"Gonna Take a Lot of River"—often known as "Gonna Take a Lot of River (Mississippi, Monongahela, Ohio)"—is a song written by John Kurhajetz and Mark Henley, and recorded by American country music group the Oak Ridge Boys.
The members of The Oak Ridge Boys had contacted Don Lanier, a friend of their record producer Jimmy Bowen, in 1987 to provide the group with "up-tempo" material.
[1] In October 1988, the song ascended to number one on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.
[2] "Gonna Take a Lot of River" was the first song to feature the lead vocals of Steve Sanders, who succeeded William Lee Golden in the group's lineup.
[1] In 2011, the group rerecorded the song with a new arrangement and tenor singer Joe Bonsall on lead vocals for their It's Only Natural project at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.