Last Stage Appearance of Rusty Was With His Father, Oak Ridge Boys’ William Lee Golden

“This is the hardest thing ever for a father to have to face. I love my family more than anything,” William Lee Golden, 85, of the Oak Ridge Boys said in a statement the day after oldest son died on July 1, 2024. “Rusty was a great musician, a talented songwriter, and a wonderful son. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers for the days ahead. I love you, son.”

Rusty Golden, left, his last moments on stage. Kerrville TX, June 16, 2024. Jack Dennis, CleverJourneys

Not long ago, this message was released:

“Until the Lord calls me away from this world to the next, I want to make it clear that I believe in Jesus Christ as the true Lord and Savior,” said William Lee “Rusty” Golden, Jr. entertainer, songwriter and son of his namesake father. “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, was sacrificed on the cross, died for our sins, and rose again. HE loves us.”

Dodie, our Pastor Brady and his wife Michelle Owens, and I were part of the 800 seat audience during the Father’s Day, June 16, 2024 concert at the Cailloux Theater in Kerrville, Texas.

Billed as William Lee Golden and the Goldens, the talented family, along with singing and musician friends stopped over in the Texas Hill Country following performances in Roswell and Alto New Mexico, up in Lubbock and at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Goldens included grandfather William’s sons Rusty and Chris, along with grandson Elijah. We were privileged to see famed bass singer Tim Duncan accompany on vocals.

The bandmates were tight and all known for their contributions in the music industry. This included Eugene Moles, Eddy Bell, Larry Marrs and John Rich.

Little did we know this would be Rusty’s last ever performance.

Rusty had been excited at their Grand Ole Opry Nashville performance less than two weeks prior to Kerrville.

“My first boss out of high school was Larry Gatlin and I was with him from his first hit ‘Broken Lady’ up until ‘All the Gold in California’ and ‘Houston’ which would both go on to top the charts,” Rusty said.

“Brenda Lee and I first met in 1979 backstage at the Opry House talking to Elton John (whose idol WAS Brenda,” he continued. “I listened in amazement as my own musical hero (EJ) told me that it was surreal being close to his childhood hero (Brenda).”

Rusty began his musical career early, playing drums for The Rambos at age 13. After seeing Elton John in concert, he switched from drums to the piano. At 17, he toured with Larry Gatlin as the band’s piano player.

He co-founded The Boys Band in the 1980s and received an RIAA Gold Record for his songwriting on the Oak Ridge Boys’ album Bobbie Sue. Rusty then linked up with Marc Speer and started making gospel music along with Rusty’s brother Chris. The project was shelved, but Rusty and Chris continued making gospel music.

He wrote gospel songs for other artists, including “What Salvation’s Done for Me” for The Booth Brothers and “I Want to Thank You” for Karen Peck & New River. Rusty also released two solo albums, including Angels, which focused on his faith.

Rusty suffered from alcohol addiction and endured a journey towards sobriety, which he details lyrically in his album “Sober.”

“I tried for over 36 years to do everything my way,” he said of his alcohol abuse in an interview with The Nashville Scene. “It wasn’t so much that I was out of control. But I had a real problem. I didn’t want to believe that I couldn’t deal with it.”

“It took family members looking at me and saying, ‘You need to get help,’ of them later telling me they would rather not have me come around the way I was that finally convinced me to get help.”

“You either are part of the solution or you remain an addict. Everybody out there either knows somebody, loves somebody, or has been somebody who’s addicted. It’s something that we should always remember whenever we’re talking about addiction or dealing with it, that it is such a pervasive problem, and one where there’s no easy solution to the problem.”

A day after Rusty’s burial, Joseph Bonsall, the tenor for the Oak Ridge Boys for over 50 years died in Hendersonville, Tennessee from complications of ALS. Bonsall retired from the group in January.

Oak Ridge Boys with Bonsall and Golden in center.

In March, Rusty mentioned how his two brothers, Chris and Craig and he have Native American blood running through our veins.”

“My mother’s mom married a French Cajun man named Normand (named from Normandy, where Omaha Beach is located). On June 6, 1944 – D Day – Allied Forces launched the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare).”

(Note that among the pallbearers listed below are some of the Normands)

“The 1st Infantry assault experienced the worst ordeal of D- Day operations,” he explained. “The Americans suffered 2,400 casualties, but 34,000 Allied troops landed by nightfall. Divided into Charlie, Dog, Easy and Fox zones.”

“This is where our Normands people were from before coming to Louisiana, where we still have ancestors from Normandy,” he recalled.
“‘Papaw’ fell in love with my grandmother Estelle, whose grandmother was a full blooded member of the Poarch Creek tribe.”

Elijah and his father Chris Golden sang at Rusty’s services.

Songs at his service were all written by Rusty.

“The Creeks are original residents of the American southeast, particularly Georgia, ALABAMA, Florida, and North Carolina. Creek is the European name given to the Muscogee because of their geographic location.”

“At the start of the 1500’s the Muscogee occupied nearly all of what is the southeast United States. Creeks Migrate to Florida conflicts with Europeans and other tribes caused them to seek new lands to live in peace.”

“Groups of Lower Creeks moved to Florida to get away from the dominance of Upper Creeks. Some Creeks were searching for rich, new fields to plant corn, beans and other crops.”

“They have an annual POW WOW during Thanksgiving that brings in tens of thousands of visitors to experience the lifestyle and colors of these beautiful people. It’s always held in Atmore, Alabama, about 30 minutes from downtown Brewton where my brothers and I were all born at D.W. McMILLAN hospital.”