At the center of the Oak Ridge Boys was Duane Allen. Finding his way to the group during the 1960s, the singer helped the band shape some of their most successful songs. He also acted as the CEO of the Oak Ridge Boys. Dedicating his career to the group, he landed in the Country Music Hall of Fame thanks to his contributions to country music. He even married Norah Lee Allen, who was a backup singer at the Grand Ole Opry. With Norah sadly passing away just last year, apparently, Allen recorded a song in her honor.
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Having been married for over 50 years, Allen’s life drastically changed when Norah passed away after battling a longtime illness. At the time, the Oak Ridge Boys worked on their album Mama’s Boys. And among the songs that made up the album was “Ever With Me.” Allen admitted to the song rocking him to his core when performing it. “There’s a song on here called ‘Ever With Me,’ and if you listen closely enough, you can hear the trembling in my voice.”
The Reason Duane Allen Never Performed “Ever With Me” On Stage
Although struggling to get through the song, the band decided to leave it on the album. And the reason why – “We decided to leave it on, because it was real. I was going through losing my wife during the recording process of that song, and it has a lot of emotion in it. I really like it.”
While the band seemed to make the right decision, fans might have noticed the Oak Ridge Boys have yet to perform it on stage. Even with the group looking to retire in 2024, they continue to tour throughout 2025. Not exactly ready to step off the stage for the last time, Allen explained how he was the reason the song was never performed live. “We’ve not been able to do that on stage yet, because I’m not sure I can even get through it.”
With Allen visibly heartbroken over his wife’s passing, it’s unclear if he will ever find the strength to perform the song on stage. But that might change as the Oak Ridge Boys looked to keep performing in the near future.
(Photo by John D Shearer/Shutterstock)
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