{"id":5544,"date":"2024-07-03T15:56:40","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T19:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/womantowoman\/?p=5544"},"modified":"2024-07-03T16:32:35","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T20:32:35","slug":"rest-in-peace-gospel-songwriter-rusty-golden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/womantowoman\/2024\/07\/rest-in-peace-gospel-songwriter-rusty-golden\/","title":{"rendered":"Rest in Peace, Gospel Songwriter Rusty Golden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

RIP, Rusty Golden (Image courtesy of Pixaby \/ RoyBuri)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Award-winning gospel songwriter Rusty Golden, 65, died at his home in Hendersonville, TN, on Monday, July 1. He was the son of Oak Ridge Boys\u2019 band member William Lee Golden and the late Frogene Normand.<\/p>\n

In a statement released by the band, William Lee Golden said his son\u2019s death was \u201cthe hardest thing ever for a father to have to face. I love my family more than anything. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golden was named for his father but became known as Rusty at an early age.<\/p>\n

An Alabama native, Golden grew up in a music-filled home, according to press reports. At age seven, he moved with his family to Nashville, where his father\u2019s group was focusing on gospel music. The Oak Ridge Boys later gained tremendous success after crossing over to country and pop.<\/p>\n

Beginning His Musical Career<\/strong><\/h3>\n Rusty Golden, 65, died at his home in Hendersonville, TN on Monday, July 1. Photo by Kris Rae, courtesy of 2911 Media.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Rusty\u2019s paternal grandmother influenced his first attempts at songwriting. Her poems were frequently published in the hometown newspaper, and he wrote his first song by setting some of her poetry to music. His paternal great-grandfather was an early influence, as well.<\/p>\n The young Golden was a skilled drummer by age 12 and began playing for a popular gospel group \u2014 The Rambos \u2014 by age 13. But he changed gears after becoming enamored with the piano after attending an Elton John concert.<\/p>\n He taught himself to play and by age 17, was touring with Larry Gatlin. Six years after beginning piano, he played keyboard with Gatlin on \u201cLove Is Just a Game,\u201d which hit No. 1. By age 20, he was recording for ABC Records and briefly playing drums for the Oak Ridge Boys.<\/p>\n Rusty Golden\u2019s Early Songs<\/strong><\/h3>\n The young musician helped form The Boys Band, which hit Billboard\u2019s Hot 100 with the single \u201cPlease Don\u2019t Stop Me Baby.\u201d The group disbanded in 1984. That same year, Golden received a Gold plaque for his songwriting work on The Oak Ridge Boys\u2019 Bobbie Sue <\/em>album.<\/p>\n Shortly afterward, he joined with his brother Chris and third generation musician Marc Speer to create the Golden Speer group. Their album was not released, and in 1985, Golden and his brother recorded as The Goldens. In 1990, they released the Rush for Gold <\/em>album, which contained Take Me Back to the Country, Long Gone <\/em>and Keep The Faith.<\/em><\/p>\n Changing Gears to Gospel<\/strong><\/h3>\n Following quadruple bypass surgery, Golden decided to return to his gospel roots as a songwriter. He had several No. 1 southern gospel hits, and two songs \u2013 What Salvation\u2019s Done for Me <\/em>and I Want to Thank You <\/em>\u2013 earned him Song of the Year awards.<\/p>\n Golden joined with his brother Chris and his father to start a family band called William Lee Golden and The Goldens. From 2020 to 2021, they released 34 songs and added several other family members to the band. And only last year, the younger Golden was named Keyboard Player of the Year by the Josie Music Awards.<\/p>\n A \u201cMega-Talent\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n \u201cRusty Golden\u2019s EP Confessions <\/em>is a perfect blend of modern country sounds and old school storytelling songwriting. They rarely write these kinds of well-crafted tunes anymore,\u201d legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo said of Golden\u2019s songs.<\/p>\n Songwriter Dianne Wilkinson called Golden \u201cmega-talented.\u201d And Gerald Crabb, a songwriter and author, praised Golden\u2019s mastery of \u201cbasically every genre of music,\u201d as well as his musical experience, which he carried over to Christian music audiences.<\/p>\n Country Music Hall of Famer Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys noted that Rusty Golden relied \u201con the power of his great relationship with Jesus Christ to conquer the powers that would derail most people\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Information about the funeral is pending and will be announced at www.williamleegoldenandthegoldens.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n RIP Rusty Golden.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Award-winning gospel songwriter Rusty Golden, 65, died at his home in Hendersonville, TN, on Monday, July 1. He was the son of Oak Ridge Boys\u2019 band member William Lee Golden and the late Frogene Normand. In a statement released by the band, William Lee Golden said his son\u2019s death was \u201cthe hardest thing ever for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4662,"featured_media":5550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1872],"tags":[1887,1890,1884,1881,1875,1878],"class_list":["post-5544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rusty-golden-death","tag-award-winning-songwriter-dies","tag-death-of-rusty-golden","tag-gospel-musician-dies","tag-gospel-songwriter-dies","tag-songwriter-golden-dies","tag-william-goldens-son-dies"],"yoast_head":"\nRest in Peace, Gospel Songwriter Rusty Golden<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Award-winning gospel songwriter Rusty Golden, 65, died at his home in Hendersonville, TN, on Monday, July 1. 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