Chart Rewind: In 1990, The Oak Ridge Boys Flew ‘High’ & Landed at No. 1

On March 3, 1990, The Oak Ridge Boys’ “No Matter How High” topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

Written by Joey Scarbury — of “Theme From Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)” fame — and Even Stevens, and produced by Jimmy Bowen, the song was released as the second of two singles from the Oaks’ LP American Dreams, after “An American Family” reached No. 4. At the time, the band was comprised of Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban.

The Oak Ridge Boys’ history dates to the 1940s. The group launched as the gospel/country-focused Oak Ridge Quartet. By the late ‘60s, the lineup included Allen and Golden, with Bonsall and Sterban joining in the early ‘70s.

By 1978, the foursome had successfully transitioned to mainstream country, earning its first of 14 top 10s on Top Country Albums with Y’all Come Back Saloon. “No Matter How High” became the most recent of the band’s 17 No. 1s on Hot Country Songs. In 1991, the group added one more top 10: “Lucky Moon,” its 34th.

The Oak Ridge Boys were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2011 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015. Due to complications from ALS, Bonsall, the group’s longtime tenor, passed away last July at age 76.

With Ben James added to their lineup in 2023, the Oaks continue to record, including the Dave Cobb-produced Mama’s Boys, released in October. On Feb. 28 and March 1, the band performed at the Grand Ole Opry House as part of the Opry’s 100th-anniversary celebration, with more tour stops scheduled through March.