Obit: Former Oak Ridge Boy Douglas 'Noel' Fox dies
Balecox
Douglas ''Noel'' Fox
By JEANNE A. NAUJECK
Staff Writer
Douglas ''Noel'' Fox, 63, an early bass singer for the Oak Ridge Boys, died
Thursday after surgery following a stroke last week.
''It's sad to lose someone like Noel Fox,'' longtime band manager Jim Halsey
said. ''His positive attitude and always-smiling face is what this world needs
more of.''
Mr. Fox, of Cottontown, was born and raised in Columbia, Tenn. He sang in the
Oak Ridge Boys for five years, leaving in 1972 for a successful Nashville music
business career that included booking, talent management and publishing.
In 1978, Fox took over management of the Oak Ridge Boys' publishing entity
Silverline/Goldline Music Inc. He went on and served as vice president of MCA
Music/ Nashville and president of Maypop Music Group, which was owned by
members of the group Alabama. He worked with numerous artists, including
Gretchen Peters, Rhonda Vincent and Lionel Cartwright.
An early champion of Steve Earle, Fox signed him to a publishing deal and
introduced him to then-MCA Records producer Tony Brown. MCA subsequently signed
Earle and released his 1986 debut hit Guitar Town.
''He touched — and was touched by — a lot of people,'' said Cindy Fox, his
wife of 21 years. ''He was definitely a song person. I think he heard them
quite well.''
Mr. Fox was an avid golfer and enjoyed being part of the ''Liar's Club'' at the
local market, Cindy Fox said. The couple had recently begun selling real
estate.
''We were having a ball, just having a blast working together,'' Mrs. Fox said.
The Oak Ridge Boys began in Knoxville in 1943 as the Oak Ridge Quartet, singing
country and gospel music. The group has won two Grammys, 12 Dove Awards and
numerous awards from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country
Music. The Oak Ridge Boys were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in
October 2000.
The current lineup is Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden and Richard
Sterban, who replaced Fox in 1972.
Lead singer Allen called Fox ''a fine human being, a devoted family man, a
great bass singer for the Oak Ridge Boys, a great publisher, manager and agent
and my best friend.''
Mr. Fox had been in good health but had experienced irregular heart functioning
and recently had a series of strokes.
In addition to his wife, survivors include son, Troy Fox; two daughters,
Rachael Fox and Marie Fox; and stepson, Robert Mitchell, all of Nashville.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning at First Baptist
Church in Hendersonville. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be
made to the American Heart Association or the American Stroke Association.
The Nice Mean Man
The Oak Ridge Boys... They did some great fuck songs.
Nola Daniell
The Nice Mean Man wrote:
>
>
> The Oak Ridge Boys... They did some great fuck songs.
The intelligence quotient of some of these new posters just staggers me, I've
had more names in my kill-file in the past six months than in the past 8 years.
Pathetic.
Nola