Oak Ridge Boys 07-19-75 Indianapolis, IN

This is obviously a shortened show. I apologize for the poor quality on this show, as well as the short length of the show. This may be the worst quality of my shows. However, starting with the next concert I post, the quality will get better!

The Oaks had just released their 1975 album, "Sky High", but they were having trouble selling it, in good part due to Columbia's lack of promotion. Columbia wouldn't service the gospel radio stations with their singles, and the pop and country radio stations wouldn't play the Oaks, thinking they were a gospel group. Also, Larry Goldblatt, who offered to be the Oaks' manager, wasn't following through with his booking promises, and the Oaks were not getting many dates.

The Oaks were beginning to put songs from their next year's album, where they were trying to tap back into their lost gospel market, titled "Old Fashioned, Down Home, Hand Clappin', Foot Stompin', Southern Style, Gospel Quartet Music". These songs include the barbershop gospel number "I'm Winging My Way Back Home", and the Grammy Award winning gospel song "Where the Soul Never Dies". A funny story about the latter, which won a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance: the next year, in 1976, the Oaks were touring Russia, one of the first American groups to tour the then-Communist country, and the Soviets were making them turn their lyrics in to Russian censors to see if any of their lyrics threatened their way of life. The Soviets wanted them to change the lyric in the chorus from "to Caananland (which is a word for Heaven) I'm on my way" to "to Disneyland I'm on my way", since words about Heaven and Jesus are forbidden in Soviet Russia. The Oaks opted to change it to "to that fair land".

This concert closes with "Heaven Bound", which was not on any of the three Columbia albums, but was released as a single, and was the first Oaks song to make a major chart, at #91 on the Cashbox charts. It still closes the Oaks' concerts occasionally today.

Track List:
01 - Jesus Is the Man (for the Hour)
02 - The Baptism of Jesse Taylor
03 - Where the Soul Never Dies
04 - Band Chatter
05 - Sailing Toward Home
06 - I'm Winging My Way Back Home
07 - I Know
08 - Band Chatter
09 - When I Sing for Him
10 - Heaven Bound