William Lee Golden

Biography

William Lee Golden (born January 12, 1939) is an American country music singer. Between 1965 and 1987, and again since 1996, 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. He was voted out of the Oak Ridge Boys in 1987, as the other three members wanted to change the band's image. Golden was replaced by Steve Sanders after releasing his own album as a solo artist titled American Vagabond, which included two chart singles. In 1990, he moved to Mercury Records and released "Louisiana Red Dirt Highway" as a single only. Sanders left the group in 1995, and Golden returned on New Year's Eve of the same year.

Personal life

He has been married four times.
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. He has four sons, Rusty, Craig, Chris, and Solomon, a stepdaughter, and seven grandchildren. Golden's sons Rusty (who died in 2024) and Chris recorded as the Goldens for Epic Records and Capitol Records from 1988 to 1991. They also played in his band on his solo dates and on his albums.

The "Golden Era Plantation"

Golden's home is called the Golden Era Plantation. Built in 1786, it is recognized as the oldest brick home in Sumner County, Tennessee. The Federal-style structure was built in 1786, then called Pilot's Knob, on a military outpost by American Revolutionary War Captain James Franklin, the father of planter and slave trader Isaac Franklin (1789–1846). After the war, he was awarded a land grant to the property.
During the Civil War, the plantation became a station camp for Confederate soldiers. To protect their valuable gold and silver from approaching Union soldiers, the occupants buried the metals in the ground surrounding the house. This gold was later discovered during renovation of the home in 1976.
The area has been struck twice by tornadoes, once in 1892 and again on April 6, 2006. Originally a two-story building, the second story was removed by the first tornado. Repairs were made, leaving it as a single-story home. Following the second tornado, the home's architecture was restored, adding a second story. As of 2016, William Lee Golden still resided at Golden Era.