Duane David Allen (born April 29, 1943) had formal training in both operatic and quartet singing before becoming a member of The Oak Ridge Boys in 1966. Allen is the lead singer for the quartet and is heard on the majority of their most successful songs.

Duane is considered the President and CEO of the group. His personal hobby is the Oak Ridge Boys. He is active on social media and feels obligated to respond quickly to his fans. He also plans out how many tour days they need each year for his employees to live comfortably. They still tour roughly 150 days per year. This is less from their younger days.

Slowing down does not appear to be an option. Duane notes that each member of the group still has that “little-boy enthusiasm” about music, which partly explains why they continue to be a popular road draw. He is a Christian and puts it in God's hands for when they should retire. “The Oak Ridge Boys are still fans of our music industry,” he says, smiling. “We look forward to going into the Nashville publishing offices and finding new songs. We still love to record. And when we walk out onto that stage, we want to be great every single show. As many times as we have sung ‘Elvira’ or ‘Bobbie Sue’ or our other hits,” Duane adds, “we still make it sound fresh, like it’s the first time we’ve ever done it. And that’s a credit to everyone in the group.”

He was inducted in the Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He attended East Texas State University graduating in 1966, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity.

On August 9, 2014, Allen was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. The rest of The Oak Ridge Boys—Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban—were also inducted as honorary members.

Back in 2014, Duane received a memorial bridge honor in his hometown in Texas. “I did not know until our bus turned down the small road that the bridge was on ‘our’ road,” the singer said. “It was a complete surprise. I thought it would be south of our place, but when we turned down ‘our’ road, now named the Duane Allen Road, my stomach just about came out of my body. I was so thrilled that I did not have the proper words to express myself. I was still emotionally charged when I tried to speak.”

He is married to Norah Lee Allen. You can catch her as a back up singer on the Grand Ole Opry. Daughter Jamie is married to musician Paul Martin, formerly of Exile, and they have several children. They formed a family band called Martin Family Circus. Son Dee is also a musician. He is part of a group called Tall Dark Stranger. Duane and Norah live in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]