In 1970, a southern gospel group named the Oak Grove Gospel Singers was formed. The group consisted of three brothers, a cousin and an uncle. Due to the age of the members they later became known as the Oak Grove Boys Quartet. In 1975 we recorded our first album at Superior Sound Studios in Nashville, TN, owned by the Oak Ridge Boys. In 1983, one of the brothers, Ray Summerlin, lead guitar player and bass singer died of cancer. Today the group sings as a Quartet with a four-piece band and travels on a forty foot Prevost conversion coach that has recently been remodeled to a 2008 model. The group has won the favorite male group award and several individual awards for favorite lead, tenor, and baritone singers in the East Coast Gospel Music Association. Larry Summerlin is the piano player, baritone singer and has won several favorite musician awards. He also handles the duty of bus driver for the group. His brother, Roger Summerlin, sings lead, plays bass guitar, and is the manager of the group. Roger's sons, Christian Summerlin plays bass guitar and  piano and his twin brother  Nicholas Summerlin also plays bass and rhythm guitar and are the newest members of the group. Ray Owens joined the group in 1982 and plays drums.  Ray's oldest son, 18 year old Daniel Owens is our backup drummer and I must say a very talented young drummer too.  Ricky Hagan joined the group in 1996 to play steel guitar.  Ricky also helps out in the tenor position when needed and is one of the finest steel guitarist in our area.   Each of these members are from the small rural town of Elm City, N.C.    Singing tenor for the Oak Grove Boys is Blake Stallings of Kenly,NC.  Blake has been a tag team partner for us for many years filling in when the previous tenors couldn't make it.  He is a Pastor and is a blessing to sing with and a fine young Christian with a heart to minister through preaching and song.    He has proven to be a crowd pleaser from the response we have received since his joining the group. Over the 35 years singing we have recorded seventeen recording projects. Several of our recordings were produced by some of gospel music’s finest such as Jim Hamill former member of the Kingsmen, Danny Funderburk former member of the Cathedral Quartet, Otis Forrest and Rick Sandridge of Nashville TN. Our latest single is on the SonSound CD Compilation called "As Only You Can" produced by Danny Funderburk. Our new SonSound Masterpiece recording project "Wonderful Grace" with several songs including the title song written by Curtis Hyler of Greenville, NC was released in July and was produced by Brad Hudson and Larry Summerlin. It is available on CD and cassette.  Last year we received this email announcement from Ruth Gibbs, Promotions Director of KGSG-FM, Pasco, WA: "We're excited to tell you that your song "ROLL AWAY TROUBLE RIVER" has been voted by our listeners as the number 23 song for 2003!  We'll be airing it on our "Mid Columbia Gospel Music Top 40" program on January 24, 2004.  Our latest recording "Not Far From Home" has just been released.  Our singing schedule has taken us to Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and all over North Carolina from the mountains to the coast. We have performed in civic auditoriums, theme parks, county fairs, high school and college auditoriums and churches with groups such as Gold City, The Kingsmen, The Perry’s, Brian Free and Assurance, Heaven Bound, Tony Gore, the Wilburns, The Perry Sister’s, The Steele’s, The Greene’s, The McKamey’s, The Bishops, The Dixie Melody Boys and J.D. Sumner and The Stamps Quartet, The Anchormen and the Isaac's. Though each member holds a full time job, we have been blessed with a full time schedule and booking dates well over a year in advance. We have been featured in a full page write up in the Lifestyles section and most recently the TV & Entertainment special feature on Oct. 13, 2001 of the Wilson Daily Times newspaper and a full feature page in the September edition of Carolina Life magazine. This year 2009, marks 39 years of singing Southern Gospel Music and with God’s blessings we hope to continue for years to come. Although entertaining is a part of singing, the goal of the Oak Grove Boys is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and song.