Joe Bonsall

Joe Bonsall (May 18, 1948 – July 9, 2024)

Biography

Joe Bonsall began his career with a group called Faith Four which also included his sister Nancy. He began singing tenor for the Keystone Quartet in 1967. The group also included future Oak Ridge Boys bass singer Richard Sterban.

In 1973, Bonsall replaced tenor singer Willie Wynn in the Oak Ridge Boys and sang with them until December 2023, completing 50 years with the group as their career transitioned from traditional Southern Gospel to Country in the late 1970s and resumed recording Southern Gospel in the late 1990s.

After learning to play banjo, he was given the nickname "Ban Joey."

Bonsall was also an author, completing eleven books including a series for children called The Molly Books, an inspirational biography of his parents titled G. I. Joe and Lillie, and a memoir titled I See Myself (to be released posthumously).

Awards

Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame (1994)