Oak Ridge Boys release ‘Live Forever’ video and Buried Treasures album with fresh voices and classic cuts

The Oak Ridge Boys have released a new video for their take on Billy Joe Shaver’s “Live Forever,” paired with a new album titled Buried Treasures that arrived Friday (Oct. 30), according to Taste of Country. The Country Music Hall of Famers frame the song as a statement of purpose after decades on the road. Producer Anderson East and executive producer and mix engineer David Cobb tapped William Lee Golden to sing lead on the track, which the group says reflects Shaver’s enduring message.

Director Brandon Wood shot the “Live Forever” video on a farm near Clarksville, Tenn., while additional footage features the Oaks at Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tenn., by the Oak Ridge Boys Bridge on Johnny Cash Parkway. Golden’s wife, Simone, appears in a segment. “Billy Joe’s not with us anymore,” Golden notes, adding that the lyric’s notion that “the songs that are left behind, they’re gonna live forever” resonated with the group’s harmonies on the chorus.

Buried Treasures blends the Oaks’ gospel roots with iconic favorites, including “Deep River,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Softly and Tenderly,” and Golden’s standout turn on “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Golden says Cobb also urged him to take lead on “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” with Duane Allen helping set a lower key for his range. “What I like the most is the passion in his voice,” Allen says, explaining that they left subtle breaks in Golden’s vocal to preserve its feeling. Manager Jim Halsey sparked the covers concept—invoking standards like “Stardust”—while songwriter Aaron Raitiere supplied the sole new original, the title track “Buried Treasure.”

The release arrives amid a shifting lineup. Joe Bonsall died in July 2024 after battling ALS, and Richard Sterban has been on leave for a year-and-a-half while undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, according to the outlet. Ben James has stepped in for Bonsall, and Aaron Lee McCune has been covering live dates in Sterban’s place, though Sterban contributed to the album in a limited way. Golden says the Oaks are planning a New Generation Tour next year, with Allen adding that if Sterban recovers, “we may have two bass singers the next time you see us.” Buried Treasures is available now on major digital platforms. For listeners, it’s a chance to hear the group’s storied harmonies reframed through classics—and to meet the voices carrying the legacy forward.

Source: Taste of Country