By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com

There’s very little that Chris Golden hasn’t done in more than four decades in the music business.

Now, he’s bringing a lifetime of playing and singing to the Old Barn at Renfro Valley on Friday, June 1. The show begins at 7 p.m. Chris had originally planned to have his daughter, Elizabeth, an accomplished fiddler, along for the concert but Chris informed KentuckySings.com Friday she will not be able to attend.

If Golden’s name sounds familiar, he is the son of famed Oak Ridge Boys baritone William Lee Golden and Chris Golden was a member of the Oaks band for 17 years himself.Chris served as drummer for the Hall of Fame gospel and country group, a gig that took him around the world and brought him to Renfro Valley numerous times. He left the Oaks in 2014 to go solo and since then he’s been a big success mixing country and bluegrass into the gospel message.

Since going solo, Golden has won numerous awards, including Absolutely Gospel Music’s country gospel “Artist of the Year” in 2018 and the International Country Gospel Music Association’s 2017 Gold Cross, the equivalent of Entertainer of the Year, according to Golden’s website.

Golden earned his first Cashbox No. 1 hit with “A Different Light” in 2016 and repeated the award with “Less of Me,” a Glen Campbell-written tune that is the title cut from Golden’s latest album. The latest project is a mixture of hymns, gospel classics and newer material, including “What Salvation’s Done for Me,” a song written by his brother, Rusty Golden and Dianne Wilkinson. He even joins his father for the Oak Ridge Boys’ mega-hit, “Thank God for Kids.”

Chris Golden greets my wife, Stephanie, before an Oak Ridge Boys’ concert at Renfro Valley in 2013.

Chris Golden’s gospel music success is, in reality, his career coming full circle. At 15, he started playing professionally as the pianist for the Southern Gospel group, The Telestials. He later worked with Cedar Creek, a Canadian country group, and several projects with Rusty, including The Boys Band, Golden Speer and The Goldens before joining the Oak Ridge Boys.

Chris’ solo venture is carrying on a family legacy that started when his father joined the Oak Ridge Boys in 1964. Elizabeth Golden, Chris’ daughter, has recorded her own albums has a video that has gone national.

Testimonials on Golden’s website refer to his concerts as “a worship experience” and “professional, uplifting and very spiritual.”

They reflect a genuine night of praise from Chris Golden. “Music is my life, my gift, and my love,” he says.

Tickets for an evening with Chris Golden are $27 each and are available at renfrovalley.com.