![]() I think it's been documented in about eight books. Well, we kind of kneeled down almost around the desk and sang "Amazing Grace" a cappella. But you could tell everybody was down.Īnd I think it was Mary Matalin that said, why don't you guys sing "Amazing Grace"? You know how much he loves it. There was like a - I don't know how it is on Air Force One now, but that Air Force One had a replica of the Oval Office. And I was wondering if you guys could come on up to the front and maybe sing a song for him. Doesn't that that sound like a Bush thing, fellas? He came back there and said, fellas, dad's feeling kind of down up there. And he says, fellas - and him and his father both called us fellas all the time. And it looked like George Bush would not have a second term.Īnd we were sitting in the back in our assigned seats on Air Force One. And we all knew flying into Knoxville on that last stop that it looked like this young Arkansas guy Bill Clinton was going to win this election. And there was a really moving memory, and I just wondered if you would just remind us of it.īONSALL: We were on the campaign trail with him for about three days, all through the Midwest and ending up in Knoxville, Tenn. MARTIN: You wrote in your book, "On The Road With The Oak Ridge Boys," about traveling with the Bush family on Air Force One during the 1992 re-election campaign which was not successful. I mean, they, probably went to five or six shows there. Every year we do a big show in Galveston at the big opera house there, and they used to come on over there and come to the show. We shared songs.Īnd it was just a magical time every single time we were ever in his presence, whether it was Air Force One, the White House, Houston, times they came out to hear us sing. We dined around the table with them so many times when it was just the four of us - the Oak Ridge Boys and our wives and George and Barbara Bush in Kennebunkport, Maine. And him and Barbara both spoke about her often. And you know how the guys in special ops say, when you talk about a fallen warrior, it keeps them alive? I think he kept her alive that way. MARTIN: Really? Robin, who died when she was a small child, a young child.īONSALL: You know, he talked about her often. He never ever stopped talking about that little girl that they lost. And he's with his daughter, who he really loved. And the only thing that comforts us now is the fact that we know he's with her. When we lost her, it was just heartbreaking. MARTIN: What did you like most about him?īONSALL: He was such a gentleman. And I always like to say over the years that we sang for George Bush that night, and we've been singing for him ever since. He said, can you guys do "Freckles"? We said, my gosh, the vice president knows "Freckles." Nobody knows "Freckles." So we started singing songs for him. That's how we knew he wasn't kidding.īONSALL: No, you can't. He told us about his love for country music and that the Oak Ridge Boys were his favorite act. And we all chatted for a while, had a good time. ![]() Do you guys think you could sing a couple of songs for me?īONSALL: So, first of all, they handed us this bag full of vice president T-shirt, which we had no idea even existed. I've got to go to Africa today, and I'm going to miss the show tonight. ![]() And he says, fellas, I'm a big fan of yours. But here comes this long, lanky figure running towards us with a bag of goodies. Well, that afternoon, we're doing a soundcheck on the lawn of the White House, which is kind of surreal to begin with. And Ronald Reagan was having a congressional barbecue. How did your relationship with the Bushes, start particularly President George Bush?īONSALL: Well, it's kind of a unique story. MARTIN: Well, thank you so much for talking with us. I'm sorry for the reason that we're talking, but it's an honor to talk to you. Joe Bonsall is a member of the group, and he's with us now from Billings, Mont. The band played at the funeral of Barbara Bush in April. The band frequently performed at the White House and the Bushes' summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, and their home in Texas. President Bush and his late wife Barbara were both big fans and became close friends. Now we're going to hear from a personal friend of President Bush, a member of the Oak Ridge Boys, a country music band from Tennessee.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |