From the Darkroom: The Oak Ridge Boys play Hammons Student Center in 1982

A crowd of just over 6,000 enthusiastic fans waited for the Oak Ridge Boys to take the stage in 1982 at Hammons Student Center on the campus of Southwest Missouri State University.

A reviewer noted, “the Oaks showed they deserved that enthusiasm. They put on a well-paced, professional show and performed most their long string of hit records, including the multimillion-selling ‘Elvira.’ The Oaks’ gospel background is obvious in their singing, but they go far beyond those roots. They can sing and perform with best of the new breed of county pop stars.”

Gail Davies was the opening act and she performed 12-songs in a 45-minute set.

This image is part of a much larger collection of historically rich photographs from the News-Leader’s photo archive. Each week, the Springfield-Greene County Library will tap into this vast collection and present an interesting image “from the darkroom" and share its history.This image is presented in partnership between the Springfield-Greene County Library District and the Springfield News-Leader. For more historical images of the Ozarks, visit: thelibrary.org/fromthedarkroom.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: From the Darkroom: Oak Ridge Boys play Hammons Student Center in 1982