 The Oak Ridge Boys'
William Lee Golden is no longer
a single man. The Country Music Hall of
Fame inductee and country music legend
known for his deep baritone voice married
Simone Staley in a private ceremony among
a small group of close family and friends
in Nashville, Saturday, August 29.
Celebrities in attendance of course
included Golden's confidantes, Duane
Allen, Richard Sterban and Joe Bonsall of
The Oak Ridge Boys, among others.
At the age of 18, Staley purchased the
Oak Ridge Boys' Together album and was
instantly drawn to the picture of Golden
on the front of the album cover. She
somehow felt as if she would meet him
someday, and by the fall of that same
year, she was sitting in the front row at
her first Oak Ridge Boys concert. Golden
threw a scarf her way, and she happened
to catch it, as if the two were destined
from day one.
In October of 1980, the two finally met
at a show at Knott's Berry Farm, and the
attraction was instant. They would spend
time together over the next couple of
years, however, their lives went in two
different directions after a show in
1982, and they lost touch.
Fast forward to May of 2009, when they
both had recently lost their mothers,
they reignited their friendship and
bonded over their mutual love of art and
painting. Simone painted a portrait of
Golden, which she gave to him back in the
80s, that he held on to for all of those
years - and even pulled from the
destruction after his home was destroyed
by a tornado. It was the memory of her
that he saw when he looked at it.
"Although it was a portrait of me, I
could see her face every time I saw that
painting," said Golden.
"I had always wondered if he held
onto that painting," said Staley.
"It was probably silly to do so, but
I just felt very strongly about it after
pouring my heart and soul into it."
By summer of 2013, Golden invited Simone
to come to Tennessee and go to Alabama
and Florida with him to visit family and
friends. The time spent traveling
together allowed them to get to know one
another even better, and it was that trip
that solidified what they already knew -
that they couldn't be without each
other."
The two plan to reside in their home they
found together in 2013 in Middle
Tennessee with their loving pets -
happily ever after."It's
been the most beautiful experience,
together," Golden said.
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