Richard Sterban. Photo from oakridgeboys.com
Richard Sterban, the bass voice of The Oak Ridge Boys, died at age 83 over the weekend.
A firm representing the quartet confirmed Sterban died in Hendersonville of complications from bronchitis and pneumonia after a “long, hard battle with cancer.”
Sterban joined The Oak Ridge Boys in 1972 and became most known as the voice of the bass run in their classic song “Elvira.” The bass line — “oom poppa mow mow” — is one of the most familiar sounds in American music, per the group’s representation.
