Photo courtesy of Webster PR, taken by Mike Payne.
As President George H.W. Bush continues to recover from a bout of bronchitis that left him hospitalized in Houston during the holidays, the Oak Ridge Boys played a special part in his recovery. They band received a message from Barbara Bush, asking them if they could call and sing for her husband. While the group is currently enjoying some time off, they headed to their office to sing a couple of tunes as soon as the request came in.
“Words cannot properly express how much The Oaks’ special performance meant to the President and the Bush family,” the President’s office said in a statement. “This friendship goes back many years, and what happened yesterday gave the President a real shot in the arm as he, thankfully, continues to improve. The Bushes continue to feel so blessed to have so many friends like The Oaks, and wish to thank one and all for their prayers and good wishes.”
“Brenda and I consider Pres. George H.W. Bush, Barbara and their entire family some of our most treasured friends,” William Lee Golden said. “My partners and I were so honored to help lift spirits by singing yesterday over the phone to him and his family. We wish him speedy recovery.”
“Duane Allen called with the word that President Bush would love to hear a few songs from The Oak Ridge Boys and his family all agreed that this just may lift his spirits, as he has been hospitalized for over a month,” Joe Bonsall said. “The main request came from Barbara Bush so Duane was calling around in hopes that everyone was in town during this off time. Well, he found us all and within about 45 minutes we had converged at our office and were calling OUR President. We asked what song he would like to hear and he said ELVIRA so we blasted some ‘oom pop a mau mau’s’ in the direction of Houston, Texas.”
The Oaks also serenaded the President with a verse of “Amazing Grace.”
