Oak Ridge Boys singer Duane Allen is very thankful for both his bandmates and their legion of fans. He called them his family in an emotional post.
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Allen has struggled this year after losing his longtime wife Norah Lee Allen. In particular, the Oak Ridge Boys singer said that it's been a struggle going home at the end of the day.
In the Facebook post, he wrote, "After losing my wife, I have no one to go home to. The fans, the Oaks, the Mighty Oaks Band and crew, are my family now. I love being with my family. I need my family to love on and to love on me. The music is our communication and it is , also, our healer. With God's divine direction and continued blessings, I am following, we are following, we are listening, we are still singing until the buses quit rolling. Our new album is all about what we learned from our Mamas. They taught us to sing. We know it is wise to listen to our Mamas. For years, I have said that it's the little boy in me that people see."
Oak Ridge Boys Singer Duane Allen Is In Period Of Mourning
Allen said that his faith has played a major role in carrying him forward past the tragedy. He wrote, "That same little boy is who my Mama taught right from wrong, how to love until it hurts, and how to live my life for God. When people ask me about my faith and how my faith guides me, I ask them to read John 3:16. I am a John 3:16, believing Christian. My next home will be Heaven. I want to see as many of you here as I can before I leave for my new home. I'm not preaching, I'm just sharing with you my thoughts after waking from a deep sleep. I had to write this down."
He also said that he needs the support of fans more than ever right now. Allen needs to feel their love and excitement.
He said, "I have never felt so much grief, so much pain, so many tears, so much love, in four months in my lifetime. I realize how much we all need each other more than ever. I need our music, our fans, our friends, our families, now, more than ever. I need the heart strings to be tugged in our songs, I need to move and jump on our fun songs, I need you to stand and sing with us on ELVIRA and BOBBIE SUE. And if we sing AMAZING GRACE, I want to hear you sing it with us and make the rafters shake."
