bonsall.
Bonsall, the band's tenor singer, said on social media Wednesday that he would not be able to complete The Oak Ridge Boys' farewell tour. He said he had been battling a slow-onset neuromuscular disorder for more than four years. He said the disorder developed to a point where he could no longer walk.
"It has just gotten too difficult. It has been a great 50 years and I am thankful to all the Oak Ridge Boys band crew and staff for the constant love and support shown to me through it all," he said on social media. "I will never forget and for those of you who have been constantly holding me up in prayer I thank you and ask for you to keep on praying."
Ben James, a singer-songwriter from North Carolina who recently released a bluegrass-style album named "Wonderland," is singing in place of Bonsall.
"His sound is different than mine but he brings a ton of talent to the table," Bonsall said on social media.
Bonsall also said The Oak Ridge Boys would finish the farewell tour. The band is next expected to appear in Galveston, Texas, on Jan. 20 before traveling to Georgia, Florida and Alabama.