William Lee Golden
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.
William Lee Golden
William Lee Golden
January 12, 1939
Brewton, Alabama, U.S.
Singer, painter
Vocals (baritone)
1965–present
Golden was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015 as a member of the Oak Ridge Boys.
Career[edit]
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 Highway".[2]
Sanders left the group in 1995 and Golden returned on New Year's Eve of the same year.[4]
Personal life[edit]
Has been married four times.[5] Golden was married to Frogene Normand from 1957 to 1975. He married Luetta Callaway in 1984 and they divorced in 1987. He was married to Brenda Kaye Hall from 1990 to 2013. Golden married Simone De Staley in 2015. They live in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He has four sons, Rusty, Craig, Chris and Solomon, a step-daughter and seven grandchildren. Golden's sons Rusty and Chris recorded as The Goldens for Epic Records and Capitol Records between 1988 and 1991.[3] They also played in his road band during his solo career.[2]