William golden biography

American singer (born 1939)

Musical artist

William Lee Golden (born January 12, 1939)^[1] is an American country music singer. Between 1965 and 1987, and again since December 1995, he has been the baritone singer in the country vocal group The Oak Ridge Boys.

Golden was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015 as a member of the Oak Ridge Boys.

Career

Golden joined The Oak Ridge Boys (then a Southern gospel music group) in 1965. Golden is widely known for his waist-length beard and hair, and has become one of the most recognizable faces in the entertainment industry.

Golden was voted out of The Oak Ridge Boys in 1987, as the other three members wanted to change the band's image.^[2] He was replaced by Steve Sanders, but stayed with MCA Records as a solo artist to record an album titled American Vagabond, which included two chart singles.^[3] In 1990, he moved to Mercury Records and released "Louisiana Red Dirt